The Roman conquest of Britain is a long process, during which the Romans conquered the island and the Celtic tribes that inhabited it. The beginning of this process was laid in 43 AD e. Roman emperor Claudius. We will talk about this, as well as the role of the Roman conquest in the history of Britain.
The situation in Rome
In 41 AD during the palace coup, the closest associates killed the tyrant emperor Caligula. His place on the throne was taken by Claudius, Caligula's uncle, who ruled from 41 to 54 years.
The new ruler was not respected in the imperial house. He came to power by chance, when the people, in fear of civil strife, demanded the sole emperor.
In order to somehow increase his authority, Claudius decided to take a military campaign, choosing the island of Britain as his goal. Historians call such reasons as:
- A question related to prestige, since even Julius Caesar himself did not manage to securely gain a foothold in this distant locality.
- The second reason was the economic benefits promised by the Roman conquest of Britain. Indeed, among its supplies to Rome were: slaves, metal, grain, hunting dogs.
Before the campaign of Claudius
Briefly about Britain before the Roman conquest, the following can be said. By 43 g. e. the Iron Age continued on the island. In agriculture, plows with iron tips were used, and the forest was cut with iron axes. In addition to weapons made of bronze, as well as tools, artisans made gold jewelry.
The British lived in tribes ruled by leaders. Tribal wars were fought, which contributed to the construction of fortifications - fortified settlements. Locals produced wheat on an industrial scale and exported grain. They traded it with continental Europe. In addition, minerals were an important export item, which, in particular, attracted the Roman Empire, which began its expansion to the north. In 55 and 54 BC. e. G. Yu. Caesar undertook campaigns in Britain, but could not conquer it.
Conquest of the island
The Roman conquest of Britain began with the landing of four legions on the island in the year 43. One of them was commanded by Vespasian, the future emperor. The landing occurred in Kent. Over a rather short period, the southeastern part of the island territory was captured.
The Roman army was much stronger than the Celts, but because the first resistance of the latter quickly came to an end. In June of that year, Emperor Claudius arrived in Britain personally to accept the surrender, signed by twelve local rulers.
The process of conquering the British lasted about forty years. Some lands, such as Dorset, resisted the conquerors for a long time. Also in the occupied territories, uprisings often took place. Their cause was ill-treatment by the invaders and the introduction of conscription for the Celts.
Queen Boudicca's Rise
One of the large-scale speeches was an uprising led by Queen Boudicca, which broke out during the reign of Emperor Nero. This queen was the wife of the leader of one of the tribes under the name "Iceni" - Prasutaga, which was dependent on the Romans. After the death of the leader, the Roman army captured the lands of the tribe.
By order of the next manager, who was appointed by Rome, Queen Boudicca was carved, and her two daughters were dishonored. This was the reason for the uprising that occurred in 61 years. The Romans and their Celtic supporters were killed by the rebels, who captured several cities, including present-day London, which was then called Londinium.
The Itcenes did not succeed in resisting Roman power, and the uprising was defeated, and the queen committed suicide in order not to fall into enemy hands.
In 60, the Romans captured the island of Anglesey, which at that time was the main stronghold of the Druids. They put up stubborn resistance, but their territory was captured and the Celtic fortifications destroyed.
Conquests of Agricola
In 78, Gnei Julius Agricola was appointed to Britain as a consular legate, who in the 79th took a trip to the place on the Tay estuary - the Fert-of-Tey, and in the 81st - to the Kintyr Peninsula. Both of these territories are located in Scotland, a significant part of which was then conquered. Then the Romans called it Caledonia.
But the advantage of the Britons was a good knowledge of the surrounding landscape, as well as great superiority in numbers. Therefore, the struggle took place in constant battles, in which the army of Agricola was battered more than once. This required a lot of time to replenish the legions and develop new military tactics.
In 83, a battle took place in the Graupian Mountains, where Agricola won a landslide victory. Under his leadership, roads were built and defenses were erected from the Celtic tribes who did not want to submit.
End of dominion
After the Roman conquest of Britain, it remained part of the empire for several hundred years, until it fell into two parts. In 407, the invaders were forced to leave the island. Despite a long period of domination, the influence of the Roman conquest in Britain was not global.
The Romanization of Britain did not go smoothly. The rebels rose again and again. The island was too far from Rome, and he had to build the wall of Hadrian to defend against attacks from the north. Protecting her was quite difficult. Britain for centuries absorbed both human and material resources, and when Rome fell, it became the first to return to a barbaric state.