Overview: Roman Britain, 43 - 410 AD

WHY BRITAIN?

- 9 AD: end to new wars of conquest

- the Channel was as effective a frontier as one could wish for

- war of prestige for Claudius, who needed a political fix to secure his throne with the Senate and the population

- military achievement above all else

INVASION AND CONQUEST

- 55/54 BC: invaded by Julius Cesar -> the conquest was interrupted by a revolt in Gaul

- Britain remained free, inhabited by ferocious blue-painted warriors

- Claudius with a big army started the conquest

- the invasion was difficult -> Boudicca, queen of the Iceni tribe, came close to expelling the invaders

- Romans occupied northern Britain

OCCUPATION

- empire's frontiers were under attack -> troops in Britain had to be reduced

- Romans built walls, defining a line between civilization and barbarians

- in the Roman part the army remained dominant and settlements of craftsmen and traders grew

- the land was impoverished and sparsely populated -> army took what little surplus there was

ROMANISATION

- only the lowland zone was Romanised:

Tribal centres were redesigned as Roman towns

The culture changed: Roman goods and customs

The towns were inhabited by local gentry, who were responsible for tax-collection and keeping order in the countryside -> they ruled on Rome's behalf

DECLINE

- the end of Roman empire for:

The end of expansion and the growth of taxes

Goths and Germans of central Europe began to spread

Roman emperors were incapability

Little interest in politic

THE FALL

- Britain was raided by the Anglo-Saxons, the Irish and the Picts

- troops were withdrawn to defend the homeland

- 425 AD: Britain had ceased to be in any sense "Roman"