He retained power for five years before being defeated and executed by emperor Theodosius I. After successful campaigns to defend Britain against Picts, Scots and Anglo Saxon raiders, Stilicho, the commander of the Roman armies in the west, withdrew troops from Britain to defend Italy against the invasion of Alaric the Goth. As a consequence, the garrison of Britain was left too weak to mount an adequate defence against further 'barbarian' raids. At this time, the borders of the Roman empire were being frequently breached by 'barbarian' invaders and there was a persistent sense of military crisis.
The Rhine frontier had been overrun and emperor Theodosius I responded by withdrawing troops to defend Italy. He crossed to the continent where he was defeated by an army loyal to Theodosius. After the usurper Constantine III crossed to the continent with part of the army to fight for supreme power, Britons may have successfully fought off a Saxon incursion on their own in AD.
A year later, they reputedly expelled the Roman administration and began to manage their own affairs. By , troops were continually being withdrawn from Britain to help fight wars elsewhere in the empire. There was a general and persistent state of military crisis.
Honorius wrote to them telling them to 'look to their own defences'. This act is often seen as marking the end of Roman Britain, although Roman institutions and their way of life endured. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled.
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Find out more about page archiving. Roman Britain. Early summer AD 43 Emperor Claudius orders the invasion of Britain An army of four legions and approximately 20, auxiliaries, commanded by senator Aulus Plautius, landed at Richborough, Kent. Late summer AD 43 British capital Camulodunum Colchester falls to the Romans Following the initial invasion of Britain, the Roman emperor, Claudius, arrived to symbolically lead his army to victory.
Summer AD 49 Roman citizen-colony is founded at Camulodunum Colchester With many legionaries due for retirement, the Romans founded a colony for veterans at Camulodunum Colchester. Summer AD 51 British resistance leader Caratacus is defeated and captured Following his defeat in the initial phase of the Roman invasion, Caratacus, the king of Catuvellauni, had fled west to first the Silures, then the Ordovices tribes in Gloucestershire and Wales.
Summer AD 52 Guerrilla war flares up in south east Wales Following the capture of Caratacus, who had led the opposition to Rome in the west of Britain, the Silures tribe in south Wales and Gloucestershire fought on. Early summer AD 61 Romans campaign against the druids in the far west of Britain The druids were the priest-scholars of ancient Britain, but 'druid' also tended to be a 'catch all' name used by the Romans for those who resisted their rule. Summer AD 71 Romans conquer northern England After ten years of comparative peace, Vespasian, first emperor of the new Flavian dynasty, ordered further conquests in Britain.
Autumn AD 78 Romans invade Mona Anglesey and destroy centre of druidism Taking advantage of a change in governor, the recently-conquered Ordovices tribe in north Wales revolted. Autumn AD 79 Grand opening of Verulamium's civic centre takes place Marking the emergence of a fully-fledged, self-governing municipality, the opening of the Verulamium St Albans civic centre was an event of pomp and ceremony attended by the provincial governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola.
Late summer AD 84 Romans defeat Caledonian tribes at the Battle of Mons Graupius More than three years after extending Roman rule into what is now Scotland, governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola finally succeeded in bringing the Caledonian tribes to a pitched battle at an unidentified place called Mons Graupius, probably somewhere in the Scottish Highlands.
Summer AD 87 Northernmost legionary fortress in Britain is evacuated Pressure elsewhere on the borders of the Roman empire - possibly in Dacia modern day Moldova - compelled the Romans to withdraw troops from the far north of Britain in the late 80s AD.
Summer AD Romans establish a new frontier on the Tyne-Solway line The new emperor, Trajan, required stable borders and more troops for a punitive campaign against Dacia now Moldova. Summer AD Emperor Hadrian orders the construction of a wall across northern Britain Hadrian was a gifted administrator who set in place a policy of creating natural or man-made barriers at the empire's outer limits. Summer AD Fire destroys much of central Verulamium St Albans Though one of the biggest and richest towns in 2nd century Roman Britain, Verulamium St Albans was still largely composed of small timber houses and shops.
Summer AD Full-scale war erupts in northern Britain The tribes of what are now southern Scotland and northern England had never been fully pacified, and outbreaks of violence were relatively frequent. Summer AD Emperor Septimius Severus wages war in northern Britain A generation of frontier conflict prompted Septimius Severus to lead his army in a renewed attempt to subdue the Caledonian tribes in the far north of Britain. AD New foes attack northern and western Britain and the Picts appear on the record In this period, new enemies began to threaten the British Isles.
Summer AD Work begins on a riverside wall in Londinium London Londinium London had been protected by a wall on its landward sides since the early 3rd century. Autumn AD Britain-based usurper Carausius is assassinated and replaced by Allectus Carausius was defeated by forces loyal to Rome and lost control of northern Gaul.
Autumn AD Constantine is hailed as emperor by the army in Britain When the Roman emperor Constantius died while campaigning in northern Britain, his soldiers at Eboracum York hailed his young son, Constantine, emperor. Summer AD The Edict of Milan ends persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire Constantine's Edict of Milan effectively 'legalised' Christianity and is sometimes seen as the point at which the empire and the emperor became Christian.
Autumn AD Paul 'the Chain' leads a military commission to suppress opposition in Britain After the defeat of the usurper Magnentius, the emperor Constantius II sent Paul 'the Chain' so called for his repressive practices and habit of binding his prisoners in heavy chains to investigate and purge Magnentius' supporters in Britain.
Summer AD Theodosius drives out the 'barbarians' and restores Britain's defences Appointed to an emergency military command, Theodosius hurried to Britain to restore Roman control following a massive 'barbarian' incursion. Summer AD Magnus Maximus is hailed Roman emperor by the army in Britain Magnus Maximus, possibly a 'vicarius' governor of Britain was proclaimed emperor by his troops. Summer AD Roman troops are withdrawn from Britain to defend Italy After successful campaigns to defend Britain against Picts, Scots and Anglo Saxon raiders, Stilicho, the commander of the Roman armies in the west, withdrew troops from Britain to defend Italy against the invasion of Alaric the Goth.
Summer AD Britons throw off their allegiance to Rome After the usurper Constantine III crossed to the continent with part of the army to fight for supreme power, Britons may have successfully fought off a Saxon incursion on their own in AD. Summer AD Britons send a vain appeal for military assistance to the Roman emperor By , troops were continually being withdrawn from Britain to help fight wars elsewhere in the empire.
Claudius ruled as Emperor for almost 14 years which was an impressive innings. Still, Claudius struggled to please the Senate, many senators tried to rebel against Claudius in a series of revolts, conspiracies and coups. None were successful however - Claudius was kept mighty busy having all of his enemies executed.
However, eventually Claudius popped his sandals. It was likely that he was poisoned, possibly by his wife, Agrippina, who may have wanted to off her hubbie so her son, Nero, could rule instead. How did she poison him? Sources vary but the poison may have been on mushroom or a feather. Quite how you poison someone with a feather is beyond us, tickle their face and just hope they accidentally swallow some poison maybe? Are you a teacher? Our experienced practitioners will bring the characters of the Roman Emperor Claudius and Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, to life for your students.
Find out more here. Further Reading. We found the following books very handy in researching this article. If you'd like to learn more about the Romans then they are well worth a look. Nearly a century later, in 43 A. Emperor Claudius required a public relations coup to secure his shaky position and therefore decided to undertake an invasion of Britain. Caratacus, king of the Catavellauni tribe, which occupied the area to the north of the River Thames, invaded the territory of his neighbours the Atrebates, whose ruler, Verica, fled to Rome and appealed for aid providing Claudius with the excuse he needed to invade.
Claudius sent four legions to Britain, embarking from Boulogne and landing at Richborough in modern Kent, Claudius' forces launched a three pronged attack on the Celts of Britain. The southern prong, consisting of the Second Legion, commanded by the future Emperor Vespasian marched through Sussex and Hampshire, the lands of the Atrebates tribe, who were friendly to Rome.
The Durotriges tribe of Dorset offered the first real opposition to the Romans. The invaders took the hill fort of Hod Hill, and built a military camp in one corner of the enclosure, the remains of which can still be seen today. Then they pushed on to present-day Exeter. The Celtic tribesmen made a stand at the huge earthworks of Maiden Castle in Dorset but were defeated with such ruthless efficiency that the catapult bolts used to subdue them can still be dug out of the ground today.
The two other Roman prongs of attack marched west towards north Wales and north to York. By the summer of 43 AD Claudius himself was able to land in Britain, he entered the Catuvellaunian capital of Camulodunum Colchester in triumph and received the submission of twelve British chieftains. Caractacus , chief of the Catuvellauni adopted guerrilla tactics to resist the Roman general Aulus Plautius.
He and his brother Togodumnus lost much of the south-east after being defeated in two crucial battles on the rivers Medway and Thames. Some tribes, realising that the end was near, made peace with the invaders, but Caractacus fought on. This new wall is built of earth and timber, and is strengthened by a series of forts along its length. AD — Villas start appearing across the British countryside. Compared to their southern counterparts they are fairly modest however, with fewer than ten having mosaic floors.
Although the reasons for this are unclear, it is thought that an uprising by the Brigantes had forced the retreat. AD — The Brigantes, along with other tribes of southern Scotland and northern England, start revolting against the Romans.
AD — After a period of in-fighting within Rome, a series of military commissioners arrive in Britain looking to purge any supporters of the recently ousted usurper, Decimus Clodius.
With the Romans aiming to meet the rebels in pitched battle, the Caledonians instead opt for guerrilla warfare.
This forces peace treaties to be signed between the belligerents. London was the new capital of the south, with York the capital of the north. AD — Carausius is assassinated by his treasurer, Allectus, who quickly starts work on his palace in London to solidify his claim to authority.
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