The Romans in Britain 43 AD The

The Romans in Britain 43 AD

The Romans lived in Rome, a city in the centre of the country of Italy

The Romans remained in Britain from 43 AD to 410 AD. That is almost four hundred years 55 BC Julius Caesar heads first Roman Invasion but later withdraws 43 AD Romans invade and Britain becomes part of the Roman Empire 50 London Founded 61 Boadicea leads the Iceni in revolt against the Romans 70 Romans conquer Wales and the North 122 - 128 Emperor Hadrian builds a wall on the Scottish Border 140 Romans conquer Scotland 209 St Alban becomes the 1 st Christian martyr. He is killed for being a Christian. 306 Constantine the Great declared Emperor at York 350 The Picts and Scots attack the border 401 - 410 The Romans withdraw from Britain: Anglo Saxons migrants begin to Settle

Reasons for invasion The reasons Claudius had for the 43 AD invasion are varied but can be summed up under three headings: political, timing and opportunity and finally finance and trade. Emperor Claudius Invades Almost 100 years went by, before the Romans again turned their attention to Britain. In 43 A. D. Emperor Claudius sent an invasion force of about 40, 000 soldiers to conquer the island make its people submissive to Roman power.

First invasion - Caesar's first raid In August 55 B. C the Roman general, Emperor Julius Caesar invaded Britain. He took with him two Roman legions. After winning several battles against the Celtic tribes (Britons) in south-east England he returned to France. Second invasion - Caesar's second raid The following summer (in 54 B. C. ) Caesar came to Britain again landing at Walmer near Deal in Kent. This time he brought with him no fewer than five legions (30, 000 foot soldiers) and 2, 000 cavalrymen (horse riders). This time the Romans crossed the River Thames. After more fighting, the British tribes promised to pay tribute to Rome and were then left in peace for nearly a century. Third and final invasion Nearly one hundred years later, in 43 A. D. Emperor Claudius organized the final and successful Roman invasion of Britain Many tribes tried to resist the Romans. It took about four years for the invaders to finally gain control over southern England, and another 30 years for them to conquer all of the West Country and the mountains and valleys of Wales. The battle for Yorkshire and the remainder of northern England was still underway in AD 70. .

The first invasion The first Roman general to invade Britain was Julius Caesar. While fighting Celtic tribes in Gaul (modern France), Caesar believed they were getting help from the Celtic people of Britain. He resolved to invade Britain and punish those people.

Caesar’s Second Invasion After some initial skirmishes with various Celtic tribes, since winter was approaching, Caesar decided to return to Gaul. However, in the spring of 54 B. C. he attempted a second invasion of Britain. This time he was able to land without opposition. He marched inland set up a fort.

End of Caesar’s Invasions In 54 B. C. Caesar fought a few small battles with the British tribes, and then concluded some treaties with their kings. Soon, he again left Britain, in order to return to Rome, where political developments demanded his attention. He never got back to Britain, for in 44 B. C. he was assassinated.

Boudicca’s Rebellion Not all the Celtic tribes were content to have the Romans ruling over them. In 66 A. D. the queen of the Iceni tribe, a woman named Boudicca, led a rebellion against the Romans. At first she was successful. She managed to burn the city of London. However, the Roman army soon caught up with her, and her followers were slaughtered in a very bloody battle.

Roman Power Changes Britain The British people were very agricultural and rural. They had small villages, but no real cities. The Romans began to change all this. They immediately set about building cities on the Roman model. One of these cities was Londinium, now known as London.

The Romans called London 'Londinium'. The River Thames was quick way to transport goods between Britain and the Continent. The Romans saw this and built the town of Londinium around the river's main crossing point. They chose a spot in two small hills and where the river became narrower. They built a bridge over the Thames, and there has been a 'London Bridge' in the same area ever since. The Romans laid out buildings, streets and a port, and shortly afterwards they built a bridge. They called the settlement Londinium and it soon became the capital of Roman Britain.

The Britons Submit to Rome Claudius’ army was too great for the Britons to resist. Soon, a number of the Celtic kings decided to ask for terms of peace. Claudius himself came to Britain to receive a pledge of loyalty to Rome from these kings. Britain was now officially a part of the Roman Empire.

Roman Gods and Religion People worshipped the gods in temples where they made sacrifices of animals and precious things. Sometimes a temple was built to only worship one of the gods. A temple to all gods was known as a pantheon. It was named after the word for the entire collection of their gods called the Pantheon.

Emperor Hadrian Strengthens the Border. In 122 A. D. the Emperor Hadrian decided to build a wall completely across Britain to mark a permanent border for the Empire and to shut the northern Celts out of the civilized regions to the south. The fort at Vindolanda and several other northern forts were incorporated into this wall. Hadrian’s Wall was built by soldiers and is a marvel of Roman engineering skill.

It was 117 kilometers (73 miles) long across the narrow neck of England, from the North Sea to the Irish Sea It took about 14 years to complete Hadrian's Wall. The largest structure ever made by the Romans.

What was Hadrian's Wall? Unlike the rest of Britain, Scotland was never considered part of the Roman Empire. The Roman armies invaded Scotland several times and even defeated the northern tribes a few times, but they never controlled Scotland. Hadrian's Wall was a stone barrier built to separate the Romans and the Picts tribes in Scotland. It allowed Roman soldiers to control the movements of people coming into or leaving Roman Britain.

The Romans gave: ü Language The language we used today was developed from the Romans. The Romans spoke and wrote in Latin and many of the words are based on Latin words. ü The Calendar the calendar we use today is more than 2, 000 years old. It was started by Julius Caesar, a Roman ruler. It is based on the movement of the earth around the sun, and so is called the 'solar calendar. ' The solar calendar has 365 days a year, and 366 days every leap year, or every fourth year. The names of our months are taken from the names of Roman gods and rulers. The month 'July, ' in fact, is named after Julius Caesar himself! ü Laws and a legal system The laws and ways we determine what to do with someone who is accused of breaking a law came originally from the Roman Empire. ü The Census The Roman Empire was huge and included millions of people living over a large area. How did they keep track of all these people? Easy! They counted them! The Roman Empire began the practice of taking a census, or a 'count, ' of all the people within its boundaries every so often. Today, many countries take a census every 10 years. ü ü straight roads central heating concrete aqueducts (bridges for water)

Roman Baths Every town had its own bath complex (like a large swimming pool). The Romans built magnificent public bath houses in towns across their empire. People went to the public baths for entertainment, healing or just to get clean. Some people went to the public baths to meet friends and spend their spare time there. Large bath houses had restaurants games rooms snack bars and even libraries. you can see remains of a Roman bath in the city of Bath, in Somerset.