Roman conquest of Britain
The war has no agreed end. Accounts usually close it with Agricola's victory at Mons Graupius and his recall, dated 83 or 84; the English and Spanish Wikipedias give 43–84. Rome had abandoned its new fortress at Inchtuthil and pulled back from most of Scotland by about 87, and the frontier later settled on Hadrian's Wall, begun in 122.
Sides
Ancient Rome and Brigantes loyal to Queen Cartimandua, a client ally of Rome, until 69
Catuvellauni and their allies under Togodumnus and Caratacus (43), Peoples of the south-west fought by Vespasian, thought to be the Durotriges and Dumnonii (43–47), Peoples of Wales, among them the Silures and Ordovices, and the defenders of Mona (Anglesey), Iceni and Trinovantes under Boudica (60–61), Brigantes under Venutius, from 69, and Caledonians under Calgacus (83 or 84)
England
Italy
Scotland
WalesWhat happened
In 43 CE the emperor Claudius sent four legions under Aulus Plautius across the Channel. They defeated the Catuvellauni led by the brothers Togodumnus and Caratacus, and Claudius came in person to take their capital, Camulodunum (Colchester). Vespasian's legion fought its way through the south-west. Caratacus fought on in Wales with the Silures and Ordovices until he was beaten and, in 51, handed to Rome by Cartimandua, queen of the Brigantes. In 60 or 61 the governor Suetonius Paulinus attacked Mona (Anglesey), an island of the druids; while he was there, the Iceni and Trinovantes rose under Boudica and burned Camulodunum, Londinium and Verulamium before Paulinus defeated them. Rome then fought the Brigantes in the north and the Silures in Wales. From 77 or 78 Agricola took the rest of Wales and Anglesey and marched into Scotland, where he defeated the Caledonians at Mons Graupius in 83 or 84. Within a few years Rome withdrew from most of Scotland.
Outcome: Rome ruled most of what is now England and Wales as the province of Britannia; it pulled back from most of Scotland by about 87.
Key events
Leaders
- Claudius · Roman emperor; came to Britain in 43 and took Camulodunum · Rome and its British allies
- Aulus Plautius · Commander of the force of 43 and first governor of Britain, 43–47 · Rome and its British allies
- Vespasian · Commander of the Second Legion in the south-west, 43–47; later emperor · Rome and its British allies
- Publius Ostorius Scapula · Governor, 47–52; defeated Caratacus · Rome and its British allies
- Gaius Suetonius Paulinus · Governor; attacked Mona and defeated Boudica, 60–61 · Rome and its British allies
- Quintus Petillius Cerialis · Commanded the Ninth Legion in 60–61; as governor, 71–74, fought the Brigantes · Rome and its British allies
- Frontinus · Governor, 74–78; fought the Silures · Rome and its British allies
- Gnaeus Julius Agricola · Governor from 77 or 78 to 84; took north Wales and Anglesey and campaigned in Scotland · Rome and its British allies
- Cartimandua · Queen of the Brigantes and Rome's ally; handed Caratacus over in 51 · Rome and its British allies
- Togodumnus · Catuvellaunian leader; died in 43 · British peoples who fought Rome
- Caratacus · Catuvellaunian leader who fought on in Wales until 51 · British peoples who fought Rome
- Boudica · Queen of the Iceni; led the revolt of 60–61 · British peoples who fought Rome
- Venutius · Cartimandua's husband, who turned against her and Rome and took power among the Brigantes in 69 · British peoples who fought Rome
- Calgacus · Caledonian leader at Mons Graupius, known only from Tacitus · British peoples who fought Rome
Cultures it ended or changed
Meanwhile, elsewhere in
- Maya civilization
Mesoamerica · Oldest hereThe Maya Long Count calendar tracks days in an unbroken count from a mythical starting point in 3114 BCE.
- Han dynasty汉
China · Han emperors began selecting officials partly through a classical curriculum taught at an imperial academy, an early ancestor of China's civil-service exams.
- Moche culture
South America · - Zapotec civilizationBe'ena'a Mesoamerica ·
Zapotec nobles were buried in stone tombs beneath their own houses, later reopened and reused for centuries.
- Nazca culture South America ·
One Nazca line forms a hummingbird nearly 100 metres long, visible only from the air.
- Teotihuacan Mesoamerica ·
No one knows what Teotihuacan's own people called their city or themselves; "Teotihuacan" is an Aztec name given centuries later.
Sources
- Wikipedia (English). "Roman conquest of Britain."
- Wikipedia (español). "Conquista romana de Britania."
- Wikipedia (中文). "罗马征服不列颠."
- English Heritage. "History of Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre."
- Cassius Dio. Roman History 60.19–23 (Loeb Classical Library translation by E. Cary), via LacusCurtius.
- Tacitus. Annals 14.29–39 (Loeb Classical Library translation by J. Jackson), via LacusCurtius.
- Tacitus. Agricola 14–40 (translation by A. S. Kline), Poetry in Translation.
- World History Encyclopedia. "Roman Britain."
- World History Encyclopedia. "Boudicca."
- Historic England Periods thesaurus, "Iron Age" (800 BC – AD 43) and "Roman" (AD 43 – 410), via PeriodO.