2. Roman Britain

I. Conquest

    A. First Roman Invasion of Britain (55-54 B.C.E.)

            1) Julius Caesar's motives:

                - to punish the Britons for aiding rebel Gauls

                - to plunder Britain's wealth

                - to increase his prestige

            2) Invasions initially successful bit incomplete since Caesar left

                Britain after a month or two

            3) Legacy > laid the foundation for future conquest

                - Roman influence in Britain grew as did its knowledge of the people

                    and geography of Britain

                - Rome gained allies against piracy on its northern borders

                - with Rome 's support the power of individual kings was enhanced

                    and British kingship was strengthened

    B. Second Roman Invasion of Britain (43 C.E.)

            1) Emperor Claudius's motives:

                - to prove himself a capable military leader

                - to support a British ally of Rome against invasion

                - to reduce the number of troops on the Rhine

                - to suppress the Druids

            2) Conquest achieved in 18 years due to :

                - Rome's superior political and military strength

                - the use of divide and rule tactics

            3) Fate of Allies

                - Queen Cartimandua of the Brigantes

                - Queen Boudicci of the Iceni

II. Consolidation of Roman Rule

    A. Military Occupation

            - Roman troops stationed in Britain

            - roads built for rapid deployment

            - Wales brought under Roman control 78 C.E.

    B. Hadrian's Wall (122-128 C.E.)

    C. Antonine's Wall (143 C.E.)

            - another unsuccessful attempt to conquer the north ended in the

                construction of a second wall which was abandoned after 20 years

    D. Peace (211 C.E.)

            - a final attempt ended in treaties that preserved the peace for 70 years

III. Administration of Roman Britain

    A. Governor

            - appointed by the Emperor

            - duties primarily military, but also supervised the cities, public works

                and high courts

    B. Procurator

            - appointed by the Emperor

            - in charge of financial matters such as tax assessment and collection

    C. Cities

            - primarily administrative centers

            - Types:

                   colonis > a newly established city occupied by retired legionnaires

                   municipium > a pre-existing Celtic town

                   civitas > an older tribal center

            - each city had a council of wealthy men who elected the magistrates

            - magistrates were responsible for public property, dispensing justice,

                supervising the surrounding countryside; collecting taxes

            - cities were centers of Roman culture, their inhabitants literate in Latin

    D. The Countryside

            1) Villa > center of a large agricultural estate

            2) Celtic farms also survived

            3) Romans offered little new in farm technology but they

                    - did introduce new crops > grapevines, cherry trees, peas, parsnips

                        and turnips

                    - made the marketing and distribution of farm products more efficient

                    - in the third century Britain became an important supplier of grain

                        to the Western Empire

    E. Expansion of Trade

IV. Collapse of Roman Rule

   A. Weakening of Rome's Control Over Britain

            1) reduction of the number of legions stationed in Britain

            2) Saxon pirates began to invade the east coast in the late third century

                    - Rome's response was to build forts and signal stations on the east

                      coast; later a military position, Count of Saxon, was created to

                       command troops garrisoned there

            3) Hadrian's Wall was overrun in 367 C.E.

                    - Rome's enemies in Britain allied and carried out a concerted attack

                        by land and sea: Scots in the west, Picts in the north, Saxons in

                        the east

                    - the Romans regained control of the Wall

    B. The Expulsion of the Romans from Britain

            - Emperor Constantine III removed most of the troops from Britain in

                    407 C.E. to defend Gaul against invaders

            - this left the Bretons to defend themselves against a Saxon invasion in

                    408 C.E.

            - having succeeded and wanting to free themselves of Roman taxes, the

                    Bretons expelled the remaining Roman troops in 409 C.E.

            - Rome fell to Germanic invaders in 411 C.E.

V. The Legacy of Rome in Britain

    A. Cities

            - most affected by Roman occupation > literacy in Latin was widespread

                as Latin was the language of government, law, business and culture and

                elites adopted many aspects of Roman culture

            - after the collapse of Roman authority, most cities declined and were

                abandoned

            - Celtic culture re-emerged

    B. Christianity > the most important legacy

            - Edict of Milan (313 C.E.) allowed toleration of Christians in the Empire

            - British bishops from London, York and Lincoln attended the council

                    of Arles (314 C.E.)

            - Emperor Theodosius the Great (378-395 C.E.) declared Christianity

                the state religion

            - St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in 462 C.E.; later missionaries

                were active in Wales and Scotland

            - By the end of the fifth century Britain was mostly Christian

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