Attempts and Final conquest

Julius Caesar made the first attempt. This expedition was nonetheless only partly successful. The Celts
started not paying their tribute afterwards and the island was no longer under Roman control. It was
during the reign of Emperor Claudius that the Romans managed to seize the island. The conquering of
Britain was done between 43 and 60 AD. But the Romans were very harsh against the Celts. They
wanted to destroy the essence of their religion: Druidism. This sparked the revolt of Boadicea. She was a
Celtic queen, who led a confederation of tribes against the Romans. They almost drove the Romans out.
But through clever strategy by the Romans, the Celts were defeated in one single battle. Thus Roman
control over the Southern half of the island was secure.

Pax Romana.

After fearsome battles in the North, a line of defense would be established near the present Anglo-
Scottish border. This was done during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The only part of Britain not
conquered is the Scotland of today. This part was inhabited by ferocious tribes named Caledonians.
Beginning with 3rd century they will be called, the Picti (the painted ones).

Except for the Northern portions of the province, Britain enjoyed a period of prosperity in the 2 nd called
the Pax Romana. The Romans developed the island. They built new cities in the Roman style. Latin
became the spoken language of the civilized. Though, Celtic was still used by the lower classes. They
built vilas in the countryside, where the wealthy lived. They also developed the infrastructure by
building paved roads, bridges, aqueducts or thermal baths.

Religion

There occurred a syncretism between Roman and Celtic gods. One such example is the cult of Sulis-
Minerva. The city of Aquae Sulis (current day Bath) was built on such holy site dedicated to the Celtic
goddess Sulis. She became synced to the Roman goddess Minerva. Christianity became ever more
apparent with the 2nd century. According to legend, Christianity was brought to Britain by Joseph of
Arimathea in Glastonbury, bringing with him the Holy Grail. There were also martyrs of the church in the
3rd century. One such martyr was St. Alban. At first he was a pagan. But when he saw a Christian priest
running from the persecution, he hid him in his house. He was impressed by the priest’s faith and
converted to Christianity. He sacrificed himself and took the priest’s place at the place of torture and
was put to death. His martyrdom was in Verulamium (current day St. Albans). In the 4 th-5th centuries a
Briton, by the name of Patrick, was taken as a slave to Ireland. He turned to prayer and found God. He
then began preaching to the Irish the word of God and spread Christianity across the island. He became
the first bishop of Ireland.
The militarization of Britain and its consequences

Britain was heavily militarized to fight off the northern tribes. One eighth of the Roman army was
stationed in Britain. This gave considerable power to any governor of the island. That is why, many
governors of the island tried across the decades to seize power in Rome. Such men were Clodius
Albinus, Carausius, Constantine the Great, Magnus Maximus, Constantine the 3 rd. Such expeditons led
by these men had the effect of draining Britain of its military manpower. Constantine the 3 rd’s decision
to seize power in Rome in 407 meant that the last Roman legions retreated from Britain. Britain was left
undefended.

THE DECAY OF THE PROVINCE

The Province was assaulted by the tribes of the North: the Caledonians (the Picti). They raided the
countryside, bringing much havoc. As the military situation in Britain became more difficult with the 4 th
century, other peoples came in for the kill. From Ireland there came the Irish and the Scoti. From over
the North Sea there came the Angles and the Saxons. In the 5 th century Britannia had been deserted by
the Romans and the Britons had to fend for themselves. In 446 they invited two Saxon chieftains, Hengst
and Horse, to help them against the Picti from the North. But after some time the Angles and the Saxons
grew stronger and began to invide the entire Britain. A fierce battle was waged then between the
Britons and the Anglo-Saxons. The Romano-British struggle against the Germanic people in the period
known as Sub-Roman Britain (400 - 600) would spark the legend of king Arthur. This legend would come
to mystify the chivalric cult of the Middle Ages.