Invaders of Britain

A presentation of
people that invaded
and/or settled in

The list goes as follows:

Britons (Celts)
Romans
Saxons
Vikings
Normans

The Celts
Who were the Celts?
From around 750 BC to 12 BC, the Celts

were the most powerful people in central

and northern Europe. There were many
groups (tribes) of Celts, speaking a vaguely
common language.
The word Celt comes from the Greek
word,Keltoi, which means barbarians and
is properly pronounced as "Kelt".

When did the Celts live in Europe?

The Iron Age Celts lived here 750BC. The Iron Age

ended in AD43 when the Romans invaded Britain.

Where did the Celts come from?

The Celts lived across most of Europe during the Iron

Age.
Several hundred years before Julius Caesar, they
occupied many parts of central and western Europe,
especially what are now Austria, Switzerland,
southern France and Spain. Over several years, in
wave after wave, they spread outwards, taking over
France and Belgium, and crossing to Britain.

How did these Celts look like?

"They

are very tall in stature, with rippling

muscles under clear white skin. Their hair is
blond, but not naturally so: they bleach it, to this
day, artificially, washing it in lime and combing it
back from their foreheads. They look like wooddemons, their hair thick and shaggy like a horse's
mane. Some of them are clean-shaven, but
others - especially those of high rank - shave
their cheeks but leave a moustache that covers
the whole mouth"
Diodorus Siculus(A Roman historian)*
*These reports mey be biased.

The Celts loved bright dazzling colours. They

dyed their woolen trousers and tops bright

colours
The wool
cloth material
made on the
loom would
then have
been sewn
together
using a bone
or metal
needle and
wool thread.

The Romans
TheRomans came toBritain

nearly 2000 years ago and

changed the country. Even
today, evidence of the Romans
being here, can be seen in the
ruins of Roman buildings, forts,
roads, and baths can be found
all over Britain.

First invasion- Caesar's first raid

In August 55 B.C. (55 years before Jesus was born)

the Roman general,EmperorJulius

Caesarinvaded Britain. He took with him
twoRoman 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
fivelegions(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. (43

years after Jesus was born),Emperor

Claudiusorganised the final and successful
Roman invasion of Britain. General Aulus
Plautius led four legions with 25,000 men, plus
an equal number ofauxiliary soldiers. They
crossed the Channel in three divisions, landing
at Richborough, Dover, and Lympne.

What clothes did men wear in Roman times?

Men wore a knee-length tunic (chilton), either sleeveless or short-

sleeved. Roman men wore a cloak over their tunic, which was like a
wide shawl that was draped over the shoulder and carefully wrapped
around the body.
Important Romans dressed in a long robe called atoga.

What clothes did women wear?

Women wore a longer tunic which was often ankle-length. Over

this the women wore a stola which was a full length from neck
to ankle, high- waisted and fastened at the shoulders with
clasps.
Rich women wore long tunics made from expensive cotton or
silk. They also wore lots of jewellery and make-up, strong scent
and elaborate hairstyles. They had specially trained slaves to
help them dress. arrange their hair and put make up on their
faces.

Saxons
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
The Angle, Saxon, and Jute are known as the Anglo-

Saxons. The Angles and the Saxon tribes were the

largest of the three attacking tribes and so we often
know them as Anglo-Saxons. They shared the same
language but were each ruled by different strong
warriors.
The Anglo-Saxons were warrior-farmersand came from
north-western Europe. They began to invade Britain
while theRomanswere still in control.
The Anglo-Saxons were tall, fair-haired men, armed with
swords and spears and round shields.
They loved fighting and were very fierce.

When did the Anglo-Saxons invade Britain?

The first Anglo-Saxons raided the shores of

south and east England in the fourth century AD,

but they were beaten back by theRomans. At
the beginning of the fifth century, the Romans
left Britain. They had not trained the British to
defend themselves and so the next time the
Saxons tried to invade Britain they succeeded.
It was during the second half of the fifth century
that more and more Anglo-Saxons arrived to
take land for themselves. It is for this reason
that the time of the Anglo-Saxons is usually
thought of as beginning about AD 450.

The Vikings
The Viking Age in Britain began about 1,200

years ago in the 9th Century AD and lasted for

just over 200 years.
About the year 800, bands of fierce raiders
began to attack our coasts. They were the
Vikings (also called the Danes although they
didn't just come from Denmark. See below).
The Vikings came across the North Sea, just as
the Anglo-Saxons had done 400 years earlier. In
time, like theAnglo-Saxons, the Vikings made
their home here. They drove the Saxons out of
part of the country and took it for themselves.

Who were the Vikings?

Vikings were also known as the

Norsemen.
They were great travelers and
sailed to other parts of Europe,
where they traded, raided, and
often settled.
Many Vikings were great travelers
and sailed all over Europe and the
Atlantic Ocean in their longships.
Their longships could sail in shallow

What did the Vikings Wear?

Viking clothes were made from wool, linen

and animal skins.

The Vikings were skillful weavers and made
their own clothes. Women, with the help of
children, made the wool into yarn and used
natural dyes from plants to give it colour.
Men wore tunics and trousers and women
wore a long dress with a pinafore over it.
Their clothes were fastened with belts and
brooches.

The Normans
The Normans were people who lived in

Normandy in NorthernFrance. They were

originallyVikingsfrom Scandinavia. (The
name Normandy comes from the French
normand, meaning Norsemen and
Normans)
The Normans lived in wattle and daub huts
with thatched straw roofs.
(After invading Britain they also
builtcastles- to defend their new kingdom)

The Tudors