Download ROMAN INVASION J. Caesar wanted fame, so in 55 BC

ROMAN
INVASION
J. Caesar wanted
fame, so in 55 BC
warships appeared on
the Kent coast
Britons were
waiting for
them on the
beach
In mid-September J. Caesar
& his ships went away: He
had come & seen but not
conquered
By 54 BC came with
a great force & they
took battle at the
territory of
Catuvellauni = pay
tribute to the
Romans
J. Caesar
achieved
enough &
moved back his
forces
He won public
recognition in
Rome
Claudius wanted to fulfill
all his political aims with
the conquest of Britain.
He was anxious for
military honour
In 43 AD they
invaded the Kent
coast under the
command of
Plautius
His objective was
Camulodunum
(Colchester), the
Catuvellanian
capital
Treaties between Rome
& British leaders were
successful and Rome
established trading links
with parts of Britain
Claudius waited in
Rome until he
received the
message to
complete the
campaign
Colchester fell and
the outstanding
British warrior,
Caractacus, fled for
his life
When Claudius received
the submission of the
tribes he came back to
Rome to claim his
triumph
Plautius completed his task &
occupied the land behind the
frontier that Claudius laid down: a
line from Lincoln to the south of
Devon coast
The new defenses
served by the 190
mile Fosse Way,
Britain 1st military
frontier road
Beyond this
land there
were the wild
unconquered
tribesmen
Within the new
frontiers the
process of ruling
& civilizing the
islanders began
CONQUEST OF THE MIDLANDS
& THE NORTH
Treaty with Cartimandua made
possible the conquest of
Midlands & Wales:
Caractacus, after his
defeat, appealed
Queen Cartimandua of
the Brigantes for
refuge (50 AD)
She rejected this
request because of
her treaty with
Rome, but her
decision led to
disagreements
among the Brigantes
Caractacus was captured &
taken to Rome, where he
was pardoned
The removal of
Caractacus allowed
the fortification of
Wales & the
northwest Midlands
Romans began to intervene in the
North in the 50-60s
Rebellion
among the Iceni
& Trinovantes,
led by Boudica
Causes:
Boudica’s
own
treatment at
Roman hands
after her
husband’s
death
Trinovantes’s
resentment
for the
construction
of a colonia
at Colchester
These events exacerbated pro- &
anti-Roman sympathies among the
brigantes
Vespasian tried to bring the entire mainland to the Roman
province. There were some territorial gains under:
Cerialis
established a
legionary
fortress at York
and advanced
into Scotland
Agricola’s governorship
was held by 3 different
men:
Vespasian favoured total
conquest
Titus removed legionary
troops from Britain in 80
Domitian permitted a
renewal of the colonial
advance, but reducing the
fighting with the
Caledonians
In 83, Agricola
committed genocide
on the Caledonians at
the battle of Mons
Grapius. Then, he
was recalled to Rome
By 87 the building of new fortress was
abandoned & legions went back to the
Continent, indicating that frontier problems
in Europe were increasing. The period of
conquest was complete
NORTHERN
FRONTIER: THE 2
WALLS
Hadrian
Wall
Antonine
Wall
In 138 Antoninus
planned to build
a new wall & to
reoccupy
territories
In 122 Emperor Hadrian arrived.
He built a wall to separate the
barbarians from the Romans
The stone wall
extended from
Newcastle to
Willowford
The Antonine Wall
was the northern
frontier of the Roman
Empire and probably
it was intended to
resemble Hadrian’s
Wall
It was built of turf & a
design with forts of
varying size at much
shorter intervals
The construction took 7
years and it consisted of
the wall itself with forts,
milecastle & watchtowers
along it. When the wall
was finished a great ditch
was dug on the south side
Hadrian’s fortification
served its purpose for 250
years.. But in the 4th century
the forces were no longer
available. Roman generals
fighting for the Imperial
throne removed troops. In
407
407, the last effective
Roman forces left Britain for
the Continent
Its main objective
may have been
closer supervision
of the northern
tribes
Marcus Aurelius decided by 163 to abandon
Antonine’s Wall and reoccupy Hadrian’s one
THE ROADS
Romans needed a
network of roads to
connect its new towns
& army posts and to
speed the flow of
trade
The most vital
priority was the
movement of troops
& supplies from the
ports to the military
centres in London,
Colchester & the
front-line forts
The Fosse Way was the 1st
great Roman road in Britain
from Exeter to Lincoln
After these “front-line” roads had been
established, the Romans turned their
attention to expand the network of minor
roads within their new possession, to aid
the flow of trade
By the 1st century, there were already
busy sea routes linking the various
territories of the Roman Empire. On
the coast of Britain the Romans built
harbours which were linked to the
roads they had already built in the
island.
The minor roads, called ‘economic
roads’, were built to link economic
centres with administrative
capitals & coastal ports
There was a 3rd level of roads
at the local level, connecting
villas, temples, farms &
villages to larger roads &
market towns
Every Roman road in Britain was linked
with the routes to London, and from there a
direct route pointed to Dover where
regular ferries linked Britain with the main
highway to the capital city of the Empire
“All roads lead to Rome”
The mastery of
communications was the
secret of Roman power.
THE ROMANISATION OF
THE BRITISH ISLES
Romans established a
system of law & order
and opened
communications so
trade flourished
Under Rome, Britain
enjoyed 3 centuries of
peace & prosperity
Roman civilization was
based on racial toleration
& class society
There were
citizens & slaves.
They could gain
Roman citizenship
by merit, influence
or service to Rome
In the 3rd century,
Christianity
flourished under
the Romans
Trade flourished within the
Island and between Britain &
the rest of Europe (flourishing of
local enterprises)
British benefit
from Economic &
social
opportunities
Civilization was
based on towns
(often developed
from forts) &
connected by a
network of
engineered roads
The towns were the centres
of Roman influence &
administration
When barbarians advanced, the Christians
fled to the hills where they kept alive their
faith
Towns were ordered
streets where shops,
temples & a central
forum sprang quickly
SOCIETY, ECONOMY & ART
To the towns came
lawyers & tax
collectors
The language of
the law was
Latin.
Villas incorporated
large warm baths and
reception rooms with
under-floor central
heating.
Larger villas were self-sufficient,
surrounded by well-cultivated
fields, source of most of the
products which were offered for
sale in the market towns.
Every important town
in Britain had its public
baths that became
community centres of
Roman civilization.
Romans also brought a deeper culture
to Britain. In the schools tutors gave
lessons in elegant salons where the
descendents of the old tribal chiefs
studied Latin, Literature & Art
The Romans brought with
them the mosaic. Only the
richest people could afford
this elegant luxury
British craftsmen learnt the
art from their Roman
masters. Some of their
mosaics portray animals &
flowers, as well as gods’
representation
“Bread & circuses”: Generations of Roman
emperors believed that the best way to
preserve the loyalty of their subjects was
to provide them with ‘panem et circenses’.
Even in Britain there was a constant
succession of popular entertainments.
Most Roman cities had amphitheatres
outside the walls, used for plays. In the
arenas inside the cities, sporting events &
real tragedies were played. Many pots
show gladiators fighting, and depict tales
of their acts.
URBAN & RURAL CENTRES
Towns were places to work:
industrial raw material &
agricultural produce was taken
into towns to be processed into
saleable items
Ties between urban & rural life were very
strong: civitas administrators made their
money from industry, which was dependent
on raw material from the countryside or
agriculture
The main source of
all income was
agriculture
Roman Britain divided into 2
social & economical zones
In the fertile lowlands of
the south & east a
prosperous agricultural
economy based on villas
developed. Culturally, this
area became the most
Romanized & urbanized
area of the province
In the high country of the north
& west, they were valued as
much for their mineral
resources as their agriculture. In
the north, economic
opportunities were no less
significant than those of their
richer counterparts in the south
& east. Some civitates in the
north grew considerably under
Roman rule, especially the
Brigantes and the Carvetii
LONDINIUM: ROMAN
LONDON
The Romans established a
political unity in the South and
the Thames was an important
commercial route for
communications with other
parts of the Roman Empire. The
earliest activity associated with
Londinium was probably
military.
In the 1st century, it was built a
‘palace’ (praetorium) for the
governor and there were other
structures for the judicial
officer (legatus iuridicus) and
the procurator, some official
buildings to house the
governor’s guard
(speculatores), and an
amphitheatre. There were
some bath-houses and a forum
& basilica. These buildings
were the heart of
administrative & commercial
life in all major Romanized
British towns.
The entire Roman
London occupied
roughly the area of
the Modern City of
London.
In the 2nd & early
centuries they built an
extensive timber
waterfront and a
complete wall-enclosure
on the town side, with
gatehouses in addition
to the fort.
However, much of the
city’s space was taken up
with small houses of
craftsmen of different
kinds, in busy streets.
Londinium’s relevance in the 4th
century was undeniable, confirmed
by the title of Augusta, and its role as
the seat of the vicarious of the 4
British provinces. The building of a
riverside wall & the equipping of the
existing walls with bastions of
artillery also suggest that the city
was important enough to try to
Barbarian invasions of
367 marked a turning
point. The barbarian
assailed it from north
(Picts), east (Saxons) &
west (Irish)
From 367 British
province sank
towards the
chaos of Dark
Ages. 40 years
later Britain
ceased to be
part of the
Roman world.
Theodosius, a Spaniard sent by
emperor Valentian, landed with
fresh troops in 368 & liberated
London, proclaimed amnesty for
soldiers & spent the winter pulling
the army together.
In 2 years he restored
peace. But his peace was
very fragile and the decline
of the empire was now a
fact
THE END OF ROMAN
BRITAIN
After nearly 350 years of
peace & civilization, Rome
Britain had finally come to
an end
In the death agony of Roman
Britain, the towns wrote to
Emperor Honorious asking for
help, only to be told that from
now on they must look after
their own defences. Britain
was on its own
The Britons seized the
opportunity to break
away from Rome,
establishing their own
administration as best
they could.
Villas were abandoned & people
fled to the safety of the walled
cities. But trade on which city life
depended declined quickly with
the decline in agriculture.
Barbarian attacks
were increasingly
strong & more
frequent
Stilicho reorganized
British defences. But in
401, he and his army left
Britain to defend Italy
THE GREAT MIGRATIONS & INVASIONS
The invasions
consequences were
felt most strongly in
southern & eastern
Britain, where Roman
culture had been most
consolidated.
In this period of mass
migrations across the North
& Irish seas initiated the
creation of new political
order, social unrest &
warfare.
This long period of conflicts &
ethnic tensions redefined a New
Britain. It lasted from 600 to
1066.
There was a new political
landscape, consisting on little
kingdoms different to the
Roman provincial structure.
There were great
religious & linguistic
differences.
By the end of Roman
Britain, Christianity
had a significant
number of believers
in Britain, while the
Saxon remained
pagan until the 7th
century.
Britain was divided between:
o
the English speaking Anglo-Saxon
east
o
and the Celtic north & west where
the British & Pictish languages
persisted
In Ireland and in some parts of
western Britain a different Celtic
language, Gaelic, was spoken
SAXONS, ANGLOS & JUTES
British history
opened a new era
with the AngloSaxon invasion of
the 5th century.
Invasions lasted for
6 centuries and
ended at the Battle
of Hastings in 1066
During this time, the
Anglos, Saxons &
Jutes (West Germanic
ancestry) created the
pattern of villages
which endured to
modern times
Native British (more Celtic than Roman) put
resistance: ancient hill-forts as bases of British
war leaders against the invaders. For a time
they stopped settlement & conquest
In the late 6th century
Anglo-Saxons won victory
at the Battle of Dyrham in
577
Under Celtic &
Roman churchmen,
Church was
powerful.
Saxons in Britain
were organized into
several small
kingdoms
In the 10th century
many monasteries
were founded, having
effects on religious &
social life
The most complicated
formation of thes
these kingdoms
were Mercia & Wessex
th
In the course of the 7
century, all these
kingdoms were converted
to Christianity
Generation by generation the
divided kingdom of Saxon
England moved towards unity
Anglo-Saxons were primarily farming people,
but during 8th century they manifested their
vitality in urban life = London flourished
Scholarship also flourished: monks
produced woks in Latin, but authors
also wrote in Anglo-Saxon, the
beginning of the English language
Under Edward the
Confessor (last AngloSaxon’s King) art
flourished: creation of
Westminster Abbey
Many works were
translated from
Latin to be more
accessible to the
English .Beowulf
was composed in
the 8th century
When Edward died in
1066, the throne passed
to Harold, Earl of Wessex.
England was wealthy &
powerful
THE VIKINGS
Viking period started
with the killing of a
royal oficial in Wessex
aroun 789
Viking’s targets were the
rich & defenceless
monasteries near the coast
In 793 Vikings sacked a
wealthy monastery. Many
monks were killed and others
took as slaves.
Monks didn’t Heard of
Vikings before, but the
following year, when
Vikings came again to
sack, they were ready
for them = many
Vikings were killed
and their leader was
captured and killed.
40 years passed before
Vikings came again to
English coasts, but when
they returned they came
in strength & to stay
Because of the
decentralized power
structure of Ireland that
made difficult coordinate
defence, it was who suffer
most severely during Viking
attacks
In 836, Vikings built
fortified bases. A few
became permanent
settlements. In the 10th
century developed into
Ireland’s 1st true towns:
the most successful was
Dublin, founded in 841
The ‘Great Danish Army’
invaded Northumbria in 867.
Three years later, King
Edmund of East Anglia was
martyred when Danes took his
kingdom
Vikings inspired their enemies to
unite against them: Picts of eastern
Scotland & the Scots of Dalriada
united under Kenneth MacAlpin (birth
of the kingdom of Scotland)
Scotland
Viking invasions reached their peak in 870-1. In 878,
Alfred of Wessex,
Wessex confined the Danes to eastern
England ‘the Danelaw’,
Danelaw where they imposed their
legal customs & survived even after the Norman
Conquest. They shared the land in peace
Victory of Wessex’s King,
Alfred, over the Danes
was decisive: Danes
swore they would leave
Alfred’s kingdom and that
their king, Guthrum,
Guthrum
would be baptized
Mercia was invaded too, and
the 3 kingdoms were forced to
make peace on Danish terms
Alfred’s great-grandson Edgar
(959-75) was defeated by the
Danes under Canute, quickly
converted to Christianity.
Administration, monastery
support & coinage continued
along Saxon lines. Under
Danish kings, the country was
given peace