Download Iulius Caesar: First Invasion of Britain

Iulius Caesar:
First Invasion of Britain
By Wolf Jones
First, when the pirates demanded a ransom of twenty
talents, Caesar burst out laughing. They did not know, he said, who it
was that they had captured, and he volunteered to pay fifty.
“Life of Julius Caesar”, Plutarch of Chaeronea.
Biographical Information
• Born July 13, 100 BCE. Died March 15, 44 BCE.
• From gens Iulia, who posited their descent from Venus through Iulus
son of Aeneas.
• 75 BCE captured by pirates.
• 69 BCE elected Quaestor.
• 63 BCE elected Pontifex Maximus.
• 58-50 BCE Gallic Wars.
• 55/54 BCE first & second invasion of Britain.
• Assassinated in 44 BCE.
First Invasion of Britain
• Reasons
•
•
•
•
Cultural link with Galls = threat
Britons aided Gallic rebellions
Slaves and booty, namely silver
Extended imperium (i.e. collapse of Republican
system in 50s BCE).
• Greater military glory = reputation in Rome
Problems of First Campaign
• At first:
• Cavalry split from the infantry by winds
• Forced to fight at the beachhead without cavalry
• Ships not suitable for shallow landing
• Secondly:
• Storm damaged cavalry and already docked ships.
Second Campaign
• Larger scale
• Learned from 1st Campaign’s mistakes
• A second storm destroyed some ships
• Still met difficulties and minor attacks even after leaders submitted
• Accomplished establishing annual tributes from leaders in Southern
Britain.
Reception
• A supplicatio of 20 days was proclaimed by the Senate, the victory
very well celebrated publicly.
• Cicero remarks slaves were the only remarkable booty.
Discussion
• Were Caesar’s campaigns into Britain successful?
• How did Caesar himself view the success of his campaigns? Be sure to
take into account that DBG is not a personal diary, but rather a crafted
propagandistic piece of literature.
Works Cited
• Livius2017. “Caesar and the Pirates.” Accessed January 31, 2017.
http://www.livius.org/sources/content/plutarch/plutarchscaesar/caesar-and-the-pirates/.
• Mattingly, David. An Imperial Possession: Britain in the Roman Empire,
54 BC - Ad 409. London: Penguin Books, 2008.
• De Bello Gallico, Julius Caesar.