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Why did the Romans invade Britain?

The Roman invasion of Britain could be the most significant event ever to happen to the British Isles.The Romans affected our language, our culture, our geography, our architecture and even the way we think.

A Roman soldier re-enactor with a javelin and shield.
A map showing Romans invading southern Britain.
Image caption,
The Roman invasion began in southern Britain.
  • Around 2,000 years ago, Britain was ruled by tribes of people called the鈥Celts. But this was about to change.

  • For around 100 years (a century), the Roman army had been building an empire across Europe.

  • The Romans wanted Britain's precious metals gold, tin and iron 鈥 and its cattle.

  • A number of Roman emperors wanted the glory of conquering Britain and adding it to the empire.

A map showing Romans invading southern Britain.
Image caption,
The Roman invasion began in southern Britain.
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Watch: What do we know about the Roman invasion?

Who attempted to invade Britain?

  • In 54-55BC Julius Caesar tried to invade but failed.
  • 滨苍鈥AD43, ordered by Emperor Claudius, a big Roman army landed on the beaches in Kent.
  • Over the next year it battled inland, storming through hillforts and conquering anyone who stood in their way.
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Did the Romans and Celts live in peace?

Cartoon of Roman soldier raising their fist.
  • If the Celts made peace with the Romans, they agreed to obey Roman laws and pay taxes. In return, they could keep their kingdoms.
  • However, some Celtic leaders鈥chose to fight.
Cartoon of Roman soldier raising their fist.
Cartoon of Queen Boudicca about to go into battle.
  • After years of heavy taxes and the Romans taking their land, some Celtic tribes were desperate for revenge.

  • In AD60, one leader who chose to fight was鈥Queen Boudicca鈥痮f the Iceni tribe.

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Watch: Who was Queen Boudicca?

Find out why Queen Boudicca led a rebellion against the Romans.

What did Boudicca do?

A town burned down by Queen Boudicca
  • She raised a huge army and burned the Roman towns of Colchester and London, before heading north to St Albans.

  • When the Roman army heard about this, they turned back from Wales to face her.

  • Even though the Romans were outnumbered by Boudica's 200,000 warriors, they were better trained and had better armour. Both sides clashed in a fierce battle, but the Romans won.

A town burned down by Queen Boudicca

Watch: What happened to Boudicca?

What happened when Boudicca faced the Roman army?

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What happened next?

  • Over the next 300 years, Britain remained a peaceful and successful province of the Roman Empire.
  • New cities, roads, villas and baths were built.
  • Many Celts became Roman citizens and spoke Latin.
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Roman invasion timeline

A timeline showing key Roman battles. Emperor Claudius invaded Britain in AD43. The Romans conquered Wales in AD73. Roman general Agricola wants to invade Ireland in AD82. Emperor Hadrian orders a wall to be built in AD122. Emperor Septimius Severus tries to invade Scotland with his sons in AD208. By early 5th century many Roman troops are sent back to mainland Europe. Roman rule ends in Britain.
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Activities

Activity 1: Roman emperors

Click on each image to discover which Roman emperors invaded Britain.

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Activity 2: Quiz 鈥 Roman invasion of Britain

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Teaching resources

Show your class what the Romans were like and how they invaded Britain with this collection of animated videos.

大象传媒 Teach has thousands of free, curriculum-linked resources to help deliver lessons - all arranged by subject and age group.

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Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

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