19342 - Roman Britain

Course Overview

During the reign of Emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 CE), Romans set out to conquer the island of Britain and add it to the Roman Empire.  That conquest continued for roughly 40 years, but the Romans were never fully able to conquer the northern and northwestern parts of the island, where Celtic-speaking Britons and the Picts continued to live relatively free of Roman control throughout the four centuries that Britain was part of the Roman Empire.  In this class, we’ll examine the events that brought the Romans to the shores of Britain, how they were able to conquer southern and eastern Britain, and what it was like for both Romans and Britons during the centuries of Roman rule that followed.  Finally, we’ll examine the problems that arose in Rome’s vast empire that led to the abandonment of Britain in the early 5th century, paving the way for the Anglo-Saxon invasion that would dominate the culture and politics of the island well into the modern era.