Britain is an important supplement to the expanding Roman Empire. For decades, Rome has been conquering the Mediterranean-defeating Carthage in the Punic War, overwhelming Macedonia and Greece, and finally marching into Syria and Egypt. Finally, they looked at Gaul across the Alps to the north, and finally turned their attention to crossing the Strait (which they thought was an ocean) into Britannia. After Claudius invaded in 43 AD, part of the island became Roman territory. However, the nominal conquest of the province was a long process. Constantly rebelled, reorganized twice, and was finally abandoned by the Romans in 4 10.

Britain before Rome

When the Romans arrived, Britain (formerly known as albion) was mainly composed of small communities in the Iron Age, mainly agriculture, tribes and closed settlements. Southern England shares their culture with northern Gaul (modern France and Belgium); Many British people in the south are Belgian, and they speak the same language. In fact, after 120 BC, with the British accepting domestic imports such as wine, the trade between Gauls across the Alps became more intense. There is also some evidence of Gaul-Berger coinage.

Caesar's campaign

Although Julius Caesar's appearance did not lead to conquest, it was this fierce transaction-some people claimed that it was self-motivation-that made Roman commanders cross the English Channel in 55 BC and 54 BC. In the past, the English Channel or the British Sea has always been the natural dividing line between the European continent and the islands. During the conquest of Gaul in the Gaul War, Caesar tried to interrupt Belgium's trade routes; He also thinks that the British are helping their relatives, the Belgians. Later, he told the Roman Senate that he thought the island was rich in silver, thus justifying his invasion of England. Although the Republic of China may know the existence of the island, in most cases, Rome is completely strange to Britain, and for superstitious people, it only exists in fables; Businessmen have repeatedly talked about the cruelty of islanders. To the disgust of many Romans, they even drank milk.

Nevertheless, Caesar's initial contact with the islanders was not smooth, and he had to reorganize his army quickly to avoid failure. In his second "invasion" accompanied by five legions, he pushed north, crossed the Thames and met with British chief Cassivilaunus. Although several local chiefs joined the battle, in order to avoid crossing the channel in bad weather, Caesar pretended that the problem of Gaul was getting worse and worse, signed a peace treaty with Cassivilaunus, and returned to the European continent without leaving troops. Although many Romans were enthusiastic about Caesar's crossing the English Channel, Cato, Caesar's greatest enemy, was stunned. Strabo, a contemporary historian in the late Greek Republic, said that the only things of value were hounds and slaves. More important for Caesar are the difficulties in development in Gaul, the failure of harvest and possible rebellion. The Romans will not return to England in the next century.

Claudius' invasion

With the death of Caesar and the subsequent civil war, the Republic disappeared, and the interest of the two emperors in Great Britain under the new empire intensified the Roman process of Augustus and Gula Gaul. When Augustus' attention was drawn to other places, caligula and his army stared at the British Isles across the strait-the emperor only ordered his soldiers to throw javelins into the sea-and there would be no invasion. The real annexation fell to the most unlikely emperor Claudius (AD 41–54).

In 43 AD, Emperor Claudius, under the command of Horus Prouti, led four legions and auxiliary troops across the English Channel and landed in Richboro. They began their conquest of the island. Some people think that the emperor's only goal is personal glory; Caligula's years of humiliation made him long for recognition. Although he only stayed there for 16 days, Claudius will certainly be praised for his successful return to Rome in 44 AD.

In Rome, the army has landed on the British coast and strode north to the Thames; It was there that Claudius joined them. The Roman army won in Camulodunum (now Colchester) and quickly occupied the territory of Katu Velloni. After that, the army quickly moved to the north and west. By AD 60, most of Wales and the area south of Trent were occupied. Soon established a customer kingdom, including Asini in Norfolk and Brigante in the north. When one regiment was sent to the north, the future emperor Titus Flavius Caesar Vespasianus Augustus led another regiment to the southwest, where he would occupy 20 tribal strongholds. Cities such as London (Umm, Rendini)-because it is close to the corridor-and St. Albans have been established one after another.

Uprising and consolidation

However, the resistance is considerable; The British will not surrender without a fight. Caratacus, a member of Catuvellauni, gained considerable support in Wales, but was captured in 5 1. After his failure, he fled to the area controlled by Bree Gantes, and Queen Bree Gantes soon handed him over to the Romans. He and his family were taken to Rome in chains. In Rome, a victory was held in memory of Claudius, but the captured leader had the opportunity to make a speech to the Roman people:

If my pedigree and status are only moderately successful, I should come to this city as a friend instead of a prisoner. You won't disdain to make a peaceful alliance with such a noble person ... If I hadn't been hit before I was defeated, neither my failure nor your victory would be famous. If you execute me, they will be forgotten. Give me a break, I will always be a symbol of your compassion. (Tacitus Yearbook, p. 267)

Claudius spared his life, as well as the lives of his wife, daughter and brother.

Although the Carata Uprising failed, Rome was not entangled with the powerful Budika. She is the wife of Pasutagus, an ally of Rome and a vassal king of the Essenes, a tribe in the east of England. After his death in 60/6 1 year, he left a will, giving half of his territory to Rome and the other half to his daughter. However, Rome did not want to share the kingdom, but decided to plunder everything. As a result, Budika was whipped and her daughter was raped. Although she and her army will be defeated in the end, she stepped forward and assembled an army to attack with neighboring Trino Wante. Towns have been looted and burned, including London, and residents have been killed-perhaps as many as 70 thousand people (these are Roman figures, not necessarily completely accurate). Tacitus wrote in his yearbook:

Budika drove the chariot, took his daughters, and drove all the tribes ahead. "We British people are used to female commanders in war." She cried. "I am the offspring of a great man! But now I'm not fighting for my kingdom and wealth. As an ordinary person, I fight for my lost freedom, for my injured body and for my angry daughter. " (330)

She prayed that the gods would give her the revenge that the British deserved. Unfortunately, her prayers were not answered. Instead of surrendering to the Romans, she committed suicide. Tacitus believes that Britain would have perished long ago if it had not been for the quick response of Roman Governor gaius Suetonius Paulinas.

Romanization

Although progress was relatively slow, Rome thought it necessary to conquer Britain. Although Julius Caesar thinks this island is of little value, it is far from the truth.

The Battle of Vatlin Street was the last serious threat to Rome's authority in the lowlands. In addition to defeating Budika, Paulinas also destroyed the druid's stronghold in Anglesey in order to strengthen Roman power. Druidism has always been regarded as a threat to the worship of the Romans and their empire. Therefore, the governor's quite positive reaction to Budika's surrender not only led to his recall from Rome-he was replaced by Tapiri Annous-but also changed Rome's policy towards Britain. Gradually, the British began to adopt the Roman way. As Rome became more and more influential in Britain, it began to make major changes. The burnt-out town was rebuilt. Soon, as the administrative capital, London will have a cathedral, a forum and a government building. Palace and a bridge across the Thames.

Although progress was relatively slow, Rome thought it necessary to conquer Britain. Although Julius Caesar thinks this island is of little value, it is far from the truth. It is not only important for its tax revenue, but also useful for its mineral resources-tin, iron and gold, as well as the predicted hounds and hides. Mining is developed. In addition, there are food, livestock and, of course, slaves. Building roads; Watling Street connects rossetter on the border between Canterbury and Wales, and Erming Street between London and York. In addition, with the emergence of any emerging economy, the arrival of businessmen will lead to an increase in trade and commerce. However, despite the existence of a strong army, resistance continues, so the expansion is still gradual.

Agricultural sports

From 77 to 83 AD, the military commander Agulikola, the satirical father, served as the governor of Fatassi. This is not the first time that agricola has come to England. When he was young, he served as a military forum in the General Staff of Suetonius Paulinus. In his On Britain and Germany, the historian wrote about agricola's previous experience in Britain and said that he was full of energy, but never careless. Regarding the state of affairs in Britain at that time, he wrote: "Britain has never been in such an uneasy or dangerous state before and after this. Veterans were slaughtered, colonies were razed to the ground and troops were isolated. Before we think of victory, we must fight for our lives "(55). Britain is on the defensive. "We have a country for which a wife and parents have to fight: the Romans have nothing but greed and self-indulgence" (65).

The reader learned his craft well, and when he returned to the island as governor, he was ready. His first task is to rectify the loose discipline of the army, reduce the abuse of power, and give the people reason to "love peace." He led his new army northward into Caledonia (Scotland) and conquered most of northern England along the way.

In a series of conflicts, agricola won, conquered the north of Wales, and finally met the Caledonians at Mount Grau pius. The governor even stared at the neighboring island of Ireland, claiming that only one legion could occupy it. Unfortunately, when a regiment of agricola was recalled by Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus (AD 8 1-96) to resist the invaders along the Danube, he was forced to retreat from Scotland. However, although he attacked the rebels, agricola was not a cruel conqueror. In addition to the forts he built in the north, he also promoted the "civilization" or Romanization of the British people, encouraged urbanization, and moved into towns equipped with theaters, forums and bathrooms. Besides, like other conquered lands, Latin should be taught.

Hadrian Great Wall and Anthony Great Wall

Unfortunately, his success was not ignored by Domitian, who recalled agricola jealously. Scotland, the northern territory he cherished for a long time, will not be completely conquered in the next few years. Finally, a 73-mile (118km) long stone and turf wall was built between the British province and the barbarian territory ruled by Emperor Hadrian (A.D. 17- 138). The emperor visited Gaul and Britain in A.D. 12 1 and A.D. 122, and thought that in order to maintain peace, border security must be ensured. He realized that foreign expansion meant more reliance on strengthening border defense. Although it took several years to build and equip 15000 soldiers, it seems that it was not designed to resist barbarians, but was specially designed for surveillance and patrol.

By 130, military forts had been built all over Britain. It was at this time that Rome realized the need to further strengthen its army on the European continent and began to recruit new soldiers from the "barbaric" provinces of the empire, namely the Balkans and Britain.

In A.D. 139, another wall, the 37-mile (60-kilometer) Anthony Great Wall (named after Emperor Antoninus Pius) was built in BC. But the defense was too difficult, so it was abandoned in AD 163.

Development in the 3rd-4th century

Soon, further changes took place on the island. In order to rule more effectively, the island is divided into two parts, upper Britain is under the jurisdiction of London and lower Britain is under the jurisdiction of York. Emperor Diocletian later divided the province into four independent regions. Because of Diocletian's quarterback system, Britain was placed under the supervision of western emperors.

Trouble continues to plague Britain. In the 3rd century AD, the island was constantly attacked by Scottish Picts, Irish Scots and German Saxons. After the rebellion led by Carausius and Allectus temporarily made Britain an independent kingdom, Constantine the Great (293-306 AD) regained control of Britain in 296 AD. Early in his career, the emperor fought the Celtic tribes as a military forum. To celebrate his victory, the people of London awarded him the title of "Restorer of A Ring of Endless Light".

Abandonment and consequences

However, with the arrival of Christianity, it was difficult for Rome to maintain its control over Britain by the end of the 4th century. After that, alaric and the western half of the empire began to change significantly in the Roman package of 4 10 CE; Spain, Britain and most parts of Gaul will soon disappear. The eastern half of the empire in Constantinople became an economic and cultural center. The loss of a rich grain-producing province doomed Rome. Historian Peter Heather said in his Decline of the Roman Empire that, unlike other provinces, Britain was more prone to rebellion or break with Rome because many civilians and military personnel felt excluded. Attention (mainly defense) is elsewhere. Emperor An I of Valentini (AD 364-375) defeated the Saxon Rebels in 367 and gradually began to withdraw troops. In 4 10, Honorius, one of the last western emperors, completely abdicated. The emperor even wrote letters to individual British cities, informing them to "fend for themselves". In the last days, Roman local officials were expelled and local governments were established.

Britain is no longer a province of Rome; However, the following years cannot erase all the influences of the empire on the people and culture of the island. Occasionally contact Rome. Missionaries help Christians fight against heresy. In the 5th century AD, with the increase of Saxon attacks and looters from Ireland and Scotland attacking the British coast, the Roman general Etius sent for help. He never answered. As Europe falls into the veil of the "dark age", Britain will split into smaller kingdoms. Vikings will cross the sea at the end of the 8th century, for reasons that have been destroyed for decades. Finally, a man will resist the Viking conquest and claim to be the king of England, and Alfred the Great Britain will be restored.