The Roman invasions
Early Britainto 1066
Julius Caesar first tried to bring Britain under Roman control in 55 BC, landing with his legions but failing to hold the ground he took. Rome then left Britain alone, judging the conquest not worth repeating for the time being. That changed when the Emperor Claudius ordered a fresh invasion in AD 43. This time British tribes put up resistance, but the Roman army pushed on and took control of almost the whole island, turning Britain into a lasting part of the Roman world rather than a failed experiment.
Roman rule never reached everywhere, though. Parts of what is now Scotland held out, so a barrier was raised across the north of England: Hadrian's Wall, named for the emperor who ordered it built, ran coast to coast to keep the unconquered Picts — ancestors of today's Scottish people — from raiding south. Sections of the wall still stand, a visible line between what Rome held and what it never did.
What to remember
| Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain | 55 BC Rome's first try at Britain. It failed, and Rome kept away for nearly a century. |
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| The Emperor Claudius's invasion of Britain | AD 43 The invasion that worked: Rome held nearly all of Britain after this, for 400 years. |
| The Roman invasion of 55 BC | Julius Caesar |
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| The Roman invasion of AD 43 | the Emperor Claudius Claudius's invasion is the one that succeeded, unlike Caesar's. |
 Hadrian's Wall | the north of England Built by the Emperor Hadrian to keep out the Picts, the ancestors of the Scottish people. |
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Everything in Early Britainor the whole course, from the beginning