Roman Britain

Period between AD 43 and 410 during which part of Great Britain was under the control of the Roman Empire. The Romans referred to their territory as Britannia. In 55 and 54 BC, Julius Caesar led several military expeditions to the British Isles. The conquest of Britannia only effectively began in AD 43, however, under the fourth Roman Emperor Claudius (10 BC – AD 54). Roman control expanded in the years AD 43-84 and from AD 78 the Roman solider Agricola conquered the northern part of England. From approximately AD 120 to 136, Hadrian’s Wall was built across Britain to protect flourishing Roman towns from attacks by tribes from the North. The Romans completed their withdrawal from the British Isles in AD 410 as troops were needed elsewhere to defend the empire from barbarian attacks.