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After 100 years of freedom from external aggression, although Britain had its share of dynastic in-fighting and inter-tribal warfare, rumours were begining to spread that the emperor Gaius Caligula was on the point of launching an invasion. Cunobelinus's exiled son Adminius had fled to Rome, after the death of his father, he had met Caligula and formally promised him his submission, but Caligula knew that his Roman troops were reluctant, if not mutinous and if he was to embark upon this enterprise, going far afield, his authority in Rome might be put at risk. Britain breathed a sigh of relief, but there was those in Rome who were incensed by the emperor's decision. As news began to spread that Caligula had been murdered and that Claudius was the new emperor of Rome. Claudius was determined to conquer Britain, because he felt that Rome's military prestige had been unworthily compromised by the disgraced Caligula. After the death of Cunobelinus, his kingdom was divided between Togodumnus and Caratacus. Claudius had not shared in any military campaigns, and his armies, after Caligula, wish to see the new emperor extend the frontiers of the Empire. Claudius also wished to stamp out Druidism at Ynys Mon, plus this was also a political decision because the Druids held together the Celtic way of life. Claudius entrusted his Commander Aulus Plautius, with an extensive fleet, which safely landed at the harbour of Rutupiae (Richborough) Kent. Within a few days Plautius commanded a force of 40,000 legionaries, this would be conquest, occupation and Romanisation of Britain, not concerned with Caesar's words of Rome having an unfavourable balance-sheet, Britains days of independence were numbered. Togodumnus was killed in a minor skirmish, making Caratacus, the heir to Cunobelinus, supreme commander of the British forces. Although the Roman army landed in Kent in 43AD,it was clear that Camulodunum was their main objective, being the largest and richest settlement in the South-East of Britain, the Trinovantes were with Caratacus, but the native resistance was shattered within a few weeks, because of the numbers of the Roman army and their discipline, a pitched battle at a river crossing in Kent was a decisive victory for the Romans, but instead of marching on to Essex the Romans halted to await the arrival of Claudius, who had journeyed from Italy with an armed escort and reinforcements, in order to lead his victorious army into Camulodunum. This gave Caratacus a breathing space for several weeks, a respite that he put to good use. As the Romans advanced towards the river Thames, Caratacus and the British army struck again, the Romans defeated the British again after another pitched battle, and Claudius was free to march through Essex to Camuludunum, as the British army went westward towards Wales. Claudius entered Camulodunum as the victor and received the formal submission of eleven British kings, among them probably were the northern neighbours of the Trinovantes, the Iceni and the Coritani. Those tribes who more or less voluntarily submitted to Claudius at Camulodunum, would secure for themselves relatively favourable treatment. Some could expect to become socii of Rome, dependent tribes supervised by Rome, but retaining a measure of self-rule, they must pay the tribute, demanded by Rome, but if they supported Rome and did not engage in any anti-Roman policies, they could carry on with little interference by the Roman over-lords. The Trinovantes who sided with Caratacus and sent many warriors to the British army, would be treated in a different way, for they were the dedictii, the defeated enemy, who were now completely at the disposal of the Roman authorities, without any legal rights and no representation. Their territory was heavily garrisoned and the native people themselves were heavily taxed, and in some cases, deprived of their land. Claudius remained in Britain for only sixteen days, before returning to Rome, but he gave orders to his general Plautius to subdue the rest of lowland Britain. However by this time the campaigning season of 43AD was practically over and with autumn approaching, Plautius's first action would been to decide on winter quarters for his large army. The bulk of which was probably garrisoned at Camulodunum, although a substantial proportion may already have been stationed in forts in Kent, Hertfordshire and Southern Essex. Camulodunum (Colchester) quickly became the headquarters of Roman administration for several years after the conquest, and it is likely that a large semi permanent camp was established here in the winter of 43AD. Camulodunum had been the centre of the most powerful anti-Roman force in the South-East of Britain and was now destined to become the capital of the new Roman province. Tacitus, the Roman scribe, implies that in 49AD, the XXth legion was stationed here before it was moved to the Gloucester area. A glance at the Trinovantian map shows how central a position Camulodunum occupies and how many of the Roman roads radiated from it, already in Claudian times, a network of tracks would have been essential in order to police the area, Camulodunum was the pivot of this network, but effective patrolling would depend upon a system of forts studding the whole area. The military occupation of the Trinovantian canton was probably never intended to be more that a temporary arrangement. In 47AD the tribes of lowland Britain were disarmed, while in 49AD the garrison was largely withdrawn to reinforce the western frontier. Tacitus strongly states that the XXth legion arrived in Gloucester, and in 60AD, that there was still a small garrison at Camulodunum, reinforced by 200 legionaries from London, the new Roman sea-port. One of the foremost changes that must have affected the civilian life of the native Trinovantes would have been the permanent fixing of the tribal boundaries, perhaps during an early census of Rome's newest province. In pre-Roman days, the tribal boundaries probably fluctuated considerably, but the heart of the Trinovantian territory lay in North Essex and Southern Suffolk. With the Iceni breckland to the north, the Romans turned their attention to the south, to the mouth of the river Thames. With reduction of the army in the area, the process of Romanising the Trinovantes and drawing them into the newly formed province was free to go ahead. The focus of the Romanisation was to be Camulodunum, where the Colonia, a charted town, was populated by veteran legionaries, all of them Roman citizens and hence enjoying special rights and privileges under Roman law. The colonists at Camulodunum were probably seasoned veterans of the XXth legion, according to Tacitus, the idea behind founding a Colonia, was both to provide an example to the surrounding Trinovantes of Roman civilian life in the accepted style, and to form trained reserves on the spot, should the need arise, the Colonia was a model Roman town, graced with impressive civic buildings, and all the amenities of Roman town life. The new town was not built without cost, the brunt of which fell upon the Trinovantes and which was to have the most severe repercussions. The Colonia required a substantial amount of land, it was not simply confined to the 60 acres covered by streets and buildings. A Roman Colonia was normally provided with a Territorium an extensive tract of land surrounding the town and divided up among the colonists so that each citizen had a small-holding in which to grow produce. Forcibly appropriated from the native Trinovantes, mainly good farm land, as the Colonia grew, an on-going acquisition of land was required from the Dedictii. The sequestration of the best and most fertile Trinovante land. ***TO BE CONTINUED IN THE LIBRARY ***
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Seahenge, May 26, 2008 - 16:17
Prehistoric timbers were exposed by the receding tide at the sands of Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk. The site soon became known as Seahenge.
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