Caratacus, the Home-Wrecker

-By 42 AD, many Briton tribes were surrenduring to Rome in order to reap the benefits and enjoy not being slaughtered.
   -Britannic nobles definitely would have experienced the most changes during this time in terms of of status, an increase/decrease in wealth, etc., but for commoners shit really didn't change all that much; as long as you didn't cause any trouble, you were probably fine.
      -The biggest difference for the masses in terms of the Roman invasion was most likely the presence of Roman military and tax collectors (who collected taxes from the locals who were paying for Roman "protection" (sound familiar?)).  Also, communities under Roman subjugation would slowly be disarmed and pacified, which in turn would make them increasingly dependent on the Roman military for protection from the hostile tribes who hadn't been disarmed!
      -The difference in religion between the Romans and the Britons was also likely to be a big issue as well. 
   -Anyway, one of the leaders of the rebels was still continuing the fight against Rome- Caratacus! 
      -Although he had been crushed at Camulodunum (modern-day Colchester, Essex), he gave zero fucks and was still a major player in the Britannic resistance against the Romans (who were now being led by a dude named Aulus Plautius, the first governor of this new province (officially annexed in 43 AD).
      -Under Plautius, the Romans were extremely ruthless; you either completely submitted to Rome or you and your people were slaughtered!
      -Caratacus was now holed up in modern-day Wales and was under the protection of (and leading I guess?) the Silures and the Ordovices (or a tribal confederation that they belonged to) tribes.  Other tribes soon began to flock to his banner.
         -It's unclear as to why exactly these tribes were still resistant to Rome, and it's possible that it could have been because of old tribal grudges, wanting to "live free or die", or even because of the the anti-Roman sentiment among the druids (now confined to the Isle of Mona (modern-day Anglesey (off the northwest coast of modern-day Wales)) since the Romans had no tolerance for the Britons' pagan religion.
            -Additionally, the druids were renowned for their roles and skills in diplomacy and brokering peace and/or uniting tribes together in the past, so it would make sense that the tribes of (modern-day) Wales would still be resistant to Rome if the druids hated them.
               -Also, there's evidence that Caratacus' family may have had ties to these tribes as well.
-47 AD- Plautius' term is up as governor, so he returns to Rome. 
   -He's replaced in Britannia by a former general named Publius Ostorius Scapula.
      -At this point, Caratacus' rebellion was in full swing, so Scapula immediately organized his troops to set up camp along the border between Roman occupied territory and Caratacus' allied forces' territory.
         -The idea was to make it more difficult for the Britons to wage guerrilla warfare.
         -Scapula then declared the area around Camulodunum an official Roman colony where the troops could retire after serving (which really pissed off the locals, of course).
            -Eventually, this would become the center of Roman power in Britannia.
         -Scapula also completely disarmed all of the tribes dominated by Rome, no matter how faithfully they had served their Roman overlords.
            -Of course, this plan actually backfired and caused many of the tribes to rebel, the most powerful among them being the Iceni tribe. 
               -However, the Iceni and the others were quickly defeated not long after this, and once again Caratacus' allied forces stood alone against Rome.
           -Following the defeat of the Iceni, a Briton named Prasutagas was installed as a puppet king of the Iceni (or maybe he had been king before and was "given back" his power?  It's unclear as to who this dude actually was, I think).
-48 AD- another rebellion against Rome broke out in the north (in modern-day Yorkshire), led by the Brigantes.
   -Because the Brigantes weren't a unified tribe but more of a loose confederation, they had only submitted in part to Rome, but not completely.  So, Scapula had to pause his war with Caratacus to go focus on putting down the Brigantes' rebellion (or civil war?).
      -After quelling this unrest, the Romans allowed for the Brigantes' queen, Cartimandua, to be restored to power as a puppet ruler (she had previously been queen before the rebellion but had pledged loyalty to Rome). 
         -The Romans then returned their focus to the fight against Caratacus, vowing to completely slaughter his forces.
            -Due to Scapula's absolutely ruthless behavior, the Britons had been flocking to Caratacus' banner in greater and greater numbers as time went on.
               -Still, overall the situation was looking grim for Caratacus, as the Romans had simply gained too much land and grown too powerful.  Also, due to Scapula's ruthlessness, the Britons were becoming completely demoralized.
   -Finally, Caratacus decided it was time for a final showdown!  So, his forces gathered at a hill fort (at either Caer Caradog (modern-day Church Stretton, Shropshire) or Herfordshire Beacon in the Malvern Hills of Herfordshire; it's unclear) to prepare for the final battle.
      -The legions soon arrived and began to overtake the fort, so Caratacus quickly made a hasty retreat out of the fort (leaving behind his wife and kids!) and hid amongst the Brigantes, some of whom apparently still harbored strong enough anti-Roman sentiments to take him in. 
         -Apparently, Queen Cartimandua wasn't at all happy with Caratacus' arrival, and she promptly had him arrested and sent to the Romans! 
            -It's unclear as to why she did this, exactly.  Regardless, there was a huge split among the Brigantes about this decision.
               -Cartimandua's husband, King Venutius, strongly disagreed with his wife's decision and so they began to quarrel, which soon spread to the nobility.
            -As for Caratacus, he was sent to Rome in chains with his wife and family.  He was presented to Emperor Claudius and apparently gave an impassioned and brilliant speech.  Because of this, Claudius allowed him and his family to live! 
               -After this, it's unclear what happened to him, exactly.
-52 AD- Scapula dies suddenly (supposedly due to exhaustion from fighting the Britons)!
   -He was replaced by a former proconsul, Aulus Didius Gallus.

The Claudian Invasion of Britannia

-So, Claudius was now emperor of Rome and he had to do something that would be seen as grandiose and powerful in order to show the Roman elites (and especially the Praetorians) that he wasn't a weak leader. 

   -In Ancient Rome, typically "making a name for yourself" politically meant being involved with or overseeing the conquest of foreign lands, so that was a big reason for why Claudius decided to invade Britannia.

      -Another reason was that an unconquerable Britannia meant an unstable Gaul, something the Romans saw as an existential threat to the empire.  This was because Britannia was still arguably the last bastion of the druids, and the Celts were still heavily influenced by the druids' involvement in their politics.

         -Britannia could also be a safe haven for anti-Roman Celts to run away to and hide if things got too dangerous for them in Gaul.

            -Although the Celts often fought with each other, what often united them (besides a common hatred of Rome, typically) was their pagan religion, which the Romans viewed as being potentially dangerous.

         -Another big reason for the Roman invasion of Britannia was economics. 

            -Rome's economy depended heavily on acquiring more slaves and conquering more territory.  

               -As the empire extended, the non-slave workforce shrunk due to the need for a larger military.  This caused the demand for slaves to grow, which in turn fueled the need to conquer more territory to acquire more slaves.

            -Additionally, due to some global warming before this (c. 750-150 BC), the climate grew warmer in Britannia (compared to how it is today), so you could have vineyards and shit there during that time.  

               -This was a very lucrative business prospect for the Romans.

            -Also, Britannia was rich in minerals such as copper, iron, tin, gold, etc.  

            -Britannia also had a shitload of sheep!

-Of course, Emperor Claudius did indeed meet some opposition to his idea of invading Britannia.

   -Because of the previous failures of trying to conquer the island (especially with the legendary Julius Caesar even failing to do so), no one had stepped forward to try and live up to the task.

      -For the average Roman legionary it was probably a matter of too much risk, too little reward.

      -If Julius Caesar couldn't conquer the island, then how the fuck was Claudius going to do this?

      -Britannia was quite possibly very scary to the Romans.

         -For one, it was so far away that perhaps the Romans felt that their gods had no power there!

         -The tales that Germanicus' shipwrecked soldiers had told (hurricanes, monsters, strange beasts, etc.) upon returning to Rome had probably also exacerbated these fears.

         -The Britons were probably also a scary concept for the average Roman soldier as well.

            -The Britons were said to be tall and strong, with long faces, light hair, and blue eyes, and wore multi-colored (plaid?) tunics.  They also liked for their faces to be clean-shaven (but with the exception of a long, drooping mustache).

            -Their daily life seemed to consist of farming, partying, and fighting, although some Britons were traders and the Romans would interact with them typically in Gaul when they were trading with mainland Celts.

            -The priests of their pagan religion were known as druids, who would conduct their religious ceremonies as well as act as historians by orally chronicling their proud history (they had no system of writing).

            -Technologically, during this time the Britons were a Bronze/Iron Age hybrid.

               -Their battles were typically not huge blowouts, but rather smaller affairs between rival clans and that sort of thing.

               -Their warrior culture was very "personal" (as opposed to the machine-like Roman legionaries), and the warriors would stiffen their hair with lime water until it was spiky, and then they would draw on themselves with blue paint (called "woad").  They would often go into battle only wearing trousers and a torque (metal neckband; the more precious the metal, the higher your status).

                  -Their style of fighting was wild and frenzied.

               -They lived in round cottages with thatched roofs (which was actually easier to make than the rectangular homes which the Celts typically lived in in Gaul).  These round huts were also more aerodynamic and were better at withstanding storms and shit.

-Anyway, so Claudius found his "in" to invade Britannia when Commius' son Verica (of the Atrebates) fled to Rome and appealed to the Romans to help him get his kingdom back (which ad been recently conquered by the Catuvellauni).  

   -So, Claudius' assembled four legions (the 2nd, 9th, 14th, and 20th) and about 20,000 auxiliary troops (including warriors as far-flung as the Thracians and the Batavians) for the invasion.  

      -The general leading this force was a dude named Aulus Plautius.

-43 AD- the Roman army arrived at what is assumed to be Bononia (modern-day Boulogne-sur-Mer, France) in northern Gaul, but the Romans suddenly became too scared to board the ships!

   -Plautius didn't know what to do, so he sent word back to Rome asking what should be done.

      -As a response, Claudius surprisingly sent Narcissus, one of his chief advisers (who was also a former slave) to deal with the problem. 

         -Unfortunately, when Narcissus tried rousing the troops it didn't go over too well, and some of the legionaries ended up mocking him.  However, after unrelenting and continuing to shame the legions for being "cowards", it seems as if being called out by an ex-slave was too much for the soldiers, and soon they ended up boarding the ships and heading for Britannia.

            -Was this Claudius' plan all along?  It's unclear...

      -Anyway, so the troops finally boarded the ships, sailed over to Britannia, and were fortunate enough to not have had to go through any storms or other disasters during this time and most-likely landed at what would become the roman port of Rutupiae (near modern-day Sandwich, Kent) and immediately began to march inland.

   -Initial guerrilla attacks began in the marshes and forests of modern-day Kent.  While this could have been a potential disaster for Rome, the barbarian auxiliary troops for Rome were accustomed to fighting in this kind of terrain, and this was huge boon to Rome's success in getting through these rough spots.

      -Because of this, the disorganized tribes of the region and its surrounding areas began to fall like dominoes.  This also probably helped boost the morale of the Roman soldiers as well.
-However, the Romans were finally confronted by a horde of Britons when they reached the River Medway (near Rochester, Kent).
   -The Briton army was led by brothers Togodumnus and Caratacus of the Catuvellauni. 
      -We don't know the exact numbers of their army other than that it was huge and that they had yelled a lot from across the river at the (silent) Roman legions.
      -Unfortunately for the Britons, they believed that they were safe on the other side of the river because in order to cross over the Romans would have to build a bridge.  However, they were mistaken.
         -While the Romans may have needed a bridge to cross the river, their barbarian auxiliary troops were able to cross the river without a problem.  So, the Romans commanded these warriors to sneak off and cross the river downstream, and by doing this they were able to perform a devastating surprise attack on the unsuspecting Briton army.
            -Taking advantage of the chaos, the Romans army (this time under the command of (future Roman emperor Vespasian!) were able to quickly build a bridge (or simply ford the river?) and conduct a proper frontal assault against the Britons.
               -The fighting lasted all night, but by the next day Briton reinforcements had arrived with an even BIGGER force!  Thus, the fighting continued on and on, and at one point it seemed like the Britons might even win!  However, the Romans were ultimately victorious.
                  -The Britons were able to escape for the most part since the Roman army was so slow due to its size, inexperience with the lay of the land, and were constantly being ambushed by guerrilla fighters (which the Britons excelled at against the Romans).
-When Togodumnus was finally killed during one of the battles against the Romans, the Romans possibly felt that the Britons' resistance was finally on the decline.  However, the Britons continued to fight ferociously under Caratacus, eventually retreating back to their oppidum at Camulodunum (modern-day Colchester, Essex).
   -It's unclear as to what happened next, exactly, but it took Plautius over a month to finally make the region safe enough for Emperor Claudius himself to arrive to oversee the end of the campaign.
      -Claudius arrived in mid-August with his Praetorians; he also brought some war elephants!
         -Camulodunum was finally conquered by the Romans.
-After all of this it's really unclear as to what happened because the sources vary wildly on the events that immediately followed, but it seems as if Claudius was in Britannia for about 16 days.
   -When Claudius finally left Britannia the region surrounding Camulodunum was more or less conquered by Rome.
      -Claudius left Plautius in charge to oversee future operations in the region.