Map of Celtic Britain and Northern Gaul
             Map of Early Britain (Showing the Stages of the Roman Conquest)
             In the first century B.C., the empire of Rome stretched from the Caspian Sea to the eastern coastline of Britain. They had the biggest army, the biggest empire and the most civilized culture. Their ambitions were great.
             The Romans easily conquered Gaul (modern day France). Then the Island of Britain was on the border of the Roman empire, only a short boat ride away. After Julius Caesar had conquered Gaul, he invaded Britain in 55 and 54 B.C. But after winning a battle and getting a number of hostages, he took his army back to Rome. For the next hundred years there was no conflict between Rome and the Island of Britain, until after the Emperor Caligula was assassinated in A.D. 41.
             Caligula's uncle, Claudius, became Emperor of Rome. Emperor Claudius, like many new emperors before him, wanted to start his reign by showing off with a great military campaign. He had heard stories from Roman traders about the many riches of Britain and thought it would be a wonderful place to have his campaign.
             He prepared an army of 20,000 soldiers to invade Britain. A lot of the soldiers were afraid to cross the English Channel because they had heard stories about how Britain was full of savages. When they landed they were surprised to find no-one to fight. The Britons were not expecting them and when they learned the Romans were there they went into hiding. Finally, the Romans defeated Caractacus and his brother Togodumnus, the joint rulers of the south-eastern part of the island. For the final victory, the Emperor Claudius joined the army with some elephants.
             The British war continued after the Emperor had returned to Rome. During the Roman conquest there was one serious revolt. It came from the greatest Celtic tribe, the Iceni, and was led by their queen, Boadicea.
             The Iceni were the most powerful tribe in Britain durin...