Glory in the Roman Conquest of Britain Michael Gobeil, Concordia Abstract This essay is intended as an analysis of the Roman Conquest of Britain, initiated by Julius Caesar in 55-54 BCE, and continued by the emperors Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, and Domitian, as well as the general Agricola. The broad strokes of the Roman Conquest of Britain, as well as early Roman contact with Ireland, will be discussed herein. This article will examine the question of whether the purpose of the Roman emperors of the period was to seek glory through their campaigns, or to maintain control over their province in the British Isles. The term ‘glory’ is used here in the sense of creating a reputation among the Roman people, that is, the reputation of an important figure in the Roman consciousness. Ultimately, the true purpose of the Roman campaigns in Britain varied according to the reigning emperor, as each had their own ambitions and objectives. Many of the emperors involved in the campaigns held personal goals of glory, which they hoped to demonstrate through their ability to maintain control over the British Isles. Further, this article proposes that Roman success in Britain was significantly dependent upon the relative ambition of the reigning emperor. Introduction The Roman Empire was well known for campaigning on its frontiers and expanding its control outside of Italy. One such example is the Roman Conquest of Britain, initiated by Julius Caesar in 55 BCE and continued by Claudius beginning in 43 CE. After Claudius, a series of Roman emperors inherited an obligation to advance the Britain campaign,
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