Featured battle : Boudicca's Revolt

Part of Roman Occupation of Britain

Date : 61

Due to an inept piece of Roman administration two 'pacified' British tribes the Iceni, under their king's widow, Boudicca, and the Trinovantes rose in revolt. They marched on Colchester and massacred the inhabitants. They destroyed a detachment of the lX legion hurriedly sent to the city's aid. The governor, Paulinus, returned hastily from Wales but the small force he brought with him could do nothing against the tribal hordes. He retreated northwards. The tribes followed him sacking Verulamium [St. Albans] on the way. Paulinus linked up with the legions he had ordered to assemble. The XlV, about half the XX and a number of auxillaries from garrisons around the Midlands. His 10,000 were massively outnumbered by at least 10 to 1. However Paulinus chose the ground and the Britons were neither disciplined nor organized. The battlefield became a blood bath where the Romans slaughtered warriors, tribesmen and non-combattants. Tacitus put the casualty figures as 400 Romans 80,000 Britons.

Roman Conquests: Britain

Simon Elliot
Here we have a super overview of a complex series of events presented in a most readable manner. The vast majority of the content is confined to the shores of Britain but there is sufficient material to give Britain a context within the wider Roman world. Among the general information is a running commentary on the changes within the Roman military over the period of the occupation of Britannia. The main invasion leading to settlement is of course dealt with in detail. The later attempts to expand to cover the whole of the mainland are also explained. The whole island was never conquered and this directly resulted in the necessary continuing presence of a significant military force. Perhaps the most telling sentence which came out of the author’s research is the fact that 12 per cent of Roman military establishment was in 4 per cent of its geographic area. This book goes a long way to explaining why. The gradual end of Roman occupation is set in the context of the decline of the whole empire brought about in no small part by the infighting of would be Caesars. Many uprisings began in Britain and in the process removed valuable troops to support the leader’s claims on the continent.
There is a very good set of illustrations but the reader is expected to know the geography of Britain and its immediate neighbours as there is not a single map. The timeline and the bibliography are both great supports to the reader wanting to know more in detail. [Simon Elliot's book on Roman Britain's Missing Legion reviewed on this site is a case in point]
This book is a good stand alone read and a valuable jumping off point for those who want more. We highly recommend it.

Pen & Sword Military, 2021