Celts and Romans

Celts and Romans

A history of invasions, contacts and intermingling of people stretching over the course of about two millennia: this is how we can synthesise English history from about 900 BC, when the Celts landed on British shores, until the Norman Conquest in 1066.

The Celts

The Celts came from the regions surrounding the Rhine and were divided into two main tribes, the Britons and Gaels. Celtic society was based on hunting and farming. Druids, Celtic religious leaders, played an essential role in the preservation of culture and tradition. In fact, it was a druid’s task to transmit myths and legends through long heroic poems.

The Romans

Whereas the coming of the Celts was part of a large-scale migration which involved many European territories, the arrival of the Romans represented an authentic invasion. The first attempt to conquer England dates back to 55 BC under Julius Caesar. According to some scholars, Caesar meant to discourage the British Celts from intervening in support of the Celts of Gaul, which at the time was under Roman rule. Others believe that Caesar was driven by the many accounts of the legendary treasures of the island. Whatever the case, the Romans met with a strong resistance from the local Celtic tribes and failed in their attempt.

End of roman rule

AS far back as the 4th century AD the Roman Empire began to decline: Germanic tribes progressively invaded its continental territories, and some managed to penetrate as far as Gaul, thus cutting off Britannia from the rest of the empire. From 307 onwards, Roman officials were no longer sent to Britannia. Roman rule ended in 410, when the last Roman troops were called back to Italy to fight the invasions of the Vandals and Visigoths, leaving the British territory undefended.

Timeline

900 BC: Celtic tribes from Europe begin to gradually establish themselves in British society
55 BC: First attempt to conquer England under Julius Caesar
43 AD: Roman conquest of Britain begins under Emperor Claudius
61 AD: Celtic uprising led by Boudicca
122: Emperor Hadrian orders the construction of a wall across northern Britain
410: Rome withdraws forces from Britain
450: After the departure of the Roman troops, Germanic tribes (the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes) begin to raid the British coasts
597: Augustine arrives in Kent, at the instigation of Pope Gregory I, and begins the conversion of England
750: The Vikings (the Danes) begin a long period of raids in England
871-899: King Alfred the Great's reign
1066: William, Duke of Normandy, defeats the Saxon king Harold at the Battle of Hastings and becomes King of England with the name of William the Conqueror