Gemina and XX. Valeria (some 24,000 men-in-arms) under the command of his general Allus Plautus forth to subdue the Isles and gain dominion over the land. Due to the disunity of the Celts the well-trained and disciplined legions had only a few major problems such as the resistance of the Catavelauni tribe (king Cunobelinus). There were several battles including the great onslaught on the Maiden Castle in today` s Dorset and the following massacre of men, women and children, where Vespasianus, the future Roman emperor won his renown. Britain was stated a province. As the Romans had the land conquered, they began to romanize it. The legions founded their bases (castra – camp) in Leicester, Lincoln, Caerleon and Wroxeter. The province was divided into municipalities and cantons corresponding with the tribal territories, improved the farming technology, begun to build roads and towns. Londoneum (London), Verulamium (St. Albans) and Camulodunum (Colchester) became important trade points. Soon the Pax Romana was established and its benefits in terms of an increasing trade and new culture were evident. Some of the Celtic sovereigns accepted the Roman sway, yielded to the authority of the emperor, swore allegiance to him and became his vassals. In this situation Suetonius Paulinus, the new governor comes to Britain.

Despite the Pax Romana there were many such chieftains who resisted the Roman power and refused to accept their sway. The crucial points were the arrogant Roman governing officers, the taxes diminishing the freedom of the Celts, the confiscation of the land, which was then divided between the roman veterans in order to lure the new settlers to seize the tribes tighter.


One of those, who had accepted the roman dominion, was Prasutag, the chief of the Iceni tribe in the East of Britain. When he died, it was revealed that he had, in order to secure the tribe, appointed the Emperor an heir of a half of the Iceni land. The pride of the tribe was torn to pieces. He left an exasperated widow, Boadicea, and two soon-to-be-adult daughters. These were another crucial factor. Married to a chief of another powerful tribe, they would mean a serious peril. The proud and angry queen was whipped and her daughters raped to become unacceptable for a fitting groom. This brought the Iceni to the boil. After Suetonius Paulinus destroyed the druid school in Anglesey (Isle of Mona) in 59 AD, which he thought to be the centre of the resistance, the Iceni revolted.