Key Stage 2 history · British history

KS2 Roman invasions of Britain: Caesar, Claudius and the army

Key Stage 2 children study the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain. This first part looks at why Julius Caesar failed to conquer Britain in 55 and 54 BC, why the emperor Claudius succeeded in AD 43, and what made the Roman army such an effective fighting force. It also gives children practice in asking why something happened and in judging how reliable a source is.

Roman invasions and the army, explained

The National Curriculum asks children in Years 3 to 6 to learn about the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain. The programme of study gives non-statutory examples: Julius Caesar’s attempted invasion in 55 and 54 BC, the Roman Empire by AD 42 and the power of its army, and the successful invasion by Claudius. Schools choose how to cover these. By AD 42 the empire stretched around the Mediterranean Sea and across much of Europe, including Gaul (roughly modern France), Spain and North Africa. Britain lay just across the sea from Roman territory.

Julius Caesar was a Roman general and the governor of Gaul. He was never an emperor. In 55 BC he crossed the Channel with two legions and landed near Deal in Kent. The Britons fought on the beach, and a storm damaged his ships, so he stayed only a few weeks and went back. In 54 BC he returned with a much larger force, around five legions and two thousand cavalry, defeated the tribes led by Cassivellaunus, crossed the Thames, agreed terms that included hostages and payments, and left again. He did not conquer Britain or leave soldiers behind. Our main source for all this is Caesar’s own book, which he wrote to impress readers in Rome.

Almost a hundred years later, in AD 43, the emperor Claudius sent an army of around 40,000 men under a general called Aulus Plautius. Claudius had become emperor in AD 41 and needed a famous victory. Britain had metals, grain and other valuable things, and some British rulers had been helping Rome’s enemies. A British leader who had been driven out had also asked Rome for help. The army landed in Kent, fought a big battle at a river crossing, probably on the River Medway, crossed the Thames and captured Camulodunum, the town now called Colchester. This time the Romans stayed, and the conquest of the south of Britain began.

The Roman army was the main reason the empire could grow. A legion had about five thousand men, who were Roman citizens and who signed up for twenty-five years. Each was split into smaller groups, the smallest being a century of about eighty men led by a centurion. Alongside them served auxiliaries, soldiers from other parts of the empire who earned citizenship at the end of their service. Soldiers wore armour, carried a large curved rectangular shield, a javelin called a pilum and a short sword called a gladius, and trained constantly. They also built roads, bridges and forts. In a tight formation called a testudo, or tortoise, they held shields overhead and at the sides.

Words your child will hear

Empire: A large area of land and many peoples ruled by one government or ruler.
Emperor: The ruler of the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar was a general and leader, not an emperor.
Invasion: When an army enters another country to take control of it.
Legion: A main unit of the Roman army, with about 5,000 soldiers.
Centurion: An officer in charge of about 80 soldiers, called a century.
Auxiliary: A soldier from a conquered area who served Rome and could become a citizen after 25 years.
Testudo: A formation in which soldiers locked shields to form a protective shell, like a tortoise.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

Pupils should be taught about the Roman Empire and its impact on Britain
Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
Pupils should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A worked example: explaining why

Why did Claudius succeed in conquering Britain when Julius Caesar had not?

Compare their aims. Caesar’s two visits were short expeditions over one summer each. He did not leave soldiers behind and went back to Gaul. Claudius planned a conquest and meant to stay.
Compare the forces. Caesar’s second expedition was large, with around five legions and two thousand cavalry, so size was not the main difference. Claudius sent four legions, about 20,000 men, plus a similar number of auxiliaries, around 40,000 in all, equipped with supplies for a long campaign.
Compare preparation. Caesar’s ships were damaged by a storm and tides he did not expect. By AD 43, Rome had been in contact with Britain through traders and allies for years and knew its coasts and rivers better.
Look at Britain. The tribes were not united. Some leaders were willing to ally with Rome, which made it harder for the Britons to resist as one force.
Check the sources. Our account of Caesar comes from his own writing, so he may have made his visits sound more successful. The fullest account of Claudius’s invasion was written by a Roman historian more than 150 years later, so each account must be read with care.

Claudius succeeded because he sent a large, well-prepared army with the plan of staying, and because the British tribes were divided. Caesar made two short expeditions, without a plan to stay, and had to leave. The sources must be read carefully, because the Romans wrote them to impress their own people.

Common mistakes and how to help

“Julius Caesar conquered Britain and was the first Roman emperor”

Caesar is the best-known Roman name, so he gets credit for everything.

What helps: Make a mini-timeline: Caesar came in 55 and 54 BC but left. Claudius, who was emperor, conquered in AD 43. The number of years between the two is 97, which is nearly a hundred. Caesar was never an emperor.

“The Romans conquered the whole island at once”

A date such as AD 43 sounds like a single event.

What helps: The invasion began in AD 43 but the conquest took decades. The Romans took the south first, never held all of Scotland and never invaded Ireland. A later topic covers more of this.

“All Roman soldiers were from Rome or Italy”

We use the words “Roman” and “Rome” as if they mean the same thing.

What helps: Soldiers came from all over the empire. Auxiliaries were recruited from many provinces and served far from home. Ask your child to imagine being a soldier in a foreign land.

“The Britons were no match for the Romans”

The Romans won in the end, so the story gets told as if it was easy.

What helps: The Britons fought hard and the Romans took years to win. The Romans won through organisation, supplies, engineering and the fact that the tribes were divided, not because the Britons were weak.

How to help at home

Put the dates on a line. Make a timeline with 55 BC, 54 BC and AD 43. Count the years between them, remembering that there is no year zero. Notice how the BC numbers count down.
Map the empire. Find a map of the Roman Empire around AD 42 and trace how far it stretched. Ask your child how long it would take an army to march from Rome to the English Channel, and what it would need to carry.
Make a testudo. In the garden, use cardboard shields or trays held over heads and to the sides and try walking together in a block. Talk about what would make the formation work and where it would be weak.
Count off a century. Count how many people, toys or pieces of cereal make a group of 80. Then compare with 5,000 for a legion, by thinking about the number of people at a big school or a football match.
Question a source. Ask your child to write a short account of their day for a newspaper, then ask how someone else who was there might tell it differently. It shows why we read Caesar’s version with care.

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: Medieval Britain 1066 to 1509
Key Stage 3: Tudors and Stuarts: Britain 1509 to 1745
Key Stage 3: Britain 1745 to 1901: industry and empire
Key Stage 3: Britain and the world, 1901 to today
Key Stage 3: The Holocaust