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Succession of Roman emperors in Britain
The Roman Empire was on the verge of collapse after the death of Emperor Septimius Severus (Latin – Lucius Septimius Severus) which gave the rulers of its individual provinces an opportunity to seize supreme power locally and make their territories independent. In the period 259-284 Britain was part of the Gallic Empire. Carausius, who was the former commander of the Roman fleet and cruised the English Channel to protect Britain and Gaul from attacks by Frisian pirates, proclaimed himself Emperor of Britain in 286.
In response to such insolence, Emperor Maximian sent an expedition against Carausius in 289 which ended in failure. As a result the self-proclaimed emperor reigned for seven years. But in 293 the imperial treasurer Allectus killed his ruler and took his place on the throne.
In 296, Constantius Chlorus again subjugated Britain to Rome and decided to once again march on Caledonia. Constantius died in York in 306. His son Constantine was recognized by the Celtic units as Constantius’ successor. The son, Constantine (Constantine the Great), spent a year with his father in northern Britain and took part in his father’s campaign against the Picts beyond Hadrian’s Wall. It was as a result of his presence in Britain that he began to rise to the throne of emperor.
Tribal raids in Britain
Britain entered a period of endless tribal raids. The Roman garrison revolted in the winter of 367 and allowed the Picts of Caledonia to invade the south. After crossing Hadrian’s Wall, they marched across the province and reached Londinium.
At the same time, the Attacotti, the Scotti from Hibernia and the Saxons from Germany landed on the northwestern and southeastern borders of the island. The Franks and Saxons arrived from northern Gaul. These troops moved inland and destroyed all the outposts and settlements that were loyal to the Romans. In the west and north of Britain all lands were captured, cities plundered and part of the population killed. Others were enslaved.
Nectaris, the commander of the sea coast region was killed and the Duke of Britanniarum, Fullofaud, was besieged and captured. Deserting soldiers and runaway slaves scattered throughout the area. Robbery, looting and murder were rampant in the area. Much of the island was plunged into chaos.
Theodosius was sent to stop the Picts and Scots who had broken through. He was able to push the rebel tribes back to the Antonine Wall.
General Maximus, commander of Theodosius’ army, proclaimed himself emperor of Britain, Gaul and Spain in 383 and Theodosius confirmed his title. The new emperor led several successful campaigns against the Picts and Scots in 384. Most of the Western Empire fell under his rule.
Maximus attempted to conquer Italy five years later, but failed. He was captured and executed in Aquileia in 388. Maximus’ army returned to Britain, leaving the province without the support of the Roman army even more vulnerable.
Stilicho sent another Roman legion to the island in 396 to protect Britain from Pictish and Scottish raids.
The end of Roman rule in Britain
The Britons expelled the magisters in around 410 who had been left behind by the usurper Constantine III who had also proclaimed himself emperor in 407. The emperor had previously withdrawn his main army from Britain and sent them to Gaul. This left the island virtually defenseless and barbarians were able to attack it without any response from Roman soldiers.
In response to British requests for help, the Roman Emperor Honorius abolished the protectorate over Britain, saying that the Roman cities should take care of their own defence. Since Honorius was conducting military operations in Italy against the Visigoths and Rome itself was under siege at the time, Britain was effectively given over to self-government.
Although it is likely that Honorius wanted to regain control of the provinces of Britain, by the mid-6th century it was already clear that Roman control over the island was completely lost.
The results of Roman rule in Britain
Several centuries of Roman occupation in Britain were not made in vain for the island. During this time the Romans built an extensive network of roads throughout the British province. After the Roman legions left the island these roads continued to be used by the population and some of them are still used today.
In addition, sewerage and water supply systems were built in Britain. Also, the period of Roman rule saw the founding of large British cities – London (Londinium), Manchester (Mamucium) and York (Eboracum). However, most Roman settlements were abandoned after the Romans left the island.
Although in most areas of the Western Roman Empire the dominant language of the local population was Romance (or another language descended from pre-Roman inhabitants), in Britain at the time of the invasion the common language was Brittonic. After the Romans left, Brittonic remained the main language on the island. Modern British, spoken by most locals, is based on the linguistic traditions of Germanic tribes which began arriving on the island from continental Europe in the 5th century.
