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Caesar crosses the sea to Britain

55–54 BCE, Britain. An event.

Where and when

55–54 BCEBritain

about 2,080 years ago

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, Britain

Caesar takes two expeditions to Britain. He wins battles and takes hostages but leaves no army behind. He writes that his eagle-bearer led the men off the ships.

Leap, fellow soldiers, unless you wish to betray your eagle to the enemy. I, for my part, will perform my duty to the commonwealth and my general.

Caesar, The Gallic War 4.25Translated by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn (1869)Read the full passage (Caesar, The Gallic War 4.25, opens scaife.perseus.org)

Background: Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

Caesar's accounts are the earliest surviving significant eyewitness descriptions of Britain's people, culture and geography, effectively the start of the island's written history, or at least its protohistory.

Based on Wikipedia: Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain

Caesar included accounts of both invasions in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico, which contains the earliest surviving significant eyewitness descriptions of the island's people, culture and geography.

This is effectively the start of the written history, or at least the protohistory, of Great Britain.

Wikipedia, Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-09-22. Text CC BY-SA 4.0. Our line is checked against these sentences only.

Related moments

In time order, with this one in its place. Each says why it is here.

  1. c. 60 BCEabout 5 years earlier Caesar, Pompey and Crassus join forces Same years
  2. 58–50 BCEDuring it Caesar begins the conquest of Gaul Also about war and empire
  3. 55–54 BCEThis momentCaesar crosses the sea to Britain
  4. 55 BCEAbout the same year Caesar's eagle-bearer leaps in Britain Rests on this eventAlso in Britain
  5. 55 BCEAbout the same year Caesar on why he would cross to Britain Rests on this eventAlso about war and empire
  6. 54 BCE1 year later Caesar on Britons dyed with woad Rests on this eventAlso in Britain
  7. 52 BCEabout 3 years later Vercingetorix surrenders to Caesar at Alesia Same years
  8. 43 CEabout 97 years later Claudius invades Britain Also in Britain

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