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Claudius invades Britain

43 CE, Britain. An event.

Where and when

43 CEBritain

1,983 years ago

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, Britain

Claudius sends an army under Aulus Plautius to Britain and crosses over himself for a few days. Suetonius says part of the island gave in without a fight.

he thence passed over to Britain, and part of the island submitting to him, within a few days after his arrival, without battle or bloodshed, he returned to Rome in less than six months from the time of his departure

Suetonius, Life of Claudius 17Translated by Alexander Thomson, revised by T. Forester (1889)Read the full passage (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 17, opens gutenberg.org)

Background: Roman conquest of Britain, Wikipedia (opens en.wikipedia.org)

Why it matters

The invasion began Rome's conquest of Britain in earnest, and the conquered land became the Roman province of Britannia.

Based on Wikipedia: Roman conquest of Britain

It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain (most of what is now called England and Wales) by AD 87, when the Stanegate was established.

The conquered territory became the Roman province of Britannia.

Wikipedia, Roman conquest of Britain (opens en.wikipedia.org), as of 2026-10-01. 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. 41 CE2 years earlier Caligula is killed by his own guards Same years
  2. 43 CEThis momentClaudius invades Britain
  3. c. 60–61 CEabout 17 years later Boudica leads a British revolt against Rome Also in BritainAlso about war and empire
  4. set in c. 60/61 CEabout 17.5 years later Boudica on avenging lost freedom, per Tacitus Also in Britain
  5. set in c. 60/61 CEabout 17.5 years later Boudica's speech before battle, in Tacitus Also about war and empire
  6. set in c. 60/61 CEabout 17.5 years later Boudica rallies the tribes, as Tacitus tells it Also in Britain

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