A History of Britain 01. Beginnings (9 of 25)

A History of Britain

The kind of army that could barely be conceived of, much less encountered in Iron Age Britain.
Claudius did succeed where Julius Caesar had failed, through a brilliant strategy of carrot and stick.
He would seize the largely undefended oppida or towns and strike at the heart of British aristocracy, its places of status, prestige and worship.
For the chieftains sensible enough to reach for the olive branch rather than the battle javelin, Claudius had another plan.
Give them, or rather their sons, a trip to Rome, a taste of the dolce vita, and watch their resistance melt.
While in Rome, many must have begun to notice that life for your average patrician was exceptionally sweet.

Before long they began to hunger for a taste of it themselves.
If there were sumptuous country villas amidst the olive groves of the Roman countryside, why could there not be equally sumptuous country villas amidst the pear orchards of the South Downs?
Just fall in line, be a little reasonable, some judicious supports here and there and see what results - the spectacular palace at Fishbourne.
The man who built it was Togidubnus, king of the Regnenses in what would be Sussex, and one of the quickest to sign up as Rome's local ally.
He was rewarded with enough wealth to build himself something fit for a Roman.