Britain After Roman Rule
Venta Siluris, Caerwent - South Wales
With the withdrawal of both Roman legions, the Picts, Scots and Saxons began a series of devastating attacks on the province. The Chronicle of 452 says for the year AD 408: 'Britain was devastated by an attack of the Saxons'. Prosper (Tiro) of Aquitaine states in his "Chronicle": "in the fifteenth year of Honorius and Arcadius (409), on account of the languishing state of the Romans, the strength of the Britons was brought to a desperate pass." The Britons took defences into their own hands, expelling the remaining Roman officials. According to Prosper, Britain was ruled by petty "tyrants."
Zosimus (VI, 5, 2-3) describes events in the following way:
'The barbarians beyond the Rhine, attacking in force, reduced the inhabitants of Britain and some of the Celtic tribes to the point where they were obliged to throw off Roman rule and live independently, no longer subject to Roman laws. The Britons therefore took up arms and, braving the danger on their own behalf, freed their cities from the barbarians threatening them. And all Armorica (Brittany) and the other Gallic provinces followed their example, freed themslves in the same way, expelled their Roman rulers and set up their own governments as far as lay within their power.'
He goes on (VI, 10, 2):
'Honorius wrote letters to the cities in Britain bidding them to take precautions on their own behalf.
The Roman empire at its greatest extent
Sherratt argues that Roman rule in Britain did not come to an end primarily because of the Saxon and other marauders. He points to internal conditions in the empire and a rebellion in Britain itself as the main contributors. See Rebellion remains the decisive factor at the British Archaeology site.
What was Britain like in the later Roman period? According to Guy de la Bédoyère it was a golden period. See: No decline before the fall of empire from British Archaeology.
John Schofield discusses London under the Romans in From frontier town to stately capital. Also at the British Archaeology site.
Books Dark Age  Britain and the End of the Roman Empire by Ken Dark. One of the most authoritative works on the period. It makes use of the latest archaeological knowledge and takes a sceptical approach to conventional views on the subject. Available from: Amazon.co.uk - UK Pounds Amazon.com - US Dollars Amazon.ca - Canadian dollars Amazon.de - Euros  The Tribes of Britain by David Miles. The diverse peoples of Britain and Ireland are revealed not only by physical characteristics but also through structures and settlements, place names and dialects. Using the latest genetic and archaeological research, the author shows how different peoples traded, settled and conquered, establishing the 'tribal' and regional roots still apparent today. Its vast scope considers the impact of prehistoric peoples and Celtic tribes, Romans and Vikings, Saxons and Normans, Jews and Huguenots, as well as the increasing population movements of the last century. Available from: Amazon.co.uk - British pounds
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