Summary: This episode covers the invasion of Britannia in 42 CE by emperor Claudius. The major characters we’ll be talking about today are… Emperor Claudius - Emperor of Rome and man in need of a serious PR campaign. Aulus Plautius - His General, and the man tasked with invading Britannia. Vespasian - Leader of the Second Legion and future Emperor of Rome (though he didn’t know it yet). Togodomnus - Son of Cunobellinus and leader of the Catuvellauni. Caractucus - Brother of Togodomnus, and other leader of the Catvellauni “Whoever were the first inhabitants of Britain, whether natives or immigrants, has never been answered: don’t forget we are dealing with barbarians.” - Tacitus, Agricola. When we last left off, Emperor Claudius heard the pleas of Verica, the deposed king of the Atrebates, who begged that he come to the aid of his kingdom and put down King Caractacus and his Catuvellauni. Emperor Claudius saw a larger opportunity… the chance to talk all of Britannia, as well as the title of Britannicus for himself, and thus free him from the incredibly tenuous position he had found himself in. Being Emperor isn’t as great as it sounds when your guard are the very same men who had just killed the previous Emperor, your nephew. He needed the support of the people if he was going to last very long… and conquering some barbarians could be a way to accomplish that.
