The Romans Who Shaped Britain

A fast-moving account of the rise and fall of Roman Britain, told through the lives of governors and generals, emperors and rebels

Roman Britain was created not by impersonal historical forces, but by men and women, each driven by ambition, aspiration and passion. This book explores the narrative of Britannia through the lives of its emperors, commanders, governors, officials and rebels. It reminds us of the truly epic nature of the history of Britannia.Roman Britain was created not by impersonal historical forces, but by men and women, each driven by ambition, aspiration and passion. The Romans Who Shaped Britain explores the narrative of Britannia through the lives of its emperors, commanders, governors, officials and rebels. This rich cast of characters includes some, such as Caesar, Agricola and Boudica, who may be familiar; and others, such as Carausius, Magnentius or Valentinus, who deserve to be more so. Their lives and actions are set against the backdrop of an evolving landscape, in which Iron Age shrines were being replaced by marble temples, industrial-scale factories and granaries were springing up across the countryside and a triumphal arch towered into the Kent sky to mark Rome’s domination. Fast-moving, vivid and compelling, The Romans Who Shaped Britain , by setting out the story as a single narrative, above all reminds us of the truly epic nature of the history of Britannia.