The Roman Invasion of Britain: HD

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[edit] General Information

History Documentary hosted by Bettany Hughes, published by History Channel in 2009 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Rome's daring conquest and occupation of the British Isles. At the beginning of our era, the Roman Empire was undoubtedly the most powerful empire on earth. It covered the entire Mediterranean region. And the Romans' urge to conquer was unchecked. The legions also set out across the English Channel to conquer Britain. The three-part documentary series describes the 400-year rule of Rome over the British Isles with the help of re-enacted scenes and elaborate computer animations. Motivated by an emperor's greed and political ambition, Rome added Britain to its empire in the first century CE, changing the land and its people forever. Join historian Bettany Hughes ("When the Moors Ruled in Europe") as she examines new research and the latest archaeological evidence to reveal the brutal realities of the Roman conquest. Meet scheming politicians, beleaguered generals, and fiery revolutionaries--including Queen Boudicca, the wronged woman who mobilized her people for a bloody and tragic revolt. Interviews with noted military experts and meticulous reenactments illuminate a little-known but pivotal period in British and Roman history. Packed with drama and detail, this absorbing series reveals how a nation sprang from 400 years of subjugation. Oxford-educated author and historian Bettany Hughes has presented historical documentaries for the BBC, PBS, and the Discovery Channel. She serves on the Innovation Programs Committee of the U.K.'s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. Produced and Directed by Jeff Morgan ; A Green Bay Media Production for S4C and HISTORY in Association with Barcud Derwen and Parthenon Entertainment

[edit] Onslaught

By the time Emperor Claudius ascended the throne of Caesar in AD 41, the Roman Empire was already a superpower, stretching from Portugal to Turkey and from the English Channel to North Africa. Now the British Isles are also supposed to become part of the Roman Empire. On the one hand, the ambitious undertaking goes back to the desire of the Roman Emperor Claudius to consolidate his power through a large-scale military campaign of conquest. On the other hand, Rome wants to take advantage of the diverse reserves of gold, silver, grain, wood and other natural resources that are said to exist on the island. Julius Caesar had tried to conquer Britain a century earlier, but his campaign was unsuccessful. The soldiers who are now setting out to conquer the island under the command of the respected general Aulus Plautius are confident of victory. They consider the British Celtic tribes to be backward barbarians who would not withstand the extraordinary military strength of the Romans a second time. However, this notion ultimately turns out to be a fallacy. The Roman invaders won the first major battle on British soil, the Battle of the Medway. They succeed in taking the fortress of Camulodunum - today's Colchester - and later all of southern Britain. The local population put up fierce resistance and a long and bloody war ensued. Under the Roman general Publius Ostorius Scapula, who replaced Aulus Plautius, there were cruel field battles, which the Romans initially won. But the tide turns when the Iceni tribe, led by the determined Queen Boudicca, begins a devastating campaign against the Romans. The historian and archaeologist Guy de la Bedoyere refers to the escalating conflict as "the Vietnam of the Romans".

[edit] Revolt

The Iceni tribe, led by Queen Boudicca, first inflicts a painful defeat on the Romans and then takes revenge with unimaginable brutality for all the atrocities that the Romans did to them during the annexation. They receive support from the Trinovantes, who are also suppressed. Together they drive the Romans to the brink of surrender and raze the three important cities of Camulodunum (now Colchester), Londinium (London) and Verulamium (St Albans). Confident of victory, Boudicca and her troops give the Romans the opportunity for a last, open field battle - a mistake with serious consequences. Because nobody has ever managed to defeat the disciplined Roman army in the open field. The Romans lured Boudicca into a trap and put an abrupt end to the Iceni uprising, which had been successful until then. After the victory of Rome, an era of Romanization begins. The Roman occupiers succeed in winning over all the major British tribes, even in the highlands, to the comforts of Roman culture. Roman customs become an integral part of life in southern Britain. And the long history of British resistance to Roman rule seems to be coming to an end. Not so in the far north of the country. In Caledonia - now Scotland - the fierce warriors of the Picts successfully thwarted any attempt by the Romans to subjugate them for the next 300 years. The realization that this part of the country could not be conquered led to the construction of the imposing Hadrian's Wall. 120 kilometers long and sometimes seven meters high, it not only forms the northernmost border of Roman Britain, but also the northernmost border of the Roman Empire.

[edit] Dominion

The borders of the huge Roman Empire are constantly threatened by unrest and must be protected by a high military presence. We investigate the lives of the people of Britain under Roman rule in the final episode of our gripping series "The Roman Invasion of Britain". After Roman control had been established, thanks to military bases such as the magnificent fort at Caerleon, the province of Britannia was relatively calm for a couple of centuries under 'Pax Romana', the Roman peace. In all provinces of the empire, the common people suffer from the high taxes imposed by Rome, from the brutal enslavement of the people and from the ruthless exploitation of raw materials. In order to secure control in other provinces, Rome has to withdraw more and more troops from Britain and is slowly but surely losing power on the island. Finally, in 367, the Picts overran Hadrian's Wall, the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, while at the same time the Saxons and Irish invaded the Roman provinces in south-east Britain and on the west coast of Wales. Once again, Rome gathers all his strength and counters the attack with cruel revenge. But it was the last retaliatory strike by the Romans against the British. Roman power in Britain finally collapsed at the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th century. After almost 400 years of occupation, the British have regained control of their island and are turning back into a tribal society. But the Romans left traces, some of which are still visible today. The experience of the Roman occupation changed Britain forever. Ultimately, it paved the way for the country to become a unified nation-state and made the British develop a strong aversion to any form of tyranny.

[edit] Screenshots

[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: x264 CABAC High@L4.1
Video Bitrate: 3 421 Kbps
Video Resolution: 1280x720
Display Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frames Per Second: 25.000 fps
Audio Codec: AC3
Audio Bitrate: 384 kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 45 min
Number Of Parts: 3
Part Size: 1.18 GB - 1.24 GB
Source: HDTV
Encoded by: KNiFESHARP