To what extent was Claudius’s decision to invade Britain in AD43 motivated by a desire to emulate Julius Caesar?
There are many arguments as to why Claudius invaded Britain in AD43. One of his motives may have been to gain a quick military triumph, which is one argument that Suetonius wrote in his book ‘The Twelve Caesars’. He had said, “Britain was the country where a real triumph could most readily be earned”. A sentence later, he also raises a point about what is known as ‘The Bericus Theory’. The basis of this theory is that a British Chieftain called Bericus persuaded Claudius to invade. Claudius also faced many political troubles when he became Emperor, so another interpretation is that he was trying to prove his position. One way he could have done this is by emulating Julius Caesar, who was seen as a great leader of Rome. This point of view has been put forward by the archaeologists Martin Millet and Peter Salway. One reason that there are so many arguments is down to the fact that we do not have much substantial evidence that shows us Claudius’s true reasons for invasion. Very little contemporary evidence survives, so modern interpretations are based on opinion and the little evidence that remains. This essay examines the view that Claudius’ invasion was inspired by the memories of Julius Caesar’s campaigns against Britain. First we need to investigate what is known of Claudius’ character and personality so that was can try and understand his motivation. Our chief source for this is chapters on Claudius from the Roman writer Suetonius’ book The Twelve Caesars.
We do know from contemporary sources that Claudius was a weak and disabled man. He suffered from a stutter, a clubfoot and lacked any real physical strength. Some viewed him as ‘dull-witted’, and he was often the butt of many a practical joke, as described by Suetonius in ‘The Twelve Caesars’ “When he took his usual after dinner nap the company would pelt him with olives … putting slippers on his hands as he lay snoring, and then … wake him, so that he rubbed his face with them”. When he was thrust into power, it was reported that he was found cowering behind a curtain, then fell to his knees and begged the guard to spare his life. The Praetorian Guard, according to Suetonius, spontaneously decided that he should be emperor and that there should not be a republic in Rome. The historian Michael Grant does not agree with this story, calling it “melodrama”. Cowardliness and weakness were not tolerated in Roman society. Claudius would not have gained much support from his people if they thought him to be nothing more than a fool. His own mother used to call him “a monster: a man whom Nature had not finished but had merely begun”. This might suggest that Claudius may have invaded Britain to emulate the man who seemed to have every quality the Romans adored – Julius Caesar. Caesar was a successful general, physically strong and a good orator. Qualities that Claudius lacked. The Senate was also planning the restoration of a Republic after Caligula’s assassination. Shortly after Claudius was crowned, he had to crush an uprising against him in Dalmatia. Peter Salway suggested that “Claudius’ personal inclinations and immediate safety were best served by the emulation of Julius Caesar”. But perhaps Claudius could go one more, and prepare for an invasion of Britain. Martin Millet tells us that “Britain held the advantage of previously being the object of campaigns by Julius Caesar”. Caesar, however, had actually failed a full-scale invasion. This may have led Claudius to believe that if he made a successful invasion, it would prove him to be at the same level or maybe even greater than Caesar himself. Claudius, however, may have failed. Why would he risk such a dangerous invasion unless he perhaps knew victory would be certain? This connects with the various other theories as to why Claudius launched the invasion because military success in Britain might bring political advantage. There were also some aspects of Caesar’s life that Claudius certainly would not want to have emulated. Caesar had many enemies with the Senate, some of whom later went on to assassinate him. A major flaw in this argument is that we have no contemporary sources written by Claudius about his motivation that can be used as evidence. All suggestions for this viewpoint only seem to come from more modern historians who have pieced together the scraps of evidence in different ways.