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When was the final Roman invasion of Scotland?

The Romans invaded Caledonia (Scotland) three times. The last time was in 209 AD under Emperor Severus. But why was it their last invasion?

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Find out about the last Roman invasion of Scotland.

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Why did the Romans invade Scotland?

A bronze Statue of Septimus Severus outside Leptis Magna Museum, Libya, North Africa
Image caption,
A bronze Statue of Septimus Severus outside Leptis Magna Museum, Libya, North Africa.

There were several reasons why the Romans tried another invasion.

Scotland had natural resources such as gold, iron, and coal that would be useful for the Roman Empire.

The Scottish tribes were also attacking Roman lands in England.

By 162 AD the Roman army had abandoned the forts along the Antonine Wall in the Central Belt of Scotland and retreated to the safety of Hadrian鈥檚 Wall in northern England.

By 209 AD attacks by Scottish tribes at Hadrian鈥檚 Wall were so bad that the Roman Emperor himself had to lead a Roman army back into Scotland to tackle the Scottish tribes.

A bronze Statue of Septimus Severus outside Leptis Magna Museum, Libya, North Africa
Image caption,
A bronze Statue of Septimus Severus outside Leptis Magna Museum, Libya, North Africa.
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What did Emperor Severus do?

A  modern recreation of Roman soldiers.
Image caption,
A modern recreation of Roman soldiers.

Emperor Severus arrived in Britain with an army of forty thousand men. First, he marched to Hadrian鈥檚 Wall and rebuilt sections of it to make it stronger.

Next, he marched north to the Antonine Wall and rebuilt some the abandoned forts.

First Severus and his army pushed north in the Highlands of Scotland. Later another Roman force under the leadership of his son, Caracalla, did the same.

They fought some of the tribes and also burned the crops of the tribes to deprive them of food. The aim of this was to weaken the tribes.

The plan worked and before long the Scottish tribes were seeking peace with the Romans.

A  modern recreation of Roman soldiers.
Image caption,
A modern recreation of Roman soldiers.
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Why did the invasion fail?

 An engraving showing a battle between soldiers of the Roman Empire and German tribes.
Image caption,
An engraving showing a battle between soldiers of the Roman Empire and German tribes.

The Scottish tribes had learned the painful way that facing the Romans in big battles was a bad idea.

Instead they used different tactics called guerrilla warfare. This involved attacking the Roman army in lots of small battles when the Roman鈥檚 least expected it.

These tactics made life very difficult for the Romans but they wouldn鈥檛 be enough to get rid of the Romans in Scotland. For that, the Scottish tribes needed luck.

They got it in 210 AD when Emperor Severus suddenly died. His son, Caracalla, instantly abandoned the invasion of Scotland and returned to Rome to claim the role as the new emperor.

However, by the time Caracalla became emperor, the Roman Empire was having to fight off threats from European tribes closer to Rome. Caracalla decided that Rome did not have enough soldiers to risk another invasion of Scotland.

Scotland would never again have to fight off the Romans on Scottish soil.

 An engraving showing a battle between soldiers of the Roman Empire and German tribes.
Image caption,
An engraving showing a battle between soldiers of the Roman Empire and German tribes.
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Key words

Key words

  • Antonine Wall - a defensive Roman wall that ran across Central Scotland from the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde.
  • Hadrian鈥檚 Wall - large defensive stone wall that ran across northern England. The wall marked the northern-most boundary of the Roman Empire.
  • Emperor Severus - Septimus Severus was Roman emperor from 193 AD to his death in 210 AD. He planned and led the final invasion of Scotland (Caledonia).
  • Emperor Caracalla - Caracalla was the son of Emperor Severus. After his father died in 210 AD, he became the new Emperor of the Roman Empire. He fought alongside his father in Scotland. It was his decision to remove Roman soldiers from Scotland.
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