Justifications For Conquests Of Britain

One justification for a takeover, by conquest or otherwise, might be a claim that the ruler of the conquering state is the rightful ruler of the state being taken over. This is a claim to acquisition of the territory by succession. The last time that there was a successful invasion of Britain, in 1066, William of Normandy claimed to have a superior right to be King of England, and he consolidated that claim by conquest - by defeating King Harold of England at the Battle of Hastings. An earlier conquest of Britain, by the Roman Empire in 55 BC, was justified by Tacitus on the basis of Roman superiority. After denigrating the agricultural and industrial practices of the Britons, Tacitus wrote: 'One must remember we are dealing with barbarians.'

Keywords: Britain, Britain, conquest

Author: Nettheim, Garth