Aulus Plautius

Aulus Plautius commanded the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43. Consul in 29, he had probably governed Pannonia on the middle Danube; experience together with political and family influence made him a suitable choice for Claudius' British expedition. The invasion was successfully mounted with four legions and an equivalent number (c.20,000) of auxiliary troops. The major settlement at Camulodunum ( Colchester) surrendered in the presence of the emperor. By the time Plautius left Britain in 47, the greater part of the island south-east of the Humber–Severn line was under Roman control.

A Dictionary of World History. Oxford University Press, 2000