Mona Insulis (60 AD)

The island of Anglesey (Ynys Mon to the Welsh and Mona Insulis to the Romans), rich in grain and copper mines, became a refuge for several tribes opposed to the Roman occupation of Britain. The druids there gave moral and …

60

C3i17

The island of Anglesey (Ynys Mon to the Welsh and Mona Insulis to the Romans), rich in grain and copper mines, became a refuge for several tribes opposed to the Roman occupation of Britain. The druids there gave moral and material support to the Resistance, and it was felt by Rome that Britain would never be at peace until the druids were eradicated. For those reasons the imperial governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, an able and ambitious general with Agricola on his staff, lead his XIV legion "Gemina" to lay waste to the isle. When the Romans arrived at the Menai Straits they found Mona defended by many Celtic warriors, mainly of the warlike Ordovices tribe. Tattooed with blue woad, the Celts stood taunting their enemy. Their druids stood nearby in circles raising their arms to heaven and shouting curses, while women with black robes and disheveled hair ran here and there wailing and screaming. The superstitious Romans were rooted to the spot, terrified by this supernatural display, making themselves an easy target for Celtic ranged combat. Finally, emboldened by their leaders, the legionaries crossed the shallow straits. The Celts put up a fierce tight, but eventually their lines broke and they were slaughtered, and the druids were burned alive in their sacred oak grave. Despite this crushing defeat, the Ordovices continued to resist and were never fully Romanized.

Monastir, Wales

The Roman conquest of Anglesey refers to two invasions of the island that occurred during the early decades of the Roman conquest of Britain in theist Century CE. Beginning in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, the Roman legions supported by axillaries had progressively subjugated British tribes. Anglesey, which was known as Mona by the Romans, was an important religious centre for Celtic druids and its peoples. The Romans first invaded the island in around 60/61 CE and again in 77 CE.

Wikipedia: Roman conquest of Anglesey

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Conquest Of Britain