Editing Domitian (section)

==== Conquest of northern Britain (77–84) ====

{{Main|Roman conquest of Britain}}

[[File:Statue of Agricola at Bath cropped.png|thumb|180px|upright|[[Gnaeus Julius Agricola]] ([[Bath, Somerset|Bath]])]]

One of the most detailed reports of military activity under the Flavian dynasty was written by Tacitus, whose biography of his father-in-law [[Gnaeus Julius Agricola]] largely concerns the conquest of northern Britain between 77 and 84.<ref name=jones-131/> Agricola arrived {{circa|77}} as governor of [[Roman Britain]], immediately launching campaigns into Caledonia (modern [[Scotland]]). In 82, Agricola crossed an unidentified body of water and defeated peoples unknown to the Romans until then.<ref name=tacitus-agricola-24-1>Tacitus, ''Agricola'' [[s:Agricola#24|24]]</ref> He fortified the coast facing [[Ireland]],{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} and Tacitus recalls that his father-in-law often claimed the island could be conquered with a single legion and a few [[auxilia]]ries.<ref name=jones-132>Jones (1992), p. 132</ref> He had given refuge to an exiled Irish king whom he hoped he might use as the excuse for conquest. This conquest never happened, but some historians believe that the crossing referred to was in fact a small-scale exploratory or punitive expedition to Ireland.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Reed | first = Nicholas | title = The Fifth Year of Agricola's Campaigns | journal = Britannia | volume = 2 | year = 1971 | pages = 143–148 | jstor = 525804| doi =10.2307/525804 | s2cid = 164089455 }}</ref>

Turning his attention from Ireland, the following year Agricola raised a fleet and pushed beyond the [[River Forth]] into Caledonia. To aid the advance, a large legionary fortress was constructed at [[Inchtuthil]].<ref name=jones-132/> In the summer of 84, Agricola faced the armies of the Caledonians, led by [[Calgacus]], at the [[Battle of Mons Graupius]].<ref name=tacitus-agricola-24-2>Tacitus, ''Agricola'' [[s:Agricola#29|29]]</ref> Although the Romans inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, two-thirds of the Caledonian army escaped and hid in the Scottish marshes and [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]], ultimately preventing Agricola from bringing the entire British island under his control.<ref name=jones-132/> In 85, Agricola was recalled to Rome by Domitian, having served for more than six years as governor, longer than normal for consular legates during the Flavian era.<ref name=jones-132/>

Tacitus claims that Domitian ordered his recall because Agricola's successes outshone the Emperor's own modest victories in Germania.<ref name=tacitus-agricola-39/> The relationship between Agricola and the Emperor is unclear: on the one hand, Agricola was awarded triumphal decorations and a statue, on the other, Agricola never again held a civil or military post in spite of his experience and renown. He was offered the governorship of the [[province of Africa]] but declined it, either due to ill health or, as Tacitus claims, the machinations of Domitian.<ref name=tacitus-agricola-24-3>Tacitus, ''Agricola'' [[s:Agricola#42|42]]</ref> Not long after Agricola's recall from Britain, the Roman Empire entered into war with the [[Dacia|Kingdom of Dacia]] in the East. Reinforcements were needed, and in 87 or 88, Domitian ordered a large-scale strategic [[Withdrawal (military)|withdrawal]] of troops in the British province. The fortress at Inchtuthil was dismantled and the Caledonian forts and watchtowers abandoned, moving the Roman frontier some 120&nbsp;kilometres (75&nbsp;mi) further south.<ref name=jones-133>Jones (1992), p. 133</ref> The army command may have resented Domitian's decision to retreat, but to him the Caledonian territories never represented anything more than a loss to the Roman treasury.<ref name=jones-131/>