The Entire History of Roman Britain In 43 AD, the Romans, under the orders of Emperor Claudius, came, saw and conquered England, making it part of the Roman Empire. England was given a new roman name, Britannia, and the first written records of England’s history began. The invasion was massive, similar in magnitude to World War 2’s D-Day Invasion 1,900 years later. Thus began the 400 year Roman Britain period.