Vespasiana facts for kids
Vespasiana was a made-up Roman province. It was supposedly located in northern Scotland, a place the Romans called Caledonia. This province appeared in a fake book from the 1700s called On the State of Britain. A man named Charles Bertram wrote this book. He pretended it was an old Roman record from the 300s, written by a general. The book claimed to describe Britain a long, long time ago.
What Was Vespasiana?
The book said Vespasiana was north of the Antonine Wall. This wall was a Roman barrier built across Scotland. While the Romans did build forts in this area during their invasions, there are no real old records that call any part of it "Vespasiana." No true historical sources say it was a separate Roman province.
How Roman Britain Was Divided
After the Roman Emperor Claudius invaded Britain in 43 AD, Britain became one big province called Britannia. Later, around the late 100s, this province was split into two parts: Upper Britain and Lower Britain. This happened after a rebellion led by Clodius Albinus was stopped.
Even later, around the late 200s, Britain was divided again. This time, it became several smaller provinces: Prima, Secunda, and Maxima Caesariensis. Another province called Flavia Caesariensis was also formed. In 369 AD, a province called Valentia was created. This happened after Count Theodosius stopped a big attack called the Great Conspiracy. Valentia was either made from parts of the other provinces or from land beyond Hadrian's Wall.
The Story of Vespasiana
The fake book by Bertram claimed that Vespasiana was formed even further north, beyond the Antonine Wall. It said this happened either at that time or earlier, during the time of a Roman general named Agricola. There are some real old writings that say the Orkney islands were a sixth British province. However, most modern historians do not believe these claims.
Bertram's book was written in a style similar to a real Roman travel guide called the Antonine Itinerary. It included many made-up routes through Vespasiana. It even listed fake names of places and the distances between them. The names for these invented places came from the writings of famous Romans like Julius Caesar and Tacitus. Some historians think that Vespasiana and the Roman province of Valentia might have been meant to be the same place in Bertram's story.
See also
