Gnaeus Julius Agricola Gnaeus Julius Agricola ( June 13 , 40 – August 23 , 93 ) was a Gallo - Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain . Written by his son - in - law Tacitus , the " De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae " is the primary source for most of what is known about him , along with detailed archaeological evidence from northern Britain . Agricola began his military career in Britain , serving under governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus . His subsequent career saw him serve in a variety of positions ; he was appointed quaestor in Asia province in 64 , then Plebeian Tribune in 66 , and praetor in 68 . He supported Vespasian during the Year of the Four Emperors ( 69 ) , and was given a military command in Britain when the latter became emperor . When his command ended in 73 , he was made patrician in Rome and appointed governor of Gallia Aquitania . He was made consul and governor of Britannia in 77 . While there , he completed the conquest of what is now Wales and northern England , and led his army to the far north of Scotland , establishing forts across much of the Lowlands . He was recalled from Britain in 85 after an unusually lengthy service , and thereafter retired from military and public life . Early life . Agricola was born in the " colonia " of Forum Julii , Gallia Narbonensis ( now Fréjus , France ) . Agricola ' s parents were from noted Gallo - Roman political families of senatorial rank , his ancestors were Romanised Gauls of local origin . Both of his grandfathers served as imperial governors . His father , Lucius Julius Graecinus , was a " praetor " and had become a member of the Roman Senate in the year of his birth . Graecinus had become distinguished by his interest in philosophy . Between August 40 and January 41 , the Roman Emperor Caligula ordered his death because he refused to prosecute the Emperor ' s second cousin Marcus Junius Silanus . His mother was Julia Procilla . The Roman historian Tacitus describes her as " a lady of singular virtue " . Tacitus states that Procilla had a fond affection for her son . Agricola was educated in Massilia ( Marseille ) , and showed what was considered an unhealthy interest in philosophy . Political career . He began his career in Roman public life as a military tribune , serving in Britain under Gaius Suetonius Paulinus from 58 to 62 . He was probably attached to the " Legio II Augusta " , but was chosen to serve on Suetonius ' s staff and thus almost certainly participated in the suppression of Boudica ' s uprising in 61 . Returning from Britain to Rome in 62 , he married Domitia Decidiana , a woman of noble birth . Their first child was a son . Agricola was appointed as " quaestor " for 64 , which he served in the province of Asia under the corrupt proconsul Lucius Salvius Otho Titianus . While he was there , his daughter , Julia Agricola , was born , but his son died shortly afterwards . He was tribune of the plebs in 66 and " praetor " on June 68 , during which time he was ordered by the Governor of Spain Galba to take an inventory of the temple treasures . In June 68 , the emperor Nero was deposed and committed suicide , and the period of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors began . Galba succeeded Nero , but was murdered in early 69 by Otho , who took the throne . Agricola ' s mother was murdered on her estate in Liguria by Otho ' s marauding fleet . Hearing of Vespasian ' s bid for the empire , Agricola immediately gave him his support . Otho meanwhile committed suicide after being defeated by Vitellius . After Vespasian had established himself as emperor , Agricola was appointed to the command of the " Legio XX Valeria Victrix " , stationed in Britain , in place of Marcus Roscius Coelius , who had stirred up a mutiny against the governor , Marcus Vettius Bolanus . Britain had suffered revolt during the year of civil war , and Bolanus was a mild governor . Agricola reimposed discipline on the legion and helped to consolidate Roman rule . In 71 , Bolanus was replaced by a more aggressive governor , Quintus Petillius Cerialis , and Agricola was able to display his talents as a commander in campaigns against the Brigantes in northern England . When his command ended in 73 , Agricola was enrolled as a patrician and appointed to govern Gallia Aquitania . There he stayed for almost three years . In 76 or 77 , he was recalled to Rome and appointed suffect consul , and betrothed his daughter to Tacitus . The following year , Tacitus and Julia married ; Agricola was appointed to the College of Pontiffs , and returned to Britain for a third time , as its governor . Governor of Britain . Arriving in midsummer of 77 , Agricola found the Ordovices of north Wales had virtually destroyed the Roman cavalry stationed in their territory . He immediately moved against them and defeated them . He then moved north to the island of Mona ( Anglesey ) , which Suetonius Paulinus had failed to subjugate in 60 because of the outbreak of the Boudican rebellion , and forced its inhabitants to sue for peace . He established a good reputation as an administrator , as well as a commander , by reforming the widely corrupt corn levy . He introduced Romanising measures , encouraging communities to build towns on the Roman model and educating the sons of the native nobility in the Roman manner . He also expanded Roman rule north into Caledonia ( modern Scotland ) . In the summer of 79 , he pushed his armies to the estuary of the river Taus , usually interpreted as the Firth of Tay , virtually unchallenged , and established some forts . Though their location is left unspecified , the close dating of the fort at Elginhaugh in Midlothian makes it a possible candidate . Agricola in Ireland ? In 81 , Agricola " crossed in the first ship " and defeated peoples unknown to the Romans until then . Tacitus , in Chapter 24 of " Agricola " , does not tell us what body of water he crossed , although most scholars believe it was the Clyde or Forth , and some translators even add the name of their preferred river to the text ; however , the rest of the chapter exclusively concerns Ireland , so southwest Scotland is perhaps to be preferred . The text of the " Agricola " has been emended here to record the Romans " crossing into trackless wastes " , referring to the wilds of the Galloway peninsula . Agricola fortified the coast facing Ireland , and Tacitus recalls that his father - in - law often claimed the island could be conquered with a single legion and auxiliaries . 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 the crossing referred to was in fact a small - scale exploratory or punitive expedition to Ireland , though no Roman camps have been identified to confirm such a suggestion . Irish legend provides a striking parallel . Tuathal Teachtmhar , a legendary High King , is said to have been exiled from Ireland as a boy , and to have returned from Britain at the head of an army to claim the throne . The traditional date of his return is 76 – 80 , and archaeology has found Roman or Romano - British artefacts in several sites associated with Tuathal . The invasion of Caledonia ( Scotland ) . The following year , Agricola raised a fleet and encircled the tribes beyond the Forth , and the Caledonians rose in great numbers against him . They attacked the camp of the " Legio IX Hispana " at night , but Agricola sent in his cavalry and they were put to flight . The Romans responded by pushing further north . Another son was born to Agricola this year , but he died before his first birthday . In the summer of 83 , Agricola faced the massed armies of the Caledonians , led by Calgacus , at the Battle of Mons Graupius . Tacitus estimates their numbers at more than 30 , 000 . Agricola put his auxiliaries in the front line , keeping the legions in reserve , and relied on close - quarters fighting to make the Caledonians ' unpointed slashing swords useless . Even though the Caledonians were put to rout and therefore lost this battle , two thirds of their army managed to escape and hide in the Scottish Highlands or the " trackless wilds " as Tacitus calls them . Battle casualties were estimated by Tacitus to be about 10 , 000 on the Caledonian side and 360 on the Roman side . A number of authors have reckoned the battle to have occurred in the Grampian Mounth within sight of the North Sea . In particular , Roy , Surenne , Watt , Hogan and others have advanced notions that the site of the battle may have been Kempstone Hill , Megray Hill or other knolls near the Raedykes Roman camp . In addition , these points of high ground are proximate to the Elsick Mounth , an ancient trackway used by Romans and Caledonians for military maneuvers . Satisfied with his victory , Agricola extracted hostages from the Caledonian tribes . He may have marched his army to the northern coast of Britain , as evidenced by the probable discovery of a Roman fort at Cawdor ( near Inverness ) . He also instructed the prefect of the fleet to sail around the north coast , confirming for the first time that Britain was in fact an island . Later years . Agricola was recalled from Britain in 85 , after an unusually long tenure as governor . Tacitus claims Domitian ordered his recall because Agricola ' s successes outshone the Emperor ' s own modest victories in Germany . The relationship between Agricola and the Emperor is unclear ; on the one hand , Agricola was awarded triumphal decorations and a statue ( the highest military honours apart from an actual triumph ) ; 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 , whether due to ill health or ( as Tacitus claims ) the machinations of Domitian . In 93 , Agricola died on his family estates in Gallia Narbonensis aged fifty - three . Rumours circulated attributing the death to a poison administered by the Emperor Domitian , but no positive evidence for this was ever produced .