IRON REGIMENT HISTORICAL ARCHIVE

The Regimental Record

Battlefield guides, campaign studies and the military systems behind the designs. Choose an era to enter the archive, then move directly from the history to the collection it inspired.

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Map of Roman campaigning in Britain, showing the province whose imperial rule ended around AD 410

When Did Roman Britain End? Why Roman Rule Coll...

When did Roman Britain end? AD 410 is the conventional answer, but Roman rule did not vanish in a single evacuation. This study follows the late-fourth-century troop withdrawals, imperial usurpers,...

Later historical painting of Caratacus before Emperor Claudius at Rome

Caratacus: The British Leader Who Resisted Rome

Was Caratacus the leader of a united British resistance, or a dynastic commander whose career survives almost entirely through Roman victory literature? This Iron Standard biography tests AD 43, western...

Map of the Roman conquest of Britain from AD 43 to 60, by Notuncurious via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Roman Britain AD 43: What Do We Actually Know A...

The Roman invasion of AD 43 survives without a contemporary campaign narrative. Test the familiar story against Cassius Dio, Richborough archaeology, the disputed landing site, the probable Medway battle, Claudius’s...

Bust of the Roman emperor Vespasian, who commanded troops during the invasion of Britain in AD 43

Vespasian: From Legionary Commander in Britain ...

Did Britain make Vespasian’s reputation, or did the later emperor’s dynasty magnify his early command? This Iron Standard biography tests the Medway, II Augusta’s south-western campaign, Suetonius’ conquest claims, Judaea...

Map of the Battle of the River Medway AD 43 during the Roman invasion of Britain

Battle of the Medway AD 43: How Rome Broke the ...

The Battle of the Medway was Rome’s first major river fight in the AD 43 invasion. Reconstruct the disputed battlefield, swimming auxiliary attack, Vespasian’s crossing, second-day fighting and the road...

Map of Roman campaigns in Britain from AD 43, used because no secure contemporary portrait of Aulus Plautius survives

Aulus Plautius: The General Who Led Rome into B...

Was Aulus Plautius merely the general who prepared Claudius’ British triumph, or the commander who turned a Channel crossing into a durable Roman province? This Iron Standard biography tests Dio,...

Marble portrait head of the Roman emperor Claudius from Gabii, now in the Louvre

Claudius: The Emperor Who Ordered the Roman Inv...

Was Claudius’ invasion of Britain primarily strategy, political theatre, or both? This Iron Standard biography separates the emperor who authorised and claimed the conquest from Plautius’ operational command, while testing...

Historical interpretive map of the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC

Plataea 479 BC: The Battle That Ended the Persi...

Was Plataea a planned Greek tactical victory, or a battle rescued from a confused withdrawal? This Iron Standard investigation tests Herodotus against terrain, cavalry pressure, water and supply, disputed numbers...

Nineteenth-century illustration of the death of Pausanias, the Spartan commander at Plataea

Pausanias: The Spartan Regent Who Won at Plataea

Was Pausanias, victor of Plataea, really a Persian collaborator—or did Sparta reinterpret dangerous overseas prestige as treason? This Iron Standard biography separates the secure 479 BC command from the later...

Nineteenth-century illustration of Athenian resistance to envoys sent by Mardonius

Mardonius: The Persian Commander Who Made His L...

Was Mardonius the reckless Persian war hawk of Greek victory literature, or a rational Achaemenid commander whose final judgement at Plataea proved catastrophic? This Iron Standard biography tests Herodotus against...

Sixteenth-century depiction of Caesar's siege of Alesia by Melchior Feselen

Alesia 52 BC: How Much of Caesar’s Perfect Sieg...

Caesar is both commander and principal narrator of Alesia, which makes the siege unusually testable and unusually dangerous to read uncritically. Archaeology strongly supports the Roman siege landscape at Alise-Sainte-Reine,...

Interpretive map of the Battle of Gergovia in 52 BC showing the plateau, Roman camps, connecting works and failed assault

Gergovia 52 BC: How Vercingetorix Defeated Caesar

Did Caesar lose at Gergovia because his soldiers disobeyed, or because his own operation created an uncontrollable tactical problem? This Iron Standard investigation tests Caesar’s self-authored explanation against the plateau,...