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==== Expansion of the Empire====

Despite his disabilities and his scholarly pursuits, Claudius was an aggressive Emperor. He did not heed Augustus advice not to expand the Empire and if possible to rule through client kings. Claudius clearly had a idea that the Empire should be highly centralised and that direct rule was the best option. This means that he launched a campaign to annex client kingdoms<ref>Levick, p119</ref>. In his reign her fully incorporated Mauretania, Judea, Noricum and Thrace into the Empire. This may have been motivated by the fact that these areas such as Thrace had become unstable and possibly could become a threat to stability. Claudius deposed many client-kings and imposed direct rule. This was sometimes achieved peacefully as in Judea but at other times military intervention was needed. This was the case in Thrace. In Mauretania, (northern Algeria and Morocco), the Romans had to fight a series of campaigns to conquer that kingdom <ref> Cassius Dio, History of Rome, LX, 18</ref>. The absorption of these areas ultimately led them to become Romanized and they greatly helped to strengthen the Empire’s frontiers. Claudius most ambitious campaign was the invasion of Britannia (modern England and Wales). It has been speculated that Claudius ordered the invasion in order to legitimize his rule. However, Britain was considered to be a wealthy land and it was believed that it was also providing safe refuge for Gallic rebels <ref>Suetonius, 38</ref>. Claudius was no doubt also motivated by the desire for personal glory which was very important in Ancient Rome. Perhaps the greatest achievement of Claudius was the annexation of Britannia, which became a Roman colony for almost 400 years. The British provinces, ultimately helped to strengthen the Empire, in the longer term, its mineral wealth greatly enriched Rome and it also provided many legionnaires for the Imperial army<ref>Levick, p 189</ref>. Unlike the later conquests of Trajan, the territories secured by Claudius made the Empire more cohesive and ultimately stronger.

====Claudius as a reformer====