Boudica (25 - 60 AD) was an ancient Briton warrior queen of the Iceni tribe who led a rebellion against the Roman occupation of Britain in the mid 1st Century AD.
Julius Caesar famously made two forays to the Island of Britain, in 55 and in 56 BC, but Rome did not conquer the island, that is, the southern half of it, until 43 AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius. The native inhabitants, the Celtic Britons, barbarians by Roman standards and perhaps by ours as well, submitted to conquest or made accommodations with the victorious Romans. One tribe, the Iceni, occupying what is now Norfolk in eastern England, were originally willing clients of the Romans and nominally independent. When, in 60 AD, their king, Prasutagus, died without a male heir, he designated the Roman Emperor Nero his co-heir. This, though, did not placate the Roman occupiers, who saw an opportunity to enrich themselves by making war on what now seemed a weakened country. Earlier, Seneca, a famous Roman philosopher and statesman, who was also a hugely wealthy money lender, had made loans to many Iceni nobles. These loans were now all called in without warning. The Iceni’s inability to immediately pay them was used as a pretext for war.
Probably unknown to the Roman governor of Britain, Gaius Seutonius Paulinus, who was campaigning in the west, groups of Roman soldiers plundered the lands of the Iceni. It is not known where they came from or who commanded them. Many might have been retired soldiers, veterans, who had settled in Britain and who regularly treated the natives with contempt. Roman historian Tacitus reported that Boudica, the widow of Prasutagus, and her daughters were flogged and that the daughters were raped as well. These offenses, along with the executions of nobles, and the wanton pillaging of the land precipitated a rebellion against Rome. (Tacitus who wrote in the early 2nd Century AD and Cassio Dio, who compiled a history of Rome a hundred years later, both report on the rebellion of the Iceni, although their accounts differ in the details).
The Iceni and some neighboring tribes joined forces to take military action against Rome. It was to be a quest for independence and revenge. And it was Boudica who was selected as their general. Apparently her prowess as a warrior, her leadership skills, her passion, and her persuasiveness as an orator swayed the Britons to choose her over a man. Tall with long red, or tawny hair she must have cut an intrepid, if not intimidating figure.
The Iceni-led force of Britons first attacked Camulodunum (Colchester), a poorly defended Roman town where many veterans lived. Despite reinforcements, the Romans were unable to hold out as the Britons completely destroyed the town and put to death all its inhabitants. A Roman legion, which would have consisted of at least 3000 men, was sent against the rebels, but it, too, was wiped out. The governor, Seutonius, hurried back with his forces to Londinium (London), a new, but thriving settlement where he hoped to make a stand against the rebels. His judgment, however, impelled him to abandon it. The Britons destroyed and desecrated not only Londinium, but nearby Verulamium (St. Albans), horribly putting to death the inhabitants in an appalling reign of terror. It is possible that as many as 80,000 people perished.
Seutonius, despite being unable to muster all the troops at his command, amassed a force of 10,000 men. The rebels may have had 20 or 30 times that number. Somewhere along the Watling Road, one of the paved roads the Romans were famous for, Seutonius, with a keen grasp of tactics, chose as his battlefield a narrow field with flanks protected by the walls of a gorge and the rear by a forest. Tacitus, who was as much a novelist as a historian, puts heroic speeches in the mouths of the generals before the battle. “It is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as one of the people that I am avenging lost freedom, my scourged body, the outraged chastity of my daughters,” says Boudica, while Seutonius reportedly exhorts his troops with “Ignore the racket made by these savages. There are more women in their ranks than men. They are not soldiers — they’re not even properly equipped. We’ve beaten them before and when they see our weapons and feel our spirit, they’ll crack.”
When the Britons charged into the field of battle, the Roman threw their javelins, cutting down many and rendering ineffectual the shields of others. The massed Roman infantry then engaged the ill-equipped Britons in close combat. With their armor and short swords they made mincemeat of the Briton warriors, who lacked the discipline and battle know how of the well trained Roman legionnaires. The Roman cavalry swept in to finish off the remaining combatants whose retreat was blocked by their own wagons. The Romans even massacred Briton families as their barbarous enemy had done. According to Tacitus, rumored losses were as many as 80,000 for the Britons and a mere 400 for the Romans. The numbers may not be accurate, but they reflect a resounding victory for Seutonius and the Romans, a disastrous end to the revolt of Boudica and the Britons. —- Boudica herself escaped death in battle, but soon died of illness, or poison — this still in 60 AD.
Nero was appalled by the revolt, even though it had been effectively put down. He even considered withdrawing from Britain, but the Romans would in fact remain there until the early 5th Century AD. Fearing further rebellions, however, the increasingly mad Nero replaced the hardline Seutonius with another man.
British interest in Boudica as a cultural icon began during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Poems and plays were written about her, statues made of her. Indeed, she became more a figure of legend and folklore than a historical personage; the woman who burned down the capital of London grew into a British national heroine. Even the less than fiercely martial Queen Victoria was identified with her.
A British television film Boudica (or Warrior Queen) starring Alex Kingston aired in 2003. An earlier, 1967 British film, inexplicable entitled The Viking Queen, is partly the story of Boudica, although the lead character, played by blonde Finnish model Carita (Järvinen), is called Salina.
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