Queen Boudicca by Knight-Grandmaster de Paul

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

We know the history of Boudicca through two writers: Tacitus,
in "Agricola" (98 CE) and "The Annals" (109 CE), and Dio, in "The
Rebellion of Boudicca" (about 163 CE).

About Boudicca:
Boudicca was the wife of Prasutagus, who was head of the Iceni tribe
in East England, in what is now Norfolk and Suffolk.

In 43 CE, the Romans invaded Britain, and most of the Celtic tribes
were forced to submit. However, the Romans allowed two Celtic kings
to retain some of their traditional power; one was Prasutagus.

The Roman occupation brought increased Roman settlement, military
presence, and attempts to suppress Celtic religious culture. There
were major economic changes, including heavy taxes and money
lending.

In 47 CE the Romans forced the Ireni to disarm, creating resentment.
Prasutagus had been given a grant by the Romans, but the Romans then
redefined this as a loan. When Prasutagus died in 60 CE, he left
half his kingdom to the Emperor Nero to settle this debt.

The Romans arrived to collect, but instead of settling for half the
kingdom, seized control of it. To humiliate the former rulers, the
Romans beat Boudicca publicly, raped their two daughters, seized the
wealth of many Iceni and sold much of the royal family into slavery.

The Roman governor Suetonius turned his attention to attacking
Wales, taking two-thirds of the Roman military in Britain. Boudicca
meanwhile met with the leaders of the Iceni, Trinovanti, Cornovii,
Durotiges, and other tribes, who also had grievances against the
Romans including grants that had been redefined as loans. They
planned to revolt and drive out the Romans.

Led by Boudicca, about 100,000 British attacked Camulodunum (now
Colchester), where the Roans had their main center of rule. With
Suetonius and most of the Roman forces away, Camulodunum was not
well-defended, and the Romans were drive out. he Procurator Decianus
was forced to flee. Boudicca's army burned Camulodunum to the
ground; only the Roman temple was left.

Immediately Boudicca's army turned to the largest city in the
British Isles, Londinium (London). Suetonius strategically abandoned
the city, and Boudicca's army burned Londinium and massacred the
25,000 inhabitants who had not fled. Archaeological evidence of a
layer of burned ash shows the extent of the destruction.

Next, Boudicca and her army marched on Verulamium (St. Albans), a
city largely populated by Britons who had cooperated with the
Romans, and they were killed as the city was destroyed.

Boudicca's army had counted on seizing Roman food stores when the
tribes abandoned their own fields to wage rebellion, but Suetonius
had strategically seen to the burning of the Roman stores. Famine
thus struck the victorious army, weakening them.

Boudicca fought one more battle, though its precise location is not
sure. Boudicca's army attacked uphill, and, exhausted, hungry, was
easy for the Romans to rout. Roman troops of 1,200 defeated
Boudicca's army of 100,000, killing 80,000 to their own loss of 400.

What happened to Boudicca is uncertain. It is said she returned to
her home territory and took poison to avoid Roman capture.

A result of the rebellion was that the Romans strengthened their
military presence in Britain and also lessened the oppressiveness of
their rule.

Boudicca's story was nearly forgotten until Tacitus' work, Annals,
was rediscovered in 1360. Her story became popular during the reign
of another English queen who headed an army against foreign
invasion, Queen Elizabeth I.