Timeline; Life Events
In order to understand the legacy that Boudicca left behind we must first look into the key events that took place in her lifetime and how she responded to them.
The build up that would lead to Boudicca’s rebellion began in 55-54 BC, when Roman general Julius Caesar stepped foot in Britain and the Roman invasion began. The native British tribes first reaction to the Romans was one of a resistant nature, with the Iceni refusing to participate in Roman trade due to fear of losing their culture. Little did they know it would soon be stripped from them.
In 43 AC things quickly began to escalate as Roman emperor Claudius sent a large Army with instruction to take over southern Britain. Several Britannic tribes submitted to the Romans, with the Romans strong military stationed all over Britain, what choice did they have… King Prasutagus, King of the Iceni tried to establish diplomatic relations with the Romans by getting involved in a treaty. At this point they must have realized that, whether they liked it or not, the Romans were going to be a part of their lives and they had to come sort of an agreement to avoid conflict. If the Iceni wanted a war they would have acted with violence from their very first encounter with the Romans.
Over time, the Romans continued tightening their hold on the natives and order all southern Britain tribes to give up their weapons. Not liking the sound of this, the Iceni form a small revolt but are defeated before it is able to get out of hand. King Prasutagus compromises his tribe by signing them up as a ‘client kingdom’ under Roman rule. This means that the Romans will grant them some independence as long as they cooperate, in other words they are allowed little to no power but the Romans will refrain from annihilating them. The Romans are clearly the hierarchy.
The Romans make it their project to build themselves a principal town in Britannia. They call this town Camulodunum, now Colchester. It comes to represent their colonization and is completed by 53 AC. The year after it is built Emperor Claudius is poisoned and his adopted son Nero succeeds him. This brings about a new level of chaos for the Brits as Nero declares his uncle a god and has a temple and statue erected in his name at Camulodunum. The native Brits now not only have to worship Claudius, who disregarded their existence, as a god once a year but also submit taxes to help fund the new building. As if invading and occupying their land wasn’t bad enough, the Romans also demanded that the native Brits repay any money they had loaned or given to the tribes, even if the tribes hadn’t asked for it. Dio reports that severe measures were used in extracting repayments.
54-58AC, more fuel is fed to the flame that is the Brits resentment for the Romans when their people in the lands surrounding Camulodunum are forced out to make room for retired Roman soldiers. Gaius Seutonius Paulinus, who has had an extended and successful military career, takes over as Roman governor of Britain under the instruction to pretty much destroy all who appose the Roman law. Roman Dictatorship (“Rotatorship”) is now complete, with the oppression of the Brits continuing day by day. Dio Cassius wrote in Agricola, how “even the barbarians now learnt to excuse many attractive vices, and the occurrence of the civil war gave a good pretext for inaction. But we were sorely troubled with mutiny, as troops habituated to service grew demoralized by idleness” (Internet History Sourcebooks; Tacitus, 1999). In other words, purely out of Boredom and lack of care the Romans conducted horrible behavior towards the Brits and no one objected.
In order to understand the legacy that Boudicca left behind we must first look into the key events that took place in her lifetime and how she responded to them.
The build up that would lead to Boudicca’s rebellion began in 55-54 BC, when Roman general Julius Caesar stepped foot in Britain and the Roman invasion began. The native British tribes first reaction to the Romans was one of a resistant nature, with the Iceni refusing to participate in Roman trade due to fear of losing their culture. Little did they know it would soon be stripped from them.
In 43 AC things quickly began to escalate as Roman emperor Claudius sent a large Army with instruction to take over southern Britain. Several Britannic tribes submitted to the Romans, with the Romans strong military stationed all over Britain, what choice did they have… King Prasutagus, King of the Iceni tried to establish diplomatic relations with the Romans by getting involved in a treaty. At this point they must have realized that, whether they liked it or not, the Romans were going to be a part of their lives and they had to come sort of an agreement to avoid conflict. If the Iceni wanted a war they would have acted with violence from their very first encounter with the Romans.
Over time, the Romans continued tightening their hold on the natives and order all southern Britain tribes to give up their weapons. Not liking the sound of this, the Iceni form a small revolt but are defeated before it is able to get out of hand. King Prasutagus compromises his tribe by signing them up as a ‘client kingdom’ under Roman rule. This means that the Romans will grant them some independence as long as they cooperate, in other words they are allowed little to no power but the Romans will refrain from annihilating them. The Romans are clearly the hierarchy.
The Romans make it their project to build themselves a principal town in Britannia. They call this town Camulodunum, now Colchester. It comes to represent their colonization and is completed by 53 AC. The year after it is built Emperor Claudius is poisoned and his adopted son Nero succeeds him. This brings about a new level of chaos for the Brits as Nero declares his uncle a god and has a temple and statue erected in his name at Camulodunum. The native Brits now not only have to worship Claudius, who disregarded their existence, as a god once a year but also submit taxes to help fund the new building. As if invading and occupying their land wasn’t bad enough, the Romans also demanded that the native Brits repay any money they had loaned or given to the tribes, even if the tribes hadn’t asked for it. Dio reports that severe measures were used in extracting repayments.
54-58AC, more fuel is fed to the flame that is the Brits resentment for the Romans when their people in the lands surrounding Camulodunum are forced out to make room for retired Roman soldiers. Gaius Seutonius Paulinus, who has had an extended and successful military career, takes over as Roman governor of Britain under the instruction to pretty much destroy all who appose the Roman law. Roman Dictatorship (“Rotatorship”) is now complete, with the oppression of the Brits continuing day by day. Dio Cassius wrote in Agricola, how “even the barbarians now learnt to excuse many attractive vices, and the occurrence of the civil war gave a good pretext for inaction. But we were sorely troubled with mutiny, as troops habituated to service grew demoralized by idleness” (Internet History Sourcebooks; Tacitus, 1999). In other words, purely out of Boredom and lack of care the Romans conducted horrible behavior towards the Brits and no one objected.
It is between 60-61 AD that our interest, Boudicca, comes into the story. In these crucial years a certain chain of events leading to the eventual rebellion manifest.
The first link in the chain of events occurs when a campaign the Brits see as sacrilegious and the Romans see as progress is carried out by Suetonius Paulinus against the Island of Mona in North Wales. This was the refuge for British rebels and contained sites holy to the Celts. The Romans cut down the sacred groves that Tacitus reported as being “a Celtic religious practice to drench their altars in the blood of prisoners and consult their gods by means of human entrails.” Giving us insight into what historians confirm was the use of human sacrifice by the Celts, which would normally involve valued items like jewelry and weapons being deposited into special wells and lakes, rather than humans. It also, however, gives us insight into some savage behavior by the Romans. One would ask who the real savage is here? We know for a fact that the Romans had organized murder in the gladiatorial games, that was certainly human sacrifice. News of the destruction of the druidic center and sacred groves, as well as the slaughter of the druids would have been very saddening and insulting to Boudicca and her people, their patience withering down to a spec.
The last straw for the Iceni is when King Prasutagus died unexpectedly. He left a will incompatible with Roman law. Ben Thompson, who has a degree in History and is the author of the ‘Badass’ book collection and website on historical figures, refers to this will as “the most tragically-misunderstood will in the history of last wills and testaments” (Ben Thompson, 2012), and he couldn’t be more correct. It stated that his wealth and land be split between Nero and his daughters. Bearing in mind that Nero is said to have “fiddled while Rome burned” and had little care for Roman civilization, least of all the Iceni (A+E Television Networks, 2013). Roman Law cancelled out the Iceni right to choose their next leader and put the property and estates of late King Prasutagus into Nero’s villainous hands. The prestigious British Museum states how “emperor Nero is mostly remembered as the tyrannical emperor.” It’s no secret that Nero was mad, gluttonous and obese (British museum, 2009), but he was not just greedy when it came to food, but also claiming Celtic heritage land that did not belong to him.
Boudicca immediately leapt up to reign as Queen. All of the Iceni regarded her in the highest respect and chose her in spite of the Roman laws being forced upon them.
Note: it was normal for women hold prominent roles in political, religious and artistic life, including positions of prestige and power in Celtic tribes. They could own land, choose a spouse and opt for divorce.
Just when you think the Iceni couldn’t get in any more crap, they did! Roman Procurator (tax collector) by the name of Decianus Catus, who decided that Prasutagus’ will was invalid and that al his lands and goods should go to the emperor started cracking down on the Iceni and taking lands by force.
(WordInfo Image, 2005)
The first link in the chain of events occurs when a campaign the Brits see as sacrilegious and the Romans see as progress is carried out by Suetonius Paulinus against the Island of Mona in North Wales. This was the refuge for British rebels and contained sites holy to the Celts. The Romans cut down the sacred groves that Tacitus reported as being “a Celtic religious practice to drench their altars in the blood of prisoners and consult their gods by means of human entrails.” Giving us insight into what historians confirm was the use of human sacrifice by the Celts, which would normally involve valued items like jewelry and weapons being deposited into special wells and lakes, rather than humans. It also, however, gives us insight into some savage behavior by the Romans. One would ask who the real savage is here? We know for a fact that the Romans had organized murder in the gladiatorial games, that was certainly human sacrifice. News of the destruction of the druidic center and sacred groves, as well as the slaughter of the druids would have been very saddening and insulting to Boudicca and her people, their patience withering down to a spec.
The last straw for the Iceni is when King Prasutagus died unexpectedly. He left a will incompatible with Roman law. Ben Thompson, who has a degree in History and is the author of the ‘Badass’ book collection and website on historical figures, refers to this will as “the most tragically-misunderstood will in the history of last wills and testaments” (Ben Thompson, 2012), and he couldn’t be more correct. It stated that his wealth and land be split between Nero and his daughters. Bearing in mind that Nero is said to have “fiddled while Rome burned” and had little care for Roman civilization, least of all the Iceni (A+E Television Networks, 2013). Roman Law cancelled out the Iceni right to choose their next leader and put the property and estates of late King Prasutagus into Nero’s villainous hands. The prestigious British Museum states how “emperor Nero is mostly remembered as the tyrannical emperor.” It’s no secret that Nero was mad, gluttonous and obese (British museum, 2009), but he was not just greedy when it came to food, but also claiming Celtic heritage land that did not belong to him.
Boudicca immediately leapt up to reign as Queen. All of the Iceni regarded her in the highest respect and chose her in spite of the Roman laws being forced upon them.
Note: it was normal for women hold prominent roles in political, religious and artistic life, including positions of prestige and power in Celtic tribes. They could own land, choose a spouse and opt for divorce.
Just when you think the Iceni couldn’t get in any more crap, they did! Roman Procurator (tax collector) by the name of Decianus Catus, who decided that Prasutagus’ will was invalid and that al his lands and goods should go to the emperor started cracking down on the Iceni and taking lands by force.
Boudicca, not one to sit back and be taken advantage of, spoke up against the land, buildings and goods, half that rightfully belonged to her daughters, being stripped away. This protest cost her greatly, with Decianus having her publicly whipped, and worse yet her daughters beaten and raped in front of her. That would break any mothers heart and instill her with cold-hearted rage. What Decianus didn’t realize is that he just gave this strong woman the final grounds to unleash the warrior within! Hell hath no fury like a woman’s rage… This was the turning point in Boudicca’s life, a personal attack that was a match to the flame that is this mothers rage. Boudicca is so done!
What the Romans thought would scare the Brits into silence only enraged them. “We thus have here three main causes of the Revolt” G. Webster concludes in his 1978 biography of Boudicca, Boudica: The British Revolt Against Rome AD 60, “the appropriation of lands and brutal behaviour of the colonists towards the Trinovantes, the building of the temple and, the final straw, the seizure of the royal properties of the Iceni, and the violence and shameful acts against Boudicca and her daughters.” Angry tribes, including their neighboring tribe the Trinovantes, get together with the Iceni. These tribes rage has been building up and they are ready to unleash it upon the Romans. Together they plan a full-scale rebellion. As justified in the historical education textbook titled Power, “Rome’s increasing financial exploitation of the tribes and land appropriation are now believed to have been motivating factors in the uprising.” It’s no wonder the situation escalated.
What the Romans thought would scare the Brits into silence only enraged them. “We thus have here three main causes of the Revolt” G. Webster concludes in his 1978 biography of Boudicca, Boudica: The British Revolt Against Rome AD 60, “the appropriation of lands and brutal behaviour of the colonists towards the Trinovantes, the building of the temple and, the final straw, the seizure of the royal properties of the Iceni, and the violence and shameful acts against Boudicca and her daughters.” Angry tribes, including their neighboring tribe the Trinovantes, get together with the Iceni. These tribes rage has been building up and they are ready to unleash it upon the Romans. Together they plan a full-scale rebellion. As justified in the historical education textbook titled Power, “Rome’s increasing financial exploitation of the tribes and land appropriation are now believed to have been motivating factors in the uprising.” It’s no wonder the situation escalated.
Brit tribes set their first target as the very place that symbolized the Romans settlement, Camulodunum (now Colchester). The town is not well defended, and home to retired Roman military personnel who plead for reinforcements when they hear of Boudicca’s army of 100,000 marching towards them. Decianus only sends 200 men to their defense, hugely underestimating the power of the Brits (Isha Bassi, 2013). Doubting Boudicca. Many soldiers retreat to stronghold of temple Claudius as Boudicca’s army falls upon the town, burning it to the ground and massacring its 25,000 inhabitants (Jone Johnson Lewis, 2013). They lay siege to the temple, lasting two days before it is completely overwhelmed by the Britons. The Roman Ninth Legion is sent out to relieve the siege of Camulodunum but is severely cut down by Boudicca’s army before they get the chance and the surviving members retreat.
Word of the uprising reaches Seutonius, who summons troops from north Wales to Londinium (now London), at the time harboring 25,000. Seutonius figures that the town is too difficult to defend against the Brits and leaves it along with those he felt didn’t qualify to enter his army. These rejected Romans are slain by the Brits who burn the town to the ground. Dio writes how “they hung up naked the noblest and most distinguished women and then cut off their breasts and sewed them to their mouths… afterwards they impaled the women on sharp skewers run lengthwise through the entire body.” After this savage attack, Boudicca then turns her sights on Verulamium (St Albans).
Many of the Verulamium residents flee for their lives after finding out about the destruction of Londinium and Camulodunum. Anyone that stays behind is massacred and the town is brought down. Boudicca’s confidence builds as victory after victory leaves her feeling invincible.
The final blow took place in 61 CE, but this time Boudicca does not succeed in her quest for revenge. Seutonius find an area in the midlands that is on a hillside and backed by a forest, with no risk of a surprise attack. Boudicca’s forces march to meet him, bringing a large number of carts and wagons containing supplies, women and even children to see what they believe will be yet another win. They set up a camp opposite Seutonius’ forces and Boudicca delivers her final motivational speech to her Army, like any great leader would. Tacitus records this speed in his Annals, “…Consider how many of you are fighting – and why! Then you will win this battle, or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do! – let the men live in slavery if they will.” Her courageous speech shows just how little fear she allowed her enemies to instill upon her – none! She was a ruthless, determined, confident woman on a mission. “Boudicca rode in a chariot with her daughters before her, and as she approached each tribe, she declared that the Britons were accustomed to engage in warfare under leadership of women,” it is likely that she brought her daughters with her as a pillar of strength and a symbol of the wrongs that the Romans had committed against her, as well as her daughters being who she was fighting for. The Romans had “left nothing undefiled, not even the bodies of the old and those of young girls,” Boudicca certainly didn’t plan to go down without a fight, she was proud and she was woman (Tacitus, Annals, XXXV). But alas, her speech is not enough to change the Brits fate. Britons ride into battle and at the end of the day, they realize they are fighting a losing battle. They attempt to flee but are caught by Romans as they attempt to struggle past the wagons and carts. The Romans return a lack of mercy that the Brits showed for their people in the burning of the three towns; even the women and children are murdered. By the end, battle stats from Dio Cassius, corroborated by a range of recent (2013) sources including Jone Johnson Lewis and Isha Bassi, estimate a total of 1,200 Roman troops were responsible for the deaths of 80,000 of the Celtic army, to their own loss of 400. A list of historically credible online sources such as Histories Heroes (2013), Fantastic Facts About the Ancient World (2000) along with the Military History Magazine (2006) all support the possibility that Suetonius’ tactical burning of Roman stores Boudicca’s army was relying on for food caused a famine that weakened her army enough to suffer such great loss (History’s Heroes, 2013). The exact place of this final battle is unknown, but historians suspect site in West Midlands, along Roman road known as Watling Street (Isha Bassi, 2013). The Romans had superior equipment, while the British forces were hungry, exhausted and facing an uphill battle. This all proved to be a great disadvantage.
The details surrounding Boudicca’s demise are unknown, however, it is suspected that she and her daughters drank poison such as “Hemlock” to avoid imprisonment by the Romans (Dio Cassus), or that she died of grave battle wounds (Tacitus). Overall, she killed around 70000 civilians in accordance to Dio Cassius and Tacitus writing, rushing to ‘cut throats, burn, and crucify.’ Boudicca definitely gave the Romans a run for their money and she would not be the last rebel to do this.
Word of the uprising reaches Seutonius, who summons troops from north Wales to Londinium (now London), at the time harboring 25,000. Seutonius figures that the town is too difficult to defend against the Brits and leaves it along with those he felt didn’t qualify to enter his army. These rejected Romans are slain by the Brits who burn the town to the ground. Dio writes how “they hung up naked the noblest and most distinguished women and then cut off their breasts and sewed them to their mouths… afterwards they impaled the women on sharp skewers run lengthwise through the entire body.” After this savage attack, Boudicca then turns her sights on Verulamium (St Albans).
Many of the Verulamium residents flee for their lives after finding out about the destruction of Londinium and Camulodunum. Anyone that stays behind is massacred and the town is brought down. Boudicca’s confidence builds as victory after victory leaves her feeling invincible.
The final blow took place in 61 CE, but this time Boudicca does not succeed in her quest for revenge. Seutonius find an area in the midlands that is on a hillside and backed by a forest, with no risk of a surprise attack. Boudicca’s forces march to meet him, bringing a large number of carts and wagons containing supplies, women and even children to see what they believe will be yet another win. They set up a camp opposite Seutonius’ forces and Boudicca delivers her final motivational speech to her Army, like any great leader would. Tacitus records this speed in his Annals, “…Consider how many of you are fighting – and why! Then you will win this battle, or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do! – let the men live in slavery if they will.” Her courageous speech shows just how little fear she allowed her enemies to instill upon her – none! She was a ruthless, determined, confident woman on a mission. “Boudicca rode in a chariot with her daughters before her, and as she approached each tribe, she declared that the Britons were accustomed to engage in warfare under leadership of women,” it is likely that she brought her daughters with her as a pillar of strength and a symbol of the wrongs that the Romans had committed against her, as well as her daughters being who she was fighting for. The Romans had “left nothing undefiled, not even the bodies of the old and those of young girls,” Boudicca certainly didn’t plan to go down without a fight, she was proud and she was woman (Tacitus, Annals, XXXV). But alas, her speech is not enough to change the Brits fate. Britons ride into battle and at the end of the day, they realize they are fighting a losing battle. They attempt to flee but are caught by Romans as they attempt to struggle past the wagons and carts. The Romans return a lack of mercy that the Brits showed for their people in the burning of the three towns; even the women and children are murdered. By the end, battle stats from Dio Cassius, corroborated by a range of recent (2013) sources including Jone Johnson Lewis and Isha Bassi, estimate a total of 1,200 Roman troops were responsible for the deaths of 80,000 of the Celtic army, to their own loss of 400. A list of historically credible online sources such as Histories Heroes (2013), Fantastic Facts About the Ancient World (2000) along with the Military History Magazine (2006) all support the possibility that Suetonius’ tactical burning of Roman stores Boudicca’s army was relying on for food caused a famine that weakened her army enough to suffer such great loss (History’s Heroes, 2013). The exact place of this final battle is unknown, but historians suspect site in West Midlands, along Roman road known as Watling Street (Isha Bassi, 2013). The Romans had superior equipment, while the British forces were hungry, exhausted and facing an uphill battle. This all proved to be a great disadvantage.
The details surrounding Boudicca’s demise are unknown, however, it is suspected that she and her daughters drank poison such as “Hemlock” to avoid imprisonment by the Romans (Dio Cassus), or that she died of grave battle wounds (Tacitus). Overall, she killed around 70000 civilians in accordance to Dio Cassius and Tacitus writing, rushing to ‘cut throats, burn, and crucify.’ Boudicca definitely gave the Romans a run for their money and she would not be the last rebel to do this.
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