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BOUDICCA

Boudicca Facts:
Known for: British Celtic warrior queen who led
a revolt against Roman occupation
Dates: ? - 61 CE
Also known as: Boudica, Boadicea, Boadacaea
Sources: 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).
Boudicca Biography:
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.
Boudicca's Army Attacks:
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 who were killed as the
city was destroyed.
Changing Fortunes:
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.

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