Blood spilling, blood thirsty and barbaric? All of these terms have been used to describe BOUDICCA Queen of the Iceni. But who was she really? One thing is for certain- she was one of the bravest females that Britain has ever seen and a strong female role model. Let's read on find out more...
Who was she?
Simply put, Boudicca was a flame haired British Celtic Queen who rebelled against Roman rule. She was married to Prasutagus and had two daughters and lived between the years 25AD until her death in 61AD. She was initially on good terms with the Romans especially when her husband Prasutagus was still alive.
Boudicca lived in Norfolk- which was and still is part of East Anglia. Her husband had a good relationship with the Romans and had an agreement with them that when he died, the Romans would split Britain amongst themselves and Prasutagus' own family. He agreed to leave some of the property to the Roman Emperor Nero in order to secure Boudicca's future. In those days, Boudicca would have had no right to her husband's property once he died. It seems cruel to us now.
What did she achieve?
In 59BC, when her husband Prasutagus died, Emperor Nero (known for his blood thirsty, horrible ways) went back on his word and came to seize ALL of Boudicca's lands and property. The Romans even beat her up- and her daughters too.
Understandably, Boudicca was completely enraged and humiliated! She vowed to get revenge against the Romans for this injustice.
She joined forces with a neighbouring tribe known as the Trinovantes and together they went on a mass killing spree. Firstly, they attacked Colchester and destroyed the Claudius temple. They then attacked Londinium (London) and Verulamium (St Albans) and burnt them to the ground, killing everyone who lived there.
Only the military cunning and know-how of Paulinus could stop Boudicca and her army in the Battle of Watling Street. They had far superior training and weapons and beat Boudicca despite being massively outnumbered.
Historians say that in between 70,000 to 80,000 people were killed when Boudicca attacked London, St Albans and Colchester.
How did she die?
After the defeat in the Battle of Watling Street, Boudicca knew the Romans would kill her if they found her. Instead of waiting for the Romans to find her, Boudicca and her daughters poisoned themselves to death.
What can we learn from her?
Boudicca may have been one of Britain's first female leaders. One thing is for sure, she was definitely a strong female role model and we can learn that sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in.
Queen Victoria used to compare herself to Boudicca in that they were both strong female leaders. A statue of Boudicca stands on Westminster Bridge in London.
More information
You can watch a BBC video on Boudicca here
Comments
Post a Comment