The most prominent Celtic woman of ancient Britain was Boudica (ca30-62A.D.), whose reign lasted about three years. Her kingdom was located in East Anglia, currently known as Norfolk, England.
According to the Greek historian Dio Cassius, Boudica “was huge and frightening to look at with a mass of ginger hair that hung to her knees. Her voice was as harsh as her looks. She dressed in a multi-colored tunic with a thick cloak fastened by a brooch flung over it, and wore a heavy gold necklace".
Boudica’s husband was king Prasutagus, who died about 59 A.D., and left half of his kingdom to Nero, hoping this generous allocation would persuade him to permit Boudica and their two daughters to keep the other portion. However, Rome had other ideas.
About the Iceni Tribe
The Iceni were one of the wealthiest tribes in Britain and they were the only one to put their name on coinage. Some of their principal industries were selling ceramics, growing corn and raising livestock. Horses and the moon were especially sacred to the tribe as evidenced by the prolific amount of these images featured on their coins.
According to Gram Webster in his book, Boudica: The British Revolt Against Rome AD 60, the Iceni originated from two separate immigrations. The first was from Belgium and Holland, which occurred about 500 B.C.; the second took place about 450 B.C., with a group of aristocratic warriors from the Marne Valley, Gaul (France).
Boudica Declares War
After the death of Prasutagus, Catus Decianus, appointed imperial procurator over Britain, responded by proclaiming that the entire Iceni kingdom belonged to Nero. Roman soldiers then plundered the province, and when Boudica resisted, she was flogged and her daughters raped. Estates were confiscated and the people were treated like slaves. Secret meetings were held, and Boudica was chosen to lead the rebellion.
Roman historian Tacitus wrote that the Iceni and Trinovantes tribe, along with “others”, formed an estimated army of about 120,000 and prepared to attack Camulodunum, now Colchester.
Dio Cassius wrote that before Boudica began her campaign, she released a hare while petitioning Andraste, a Celtic goddess of battle. Although this expression was likely a religious ritural, it was also intended to make a statement to the Romans that she was planning to annihilate every Roman soldier, citizen and occupation supporter in Britain.
They proceeded to recapture Camulodunum, killing most of the inhabitants. The temple of Claudius and stature of the emperor were destroyed. When Petilius Cerealis, commander of the IX Roman Legion heard about the uprising, he gathered his forces and set out to intercept Boudica. However, while traveling on Ermine Street, Cerealis was ambushed and his army was cut to pieces by the Britons. Over 1,000 Roman legionaries were killed and Cerealis barely escaped with his cavalry.
Next, Boudica recaptured Londinium (London), and Verulamium (St. Albans). In both towns, the heads of her victims were thrown into the Thames and other water sites and their bodies were left to rot among the ruins. Roman women were impaled upright, had their breasts severed and stuffed into their mouths and multitudes were taken to groves sacred to Andraste and sacrificed.
To add insult to severity, Boudica crucified Romans and their supporters, which was the empire's method of executing individuals who committed the worst type of crimes. Tacitus wrote that after Boudica took back the towns, about 70,000 had been killed by her army. Excavations indicate that Boudica burnt down most of Londinium.
Boudica’s Last Campaign
The final battle occurred about 62 A.D., at a place believed to be near Fenny Stratford on Watling Street. It was here that Suetonius sent 10,000 of the most disciplined and experienced soldiers of the empire to stop her. A fierce engagement ensued, but the Britons did not prevail.
Ian Andrews, author of Boudica Against Rome, describes how this battle ended: “Drunk with success, Roman soldiers killed everything British that they came to: men, women, children and baggage animals. Corpses began to pile up: any effort at defense was useless”.
Tacitus claims that about 80,000 Britons were killed and only 400 Roman fatalities occurred, although neither of these accounts is credible.
Boudica's Death
There is some speculation about how Boudica died. Tacitus records that she committed suicide by poisoning herself; Dio states she fell ill and died. Considering that it is likely Dio was familiar with the writings of Tacitus and was prone to focus on historical details, it is notable that he did not mention suicide. Although both accounts may just be an author’s variation of the same story, the precise information about Boudica’s last few moments may never be known.
Aftermath
The Romans subsequently developed milder policies for managing the tribes, and the war with Boudica was the last major conflict Rome had with the Britons. After Boudica was defeated, the Iceni were placed in a Civitas capital called Venta Icenorum, located at Casiter St. Edmunds.
Sources:
• Andrews, Ian. (1991) Boudica Against Rome. Cambridge University Press.
• Cassius Dio. (1985) Roman History. Loeb Classical Library Edition, Vol. 8. Harvard University Press.
• Tacitus. (1971) The Annals of Imperial Rome. Penguin Classics.
• Webster, Graham. (1999) Boudica: The British Revolt Against Rome AD 60. London: Routledge.
Lewis Hales - Lewis Hales is a counselor, journalist and historian specializing in continental Celtic society, the insular Celts of ancient Britain and ...
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