I want to present Boudica(aka, Boudicca',Boadicea,more spellings) the Queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe, wife of Prasutagus(which recent evidence shows
may not be his name but it's what is known). She lead to uprising against the Roman Empire. Her location being East England, which is now Norfolk
and Suffolk.
Not much is know of who she was, her origins, and more. Though she was born into aristocracy around the year 30 A.D. Her name was perhaps based off
of the Celtic Goddess of Victory.
During the Roman invasion of Britain they forced Celtic tribes to submit to their ways. They allowed only two Celtic kings to retain traditional
power. One was Prasutagus.
During AD 60(or 61) the chosen governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, of the island of Mona(North Wales) which was a refuge place for druids and British
rebels, decided to lead a campaign against the people. The people revolted with Queen Boudica as chosen as the leader of the revolt.
It was said that their model against the Romans was inspired by Arminius, the prince of the Cherusci. They had driven the Romans out of Germany in 9
A.D.. Other significant influence came from their own ancestors who had stopped Julius Ceaser from occupying Northern Britain.
Boudicca's final speech to her army has been verbally passed down as such: "But now, it is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as
one of the people that I am avenging lost freedom, my scourged , and marked body, the outraged chastity of my daughters. Roman lust has gone so far
that not our very person, nor even age or virginity, are left unpolluted. But heaven is on the side of a righteous vengeance; a legion which dared to
fight has perished; the rest are hiding themselves in their camp, or are thinking anxiously of flight. They will not sustain even the din and the
shout of so many thousands, much less our charge and our blows. If you weigh well the strength of the armies, and the causes of the war, you will see
that in this battle you must conquer or die. This is a woman's resolve; as for men, they may live and be slaves, and captive.
Source
Boudica's army destroyed the Roman Ninth Legion and the capital of Roman Britain, From there destroyed London and Verulamium-St Albans.
Many lost their lives... She suffered the torture and loss of her daughters. Which some say caused her demise, in a sense.
It is said that she poisoned herself to avoid capture from the Roman army that defeated her and the uprising.
The true site of the battle mentioned as well as information of her death, remains unknown.
Here is a brief history in video form:
(first image from video)
As there's lots to read, study and watch about her.
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/2cef0b7eddf8.jpg[/atsimg]
The statue, is located in Westminster, London.
Queen Boudica has always facinated me ever since I read The wolf Of Masada by John Fredman. Good book, it is fictional but focuses on factual events,
it recounts her history as a leader and her family.
I haven't looked into it for many years but the accepted version at one time was that the uprising was caused by the rape and abuse (referenced
apparently as a 'scourging' in her speech), of her and her daughters after her husbands death rather than after any uprising. The involvement of the
Welsh tribes is unknown to me. Interesting.
edit on 10/7/11 by goldentorch because: (no reason given)
I had heard she would have actually won the war and booted the Romans out of Britain but when they beat the first army instead of continuing on and
attacking the 2nd army her soldiers starting looting, lost the advantage and were slaughtered.