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Women Of Norfolk Boudica
Women Of Norfolk
Boudica (d. circa 60AD)
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There is little known about both Boudica’s time and place of birth, however, it is agreed upon that she would have been born somewhere in Norfolk.
The same could be said about her childhood. What is known about her comes from two texts, that we know of: the “Agricola” by the Roman historian Tacitus (c.56AD - c.120AD) and the epitome by Roman statesman and historian Cassius Dio (c.155AD - c.235AD).
It was recorded by Dio that Boudica was descendant of royalty and a tall beauty with tawny hair that hung below her waist, a piercing stare and a harsh voice. Within history, there have been many versions of her name, including ‘Boudica’, ‘Boudicca’, ‘Boadicea’ and the Welsh ‘Buddug’. In the Agricola, Tacitus refers to her by the name ‘Boudicca’.
Documentation of her life begins with her marriage to Prasutagus, who was the king of the Iceni (a branch of the Celtic tribes that inhabited Norfolk and parts of Suffolk). Boudica bore Prasutagus two daughters, whose names were never recorded. With her husband, Boudica ruled as an independent ally of Rome; which allowed the Iceni to enjoy a form of liberty not experienced by the other British tribes. However, this relationship dissolved on the death of Prasutagus, with the Romans
believing the Iceni’s land to be easy takings now their king was dead. In his will, he left leadership of the Iceni to his daughters, with only a small portion being given to the Roman emperor (as tribute) - the will was ignored by the Roman Empire.
Slowly the Roman Empire confiscated the Iceni lands and began to take back the money that was lent to them by the Procurator Decianus Catus - the very man that Tacitus openly blames for provoking Boudica into rebellion.
During this time, many Iceni were driven from their homes or made into slaves. Tacitus mentions that Boudica herself was captured flogged, while her daughters were taken by Roman soldiers and raped. The Romans, however, did not and could not foresee what was to come.
The Iceni retaliated and planned a revolt against the Roman Empire, with Boudica as their commander and leader - she was their battlehardened Queen, driven by the betrayal of the Roman Empire and the sufferings of not only her people and herself, but also of her daughters.
According to Cassius Dio, she used divination to rally the Iceni and surrounding local tribes to form a large army by releasing a hare from the folds of her robe and interpreted the direction in which it ran; symbolising her invoking the Goddess of Victory, Andraste.
Another Celtic tribe, the Trinovantes (who ruled over South Suffolk and Essex) came to join the Iceni. They too had been treated similarly, or perhaps worse, by the Romans and saw Boudica’s rebellion as their own chance for revenge. Boudica took command of this ever-growing militia and moved onto the Roman colony at Camulodunum (modern day Colchester), which was also the old capital of the Trinovantes tribe. At Camulodunum, the Romans suffered a major defeat by Boudica and her army. They were overwhelmed by the Britons with two hundred auxiliary troops being sent by Procurator Catus to defend the city. During the skirmish, the statue of Emperor Nero that had been erected in a temple within the city was beheaded and taken as a trophy by Boudica.
Any Romans that had remained in the city or the temple were killed. Decianus Catus managed to escape the city and eventually made his way to safety in Gaul (a region that encompassed present day France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland and parts of Italy and Germany). Reinforcements for the Roman army soon arrived and were led by the future Roman governor, Quintus Pelittius Cerialis, but they too found themselves routed by the Iceni, with Cerialis escaping with his life.
From Camulodunum, Boudica moved the army onto Londonium (present day London), which at the time was a fairly new settlement and had only just become a thriving centre of commerce.
Their momentum could not be stopped and the settlement was quickly abandoned, making it easy pickings for the rebels. As before, any Romans that had not managed to evacuate were tortured and/or killed - they had become unwilling to show any Romans mercy, those who surrendered were not taken as slaves or set free and were simply executed.
Following this victory Boudica aimed for Verulamium (modern day St. Albans), which again saw the Roman army defeated and the city destroyed.
During the sacking of Veralamium, the Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinos (who had led the evacuation of Londonium) regrouped the Roman forces not far from the city and
personally led a counter attack against Boudica and the Iceni. Before the battle with the Roman Governor Paulinos, Boudica made a speech to her men from her war chariot with her daughters standing behind her (this scene was immortalised in the form of a statue that faces Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster).
However, that day she received a devastating defeat at the hands of the Roman army, which would be the undoing of all that Boudica had achieved. The place of this major battle is still debated with many favouring the West Midlands. In 2009, it was believed that this battle was on the road back to East Anglia after taking the three major Roman settlements and had actually been in Hertfordshire.
However, in 2010 a new theory arose that the place of this decisive battle was located in Northamptonshire.
The death of Boudica has both Tacitus and Cassius Dio in disagreement. Tacitus reported that after the defeat she committed suicide, while Dio states that after the battle she fell ill and soon died and was given a lavish burial (appropriate for a Queen). Though it is believed that she died in circa 60AD. These two historians, however, do not mention the fate of her two daughters. This rebellion led by Boudica almost resulted in the Emperor Nero’s complete abandonment of Britain, with his statesmen needing to persuade him to believe it was not a lost cause.
Her name soon went into obscurity with two instances that interest in her and her rebellion saw her popularity rise.
The first was through Queen Elizabeth I when she liked herself to the posthumously named ‘Warrior Queen’, when she, like Boudica, had to defend Britain; Boudica against the Romans and Elizabeth against the Spanish. This led to the play “Bonduca” being written by Jacobean playwright John Fletcher, a dramatisation of Boudica’s life.
The second being Queen Victoria who also believed herself to be similar to the Queen of the Iceni.
This rise in popularity led to the commission of the statue “Boadicea and Her Daughters” by Thomas Thornycroft, on the encouragement of her husband Prince Albert.
The sculpture still stands in London and is the depiction of Boudica giving her rousing speech in a war chariot being flanked by her two daughters.
She has also been the subject of television, film, books and art; the most famous portrayal of Boudica being the 2003 television film “Boudica” (under the name “Warrior Queen” in the United States) staring Surrey-born actress Alex Kingston in the titular role.
Article By Luke Wells.
