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Perhaps Prasutagus had been aware of Roman eyes hungrily looking towards his kingdom, perhaps he wanted to ensure the safety of his wife and daughters. That leader was Boudicca, and her rebellion won her a prominent position in English history. The Iceni had a choice: give in to the Roman yoke, or resist behind the new Iceni leader. The alliance was annulled and the lands claimed as part of Roman governed Britain. The Romans saw the opportunity to claim valuable land. They had lived in alliance with the Romans until the death of their leader Prasutagus in AD 60. The Iceni were based to the North of Camulodunum, in modern Norfolk. By 60 AD the Romans had invaded Anglesey, an island just off North Western Wales. The native resistance was not strong enough and Claudius was able to join his general to personally lead the procession into the city.įrom that point onwards each year saw a gradual opportunistic expansion further and further into Britain, as more Roman forces arrived and as tribes weakened against them. Four legions, including terrifying war elephants (so Cassius Dio says) headed for the Catuvellauni capital of Camulodunum (modern Colchester), skirmishing with the Catuvellauni on the way. The troops who travelled into Britain under Roman colours needed to be brave, for they were travelling to the very edges of ‘the world’ as they perceived it. The story of how she sacked three Roman cities in Britain is uncovered, and how she fell at the Battle of Watling Street.
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CELTIC BATTLE AXE SERIES
But who was Boudicca? The latest video in the Ancient World in London series looks at how her name is often misspelt, how her bloodthirsty rage was caused by the death of her husband and raping of her daughters and how the Romans beat her to within an inch of her life. The Romans hated her, the Celts fought for her and now she is immortalised with a statue in Westminster. Verica, the Atrebati Prince, gave Claudius cause to invade when he fled to Rome after Catuvellauni invasion of his lands. The Atrebates on the other hand enjoyed the benefits of ties to Rome, not least because they saw the advantage of ties to Rome for their rivalry with the Catuvellauni. The Catuvellauni rulers were descended from the leaders who had fought against Julius Caesar and had a tradition of resisting Roman influence. At that time there were two dominant tribal peoples, the Catuvellauni, north of the Thames and the Atrebates, south of it. Claudius, emperor from 41 to 54 AD, sent his general Aulus Plautius to deal with attacks on the Roman clients within Britain. It took almost a hundred years before another emperor decided to have a bash at a more complete conquest. Both were aborted due to trouble in Gaul, but not before Caesar had established some client states on the British mainland. However, neither of these were made with much conviction. The first attempts were made by Julius Caesar in 55 and 54 BC. The conquest of Britain was a piecemeal and gradual process over the course of many years. At its north-western corner was Gaul, and beyond that the wild and untamed expanse of Britain, which Rome would never succeed in fully mastering. In the middle of the first century AD Rome had swallowed up territory from North Africa to the Near East, from Spain to Romania. How did this woman from almost two millenia ago cement her place in British history? What did she do to warrant a statue in Westminster, just metres from the likes of Churchill, Cromwell and Richard the Lionheart? Gradual Conquest I want to look at who she was and why she rebelled, and ask what her legacy really was. Boudicca led a rebellion which, literally and metaphorically, set Roman Britain ablaze, but in doing so guaranteed the destruction of her people and their way of life.
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Those who succeeded were few and far between. The logistical capability and military precision of the Empire meant that resistance to Roman dominance was in the most part futile. Hopelessly outmatched in so many ways, they represented tradition, their religions and some would say freedom against foreign oppressors. Called Boadicea, Boudicca or Boudica, she has a legendary status, like Vercingetorix in Gaul, as one of the leaders of the old world who fought with courage against Rome. Ask any English person who led ‘us’ in the fight against Rome and they will tell you about a woman whose fame outweighs her achievements. The warrior Queen, the avenging mother, the woman scorned.