The first woman to burn down London - Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, defeated over 70,000 Roman troops and almost drove Nero from Britain

adam_y, 10 months ago

The family seemed pretty cool with the Romans up until they took their money…

Boudica’s husband Prasutagus, with whom she had two daughters, ruled as a nominally independent ally of Rome. He left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and to the Roman emperor in his will. When he died, his will was ignored, and the kingdom was annexed and his property taken. According to the Roman historian Tacitus, Boudica was flogged and her daughters raped. The historian Cassius Dio wrote that previous imperial donations to influential Britons were confiscated and the Roman financier and philosopher Seneca called in the loans he had forced on the reluctant Britons.

Arotrios, 10 months ago

If you're into the story and like historical fiction, I highly recommend Pauline Gedge's The Eagle and the Raven. She describes the early life of Boudica and that particular element of the story in great detail.

You're correct - the Iceni were Roman allies up until the death of Prasutagus. It was the brutal treatment of Boudica and her daughters after his passing that instigated the uprising, and it was a significant political miscalculation on the part of the Romans that led to a full scale revolution across multiple Celtic tribes.

The fact that the Iceni were Roman vassals and yet still were subject to the brutalization and rape of the royal family, led other tribes, who were further from Roman influence, to join the uprising. Boudacia's success came in great part (in Gedge's telling of the story) from telling her tale to the unconquered Celtic tribes in the mountains to the north and west. In fact, her rebellion stopped the Roman conquest of Wales for nearly a decade, halting Paulinus' troops after they burned the sacred groves on Anglesey:

Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids. The Roman conquest of Anglesey began in 60 CE when the Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, determined to break the power of the druids, attacked the island using his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise vanguard assault[18] and then destroyed the shrine and the nemeta (sacred groves). News of Boudica's revolt reached him just after his victory, causing him to withdraw his army before consolidating his conquest. The island was finally brought into the Roman Empire by Gnaeus Julius Agricola, the Roman governor of Britain, in AD 78.

On a side note, if you ever want to visit what's left of the sacred groves on Anglesey, visit Barclodiad Y Gawres. It's a neolithic burial chamber, and had been a sacred site for thousands of years before the time of the druids.

adam_y, 10 months ago

Excellent tip. I’ve ordered a copy, thank you.

As an aside, a long time ago, back when I was in school, for general studies I got to study ‘megalithic science’. I’ve visited Anglesey!

For anyone else that sees this, I’d also recommend The Modern Antiquarian which is the product of the wonderful Julian Cope.

Arotrios, 10 months ago

That's an excellent site - please feel free to post it here on the 13th Floor as a link / thread if you'd like a bit of free fake internet points. It would make a great addition to the community / magazine. History buffs are 100% welcome here, and interesting, inspiring content is always welcome.