Boudicca (sometimes spelt as Boadicea) was a warrior queen who led the Iceni tribe in a revolt against the Romans in around 60 CE.
The History of Boudicca
The Iceni were an ancient tribe with territories in Norfolk and Suffolk in England, UK. Boudicca's husband was king of the tribe, and left his wealth and possessions to their two daughters, as well as the Roman emperor Nero, hoping this would mean imperial protection for the family. (Tucker)
Instead, when he died in 60 CE, the Roman forces attacked their realm and plundered their villages. Female rulers were common in the Iceni tribe, yet it is thought that, because of their disbelief in female leaders, the Romans instead enslaved the tribes people, whilst Boudicca was beaten and her daughters raped. Records from Roman historian Tacitus state that:
"The Icenian chiefs were deprived of their hereditary estates as if the Romans had been given the whole country. The king's own relatives were treated like slaves. And the humiliated Iceni feared still worse, now that they had been reduced to provincial status. So they rebelled. " (Mark)
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| Painting "Boadicea Haranguing the Britons" by John Opie (1761–1807) (Photo Credit) |
The Iceni tribe were not the only ones under Roman oppression; the Celtic religious culture was repressed by Roman rule, and as a result heavy taxes were imposed and tribal land was taken. Shortly after, other tribes throughout East Anglia joined the Iceni in a revolt against Roman forces.(Biography.com)
Boudicca firstly led them to the city of Camulodunum (what is now Colchester), which was also the capital of Roman Britain at the time. Killing the inhabitants and burning the city to the ground, the imperial forces were no match for the Celtic army. Boudicca then went onto attack the city of Londinium (London), but was defeated whilst destroying the city Verulamium (Saint Albans), and it is thought that she committed suicide by poisoning to evade capture, whilst some argue she died of her battle wounds. (Mark)
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| A map of the UK, showing London. (Click to enlarge. Photo credit) |
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A map of modern day East Anglia, showing Norfolk and Suffolk, sites of the Iceni territory. Marked in red are the sites where Boudicca's army battled Roman forces. (Click to enlarge. Photo credit) |
Boudicca for a Contemporary audience
Since the Victorian era, Boudicca has been a fascination for historians and British culture alike. Often named the first feminist, she is celebrated for her determination to fight back against the Romans and maintain the culture and heritage or her family, and her tribes people. Certainly for British people, she is what comes to mind with the phrase "woman warrior".
Her legacy is often recreated through artwork. The most famous example would be the "Boadicea and Her Daughters" bronze statue, created by Victorian artist Thomas Thornycroft. It stands near the Houses of Parliament in London, facing towards Big Ben. It's awe-inspiring to see a woman depicted with power rather than simply demonstrating her beauty:
Her legacy is often recreated through artwork. The most famous example would be the "Boadicea and Her Daughters" bronze statue, created by Victorian artist Thomas Thornycroft. It stands near the Houses of Parliament in London, facing towards Big Ben. It's awe-inspiring to see a woman depicted with power rather than simply demonstrating her beauty:
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| (Photo credit) |
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The town hall also features a statue of Boudicca, and an image of her in a stained glass window. In 1999, artist Jonathan Clarke created a statue of her that now resides near the town's train station.
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| Statue from the Town Hall. (Photo credit) |
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| The stained glass window piece in the Town Hall's Moot Hall. (photo credit) |
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| Jonathan Clarke's 1999 statue. (photo credit) |
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| The "Boudican layer" of ash; all that remains of the buildings and homes Boudicca destroyed. (photo credit) |
Bouddica's name comes from the Celtic word "boudda", meaning "victory" (Tucker), and many historical sources describe her as being tall and red-headed; Greek writer Dio Cassius described her as "‘very tall in stature, most terrifying in appearance, most fierce in the glance of her eye, with a harsh voice and a great mass of red hair that fell to her hips’. Of course, there is no way of telling if this is true, and it's thought that Roman historians depicted her in a negative, barbaric way, as Roman leaders wouldn't want to entertain the idea of a beautiful female leader. (Museum of London)
Unsurprisingly, today Boudicca is still seen as an inspirational figure, with the Celtic revolt remaining a core part of History curriculum in the UK. The British cultural fascination with her has led to many media platforms telling her story, including a 2003 film starring Alex Kingston. More recently, the children's educational TV series Horrible Histories sees her played by Martha Howe Douglas.
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| Alex Kingston in a shot from the 2003 film. (Photo credit) |
Clip of song from Horrible Histories.
I personally love Boudicca because she fought for herself as well as her people; she fought back against the Roman forces for the honour of her family, as well as to preserve the culture and heritage of the Iceni people and many other Celtic tribes. She refused to let oppressive rulers destroy her identity and let her people's land be lost.
She also has a personal connection to me as I am from Suffolk myself, but I have seen Boudicca's story resonate with a contemporary audience. At home I am a student of the University of Essex, a UK university which is situated in Colchester. I've visited the museums in the town and local area and it's so exciting to see that Boudicca is still talked about and loved by both historians and the general public as a whole. It shows that clearly, Boudicca's story will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Works cited:
Biography.com, "Boudicca Biography", www.biography.com/people/boudicca (March 2018, last accessed 22nd October 2018)
Encyclopedia Britannica, "Boudicca", www.britannica.com/biography/Boudicca (2017, last accessed 22nd October 2018
Mark, Joshua J., "Boudicca", www.ancient.eu/Boudicca (2013, last accessed 22nd October 2018)
Museum of London, "Queen Boudica In London", www.museumoflondon.org.uk/application/files/1214/5433/9990/queen-boudica-in-london.pdf (last accessed 22nd October 2018)
Stewart, Terry, "Boudica and The Slaughter at Camulodunum", www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Boudica-and-the-Slaughter-at-Colchester/ (last accessed 22nd October 2018)
Tucker, S.C, as quoted in "Boudicca - The Celtic Queen who defied Rome", https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/boudicca/boudicca-celtic-queen-defied-rome/ (last accessed 22nd October 2018)
Visit Colchester, https://www.visitcolchester.com/explore/historic-colchester/roman-colchester.aspx (last accessed 22nd October 2018)
Wikipedia, www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boadicea_and_Her_Daughters (last accessed 22nd October 2018
I really liked that you chose to write about her because I've never even heard of her. She is truly a powerful woman and I feel that more people should read this and learn about her. I liked that you gave background information on the different type of those who were involved.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Katie :) I'm glad that, certainly within British culture and education, she remains a celebrated and well-known figure, and it's great that her story continues to be told.
DeleteLily, your depiction of Boudicca is outstandingly well constructed and has a personal tone which you elaborate in reflection. It is inspiring to hear the British revolting against Roman rule, and even more so to learn that it was warrior woman who lead the battles from the front lines. Boudicca was defiant even to the bitter end. Though some might argue suicide is a coward's defeat, I envision her self-poisoning was a final way to deny the Romans any satisfaction of a hostage for their victory.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Chris, and yes, I absolutely agree - for the Romans, Boudicca was against everything they valued, more so because she was a woman, so the idea that she killed herself to prevent them having "the last word" as it were, is so badass!
DeleteHi Lily! You have a really great informative tone through out this blog post that is really excellent and easy to follow. I had never heard of Boudicca before but her story is very interesting and it is easy to see why she is so celebrated.I can tell by your reflection at the end that you are really interested in what you wrote about which is very cool. I also really liked that you included pictures of the statues, stained glass, and other artwork that pay tribute to Boudicca still to this day.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Lexi! I'm really glad that, even though Boudicca's reign was short-lived, her story and strength has still left such an impact, to the extent that she is still celebrated in media and artwork.
DeleteI have never heard of her before but I’m so glad that I know about her now. I really enjoyed learning about her bravery and strength. Brilliantly written and well-described. The passion of the Boudicca and her achievements are reflected in the way you have written. The casual style brings a sense of fun into the historical topic.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Julia! I really love her not just because of her bravery against the almighty Roman forces, but also because of her being a woman in power. To us, this seems extraordinary, but within the Iceni tribe, a female leader was a usual circumstance.
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