Ancient Fact File: Boudicca

Charlie Whittle, 3rd Year Classical Studies

Bronze sculpture of Boudicca and her daughters erected in 1902, Westminster London. Credit.

Boudicca is one of the best known British revolutionaries, renowned for her courage and bravery against the Romans. However, apart from her self-titled song and appearances on Horrible Histories, how much do you actually know about her?

Boudicca was born around 30 CE in the South East of England to an elite family. As an adult, she was described by Cassius Dio as:

‘very tall, in appearance most terrifying, in the glance of her eye most fierce, and her voice was harsh; a great mass of the tawniest hair fell to her hips; around her neck was a large golden necklace; and she wore a tunic of divers colours over which a thick mantle was fastened with a brooch.’

In 43 CE, Emperor Claudius invaded the South of England, including the area where Boudicca lived as a child. Little is known about her early life until she married Prasutagus, the King of Ifini (now modern day Norfolk) in 48 CE. It is thought by some that King Prasutagus submitted to Emperor Claudius’ conquest and was subsequently allowed to rule as an independent ally to Rome.

After their marriage, Bouddica and Prasutagus had two daughters but no male heir. The family lived a peaceful and prosperous life until Prasutagus died of illness in 60 CE, leaving his wealth to both his daughters and Emperor Nero, hoping that his family would be given some form of immunity. However, this plea was unsuccessful: the Romans annexed Ifini, confiscated the tribesmen and stripped the people of their status as allies. Boudicca was furious and protested at this; however, the Romans were too powerful and punished her by publicly stripping and flogging her. In further retaliation against Boudicca’s protests, her daughters were sexually assaulted by Roman soldiers.

The administrative leader who succeeded King Prasutagus after the invasion of Ifini, was Suetonius Paulinus. During a campaign on the island of Mona (modern Anglesey) in North Wales in 60 or 61 CE, Boudicca seized the moment to fight back. 

The people of Ifini joined forces with neighbouring tribes, such as the Trinovantes, to create an army more than 100,000 strong, who then travelled through East Anglia. These rebels burned and destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester), Verulamium (St. Albans), the mart of Londinium (London), and several military posts. Tacitus claims that Boudicca and her supporters killed over 70,000 Romans and pro-Roman Britons as well as massacring the entire Roman 9th Legion.

After such terror, Suetonius came up with a plan to retain Roman control of England. A narrow gorge, most likely in the West Midlands, and theorised to be the Roman road now known as Watling Street, gave a distinct advantage to the smaller Roman army.

Before the battle began, Tacitus claimed that Boudicca gave a speech to her army:

‘It is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as one of the people that I am avenging lost freedom, my scourged body, the outraged chastity of my daughters. Roman lust has gone so far that not our very persons, 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…This is a woman's resolve; as for men, they may live and be slaves.’

As the fight began, a fatal flaw in Boudicca’s army was revealed. Families, wagons and animals encircled the rear of the army, preventing them from making a retreat from the narrow gorge. Almost all of Boudicca’s troops were slaughtered, while the Roman casualties numbered only hundreds: the battle was a lost cause. 

Though we know Boudicca did not die in this fight, her cause of death just a short time after remains uncertain. Cassius Dio claimed she fell ill and died; whilst Tacitus believed she poisoned herself.

Either way, despite the defeat of the rebellion, it is still remembered for its valour and as a reminder of collective strength. Even today, a rebellion led by a female warrior is a significant feat and ought to be celebrated.

A still from ‘The Boudicca Song’, as depicted in Horrible Histories

Edited by Scarlett Bantin