It's never a good idea to wrong a Celtic lady.

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The citizens of sleepy Camulodunum must have had quite a shock when they saw what was coming at them - 120,000 howling Celts led by a tall fierce woman with long tawny hair flying like a battle-flag behind her. She was a lioness, an avenger, her fury could only be quenched by blood. She was Boudica, Queen of the Iceni Celts.

She was a woman wronged.

Wronging her was the biggest mistake Rome ever made in Briton. The devastation she wrought in her fearsome vengeance nearly caused the Emperor, Nero, to pull his legions from the island, and never return.

Boudica’s saga began in or around 60 AD.

Before that, in 43 AD, the Emperor Claudius made an occupying incursion into southern Briton. The largest local tribe, the Trinovantes, were conquered. Rome turned the Trinovantes central city, Camulodunum, (modern day Colchester) into a Roman colony for retired soldiers. The locals were disarmed and enslaved.

The Trinovantes hated the Romans but could no longer do anything about it. Their loss did not trouble Boudica’s husband, Prasutagus, King of the Iceni. Prasutagus had long been allied with the Romans and was no friend to his neighboring tribe, the Trinovantes.

Most of the tribes in Briton fought each other as often as they fought the Romans.

The Iceni under Prasutagus were allies of Rome, but independent of Roman rule. Peace between the Iceni and Rome lasted until Prasutagus died. Hoping to preserve the peace after his death, Prasutagus willed half his kingdom to his daughters, and half to Rome. Rome responded to his generosity in typical Roman fashion. They seized his now leaderless Kingdom, disarming and enslaving the Iceni tribe. Queen Boudica was bound to a whipping post, brutally scourged and forced to look-on helplessly as her daughters were raped before her eyes. Rome had used this sort of treatment before to dispirit conquered peoples. With Boudica it was a large error they would soon regret.

Boudica recovered from the wounds to her body.

The wounds to her soul screamed for blood vengeance.

She patiently made diplomatic rounds to the tribes of southeastern Briton presenting herself as Boudica, Queen of the Iceni. She preached with single-minded passion. Overwhelm the Romans with combined Celtic fury. Set aside tribal quarrels. Join forces. Trinovantes, Iceni, all the other tribes, should rise as one to completely crush the hated Roman occupation.

The sparks she struck burst into flames.

The tribes secretly replaced their confiscated weapons with new shields, spears, swords, axes, and clubs. They carefully hid their new arsenal and bided their time until Boudica was certain their forces were strong enough to grind Roman occupation into a bad memory.

Boudica’s first struck Camulodunum.

She took no prisoners.

Every single Roman or Roman collaborator was killed. The streets were washed red with thousands of bleeding corpses. She put the finishing touch to her retribution by burning the city to the ground, including the temple of Claudius. The bronze statue that stood outside the temple was decapitated and the head carried away as trophy. The Commander of a nearby legion, Quintus Petillius Cerialis attempted to relieve the city but was beaten back and all his legion killed except for some few calvary and himself.

Following Cerialis’s defeat, The Provincial Governor, Catus Decianus, fled to Gaul.

Boudica next thrust was to Londinium (modern day London).

News of Boudica’s assault on Camulodunum reached senior Roman administrator, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus who had been busy chasing Druids on the Welsh island of Mona. Dropping that, he rushed back to the aid of Londinium. Upon drawing near he was told about the wipe-out of Cerialis’s legion.

The prominent citizens of Londinium had already left; right after they heard about the savaging of Camulodunum, and Governor Catus Decianus’s sudden departure for Gaul.

Considering all this, Suetonius decided discretion was the better part of valor. He opted to let Londinium defend itself.

Boudica burnt Londinium to the ground and killed every last man, woman, and child. She then moved on to Verulamium, repeating the process. Her final count was three notable Roman cities reduced to ashes and some eighty thousand Romans slaughtered.

Suetonius eventually regrouped his forces and destroyed Boudica and her army.

No matter. Boudica had her revenge.

It’s never a good idea to wrong a Celtic lady.

By K. L. Shipley

Website: https://www.eclecticessays.com