The Boudiccan revolt

The Boudiccan Revolt was an armed uprising against the Roman Empire that took place around 60 AD and was led by Boudica, the queen of the Iceni tribe, and was generally thought to have been motivated by the Roman’s failure to honour an agreement they had made with Boudica’s husband, the mistreatment of her and her daughters and corruption among local authorities.

The rebellion was so big that it almost caused Nero to abandon Britain altogether. The eventual defeat of the Boudiccan rebels consolidated Roman rule in southern Britain.

Background

In 43AD, Roman legions invaded south Britain, though some of the existing tribes there were defeated, others remained nominally independent as allies of the Empire. One tribe that took this route was the Iceni tribe, which was based in what would now be Norfolk. Their king, Prasutagus thought that he could remain independent but leaving his land to both his daughters and the Roman Emperor Nero in his will, however, when he died, his will was ignored and the local Roman centurions seized the land, enslaving Icenians and torturing his wife, Boudica and their daughters.

While the Roman governor, Paulinus was leading a campaign in Wales, where the Druids had created a stronghold, the Iceni and the neighbouring Trinovantes tribes came together to form a rebellion with Boudica as their leader. Together, the rebels attacked what is now Colchester which had been made into a colonia for Roman military veterans. These veterans were thought to have been mistreating the tribes people, which drew others to their cause. The future governor attempted to take back the city but was defeated and methodically destroyed.

Rebellion

When news of the rebellion reached some of the governing forces, they fled to Londinum, modern day London, a relatively new settlement which was seen as a safe haven. However, they ended up having to sacrifice the city. The rebels burned the city to the ground, killing anyone who remained, excavations have found layers of burned material within the Roman walls which extended out to the southern end of the River Thames.

As well as London, three settlements were destroyed and between 70 and 80 thousand people were said to have been killed. Records from the time show that the British tribes did not take prisoners, killing all that stood in their paths.

While the tribes travelled around south east England, the Romans regrouped and massed an army of almost 10,000 men which was vastly outnumbered by Boudica’s forces. At an unidentified location, General Suetonius took a stand with a wood behind him and cliffs on either side, which protected his troops from surprise attack. Despite having the numbers, the tribes were poorly equipped and expected to win, allowing their families to sit on wagons to watch the battle, placing them in danger. However, the Romans eventually got the upper hand and the rebellion was quashed.

Though no location was ever given for the battle site, many historians believe that it may have taken place along the Roman Road between what is now London and Worcester. For a time it was believed that the battle took place at what is now King’s Cross in London as it was previously known as Battle Bridge but there is no historical evidence to suggest this.

Death of Boudica

Boudica’s burial site is unknown but historians believe it to be somewhere in the south of England. The Romans at the time claim that she poisoned herself following the defeat. There are no other records to prove otherwise and nothing is known of what happened to her daughters.