Boudicca was and still is in the eyes of many a national hero. Boudicca is an extremely important part of English and Roman history as she led the only revolt that actually threatened the Roman rule in Britain. Boudicca’s attitude was a true reflection of the way all Celtic people felt about the Roman rule. It is because of this that she was able to unit many Celts on a common cause, during a time of a great cultural and national change. Yet, like all humans Boudicca had her flaws, and though rare on occasions she made irrational choices.
Boudicca lived and died in the first century, a time when the Roman Empire was continuing to expand. Although the Romans first expedition to Briton (modern day Britain) was carried out by Julius Caesar in 55 BC it was nearly one hundred years later that the Romans under Emperor Claudius in 43 AD that a full scale invasion was launched.
When the Romans Invaded Briton each Celtic tribe was treated differently. The Celtic Iceni tribe kept out of the violent conflict, and because of this they were awarded ‘client kingdom’ status by the Romans. Being a client kingdom meant that the Iceni tribe maintained a considerable amount of independence. They were allowed to keep their rulers, and they were allowed to mint coin. They were bound by treaty to Rome, who in return would back them up, often against rival tribes. Yet the Romans took the view that they had the authority, to at any time intervene in the internal affairs of their client kingdoms. On the other hand the main city of the Trinovantes tribe, which was located just south of the Iceni tribe, was declared by Emperor Claudius as the capital of his British province. The Trinovantes people lost their freedom as well as having most of the...
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...an occupation of Briton that the Romans were tested and nearly broke. She stood up and showed the Romans how all Celtic people felt about their Roman rulers. Although some of the actions displayed by Boudicca and her horde may have seemed brutal, even barbaric to some, this was reflection of the time she lived in. Boudicca’s revolt was an act of revenge and the lack of respect shown to the Celtic people, in particular Boudicca and her family, by the Romans was reflected the way the Celtic people reacted. If Boudicca had of succeeded in defeating Suetonius in this last battle, the Romans would have retreated and the history of Britain would have been extremely different. Boudicca was not only a national hero but hero to all women as she led a revolt that challenged the foreign Roman rule, in a time when women were viewed by most as weak and inferior to men.
Was Boudica a scorned woman or did she have a justified reason for retaliation? The book Real Lives Boudica the story of the Fearless Icini Queen, by Gaby Halberstam published by A&C Black in London, gives a story told by Boudica herself. The book is written in the first person about the events that unfolded in Boudica’s life. This book captures Boudica and gives the reader an idea of what her personality would have been. Halberstam was able to give details through research and filling in the blanks. There are many famous men and women form our history that we would like to have a personal conversation with and this book is almost like sitting across from Boudica, listening to her tell her story.
Imperial Rome, during the first century A.D. was expanding it's boundaries by adding new territories. They expanded into northern Europe and Britain and conquered or attempted to conquer various types of people. Based on my reading of Tacitus' The Agricola and The Germania, I have knowledge of the life and customs of the Britons, subject of the Agricola, and the Germans, subject of the Germania. This of course being the Romans, and more specifically Tacitus,' observation and view of these groups of people.
Twenty years after the invasion, Britain was feeling oppressed by the Roman Empire, none more so than the Iceni tribe. Their late king, Prasutagus, had left the Icenian land to the Romans in his will, but on certain conditions. Upon his death, the Romans took over without abiding by any of these conditions, treating the land as if it was theirs by right of conquest. There was looting and tyranny, the king’s family was abused and the Romans savagely ruled over the Iceni. Another factor in aggravating the Britons was that the occupiers began to recall large loans which had been forced upon unwilling Britons. Some Britons were conscripted into the army, the Roman procurators wanted to extract as much wealth as could be had from the latest addition to the empire.
"The Anglo Saxons appear as a race of fierce, cruel, and barbaric pagans, delighting in the seas, in slaughter, and in drink "(Allen, 17). The character of the ancient Saxons displayed the qualities of fearless, active, and successful. The Anglo-Saxons are mostly a barbaric race, not savage and rude but mostly military and...
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
Why the Boudica Fought the Romans The History of the Celtic People The Iceni were a Celtic tribe which resided in Norfolk and Suffolk in the east of Britain. Boadicea was part of this noble and warlike people, the Keltoi or in Latin, Celtae. The Celts of the first century appear to be farmers, traders and crafts people. Frank Delaney 1989 quotes from Strabo writing in the first century saying “They wear ornaments of gold, torcs on their necks and bracelets on their arms and wrists, while people of high rank wear dyed garments besprinkled with gold.” He also quotes from
The quest to defeat and heroism is the way Beowulf went about things. In this time England was changing from a pagan to a Christian culture. Pagan Anglo-Saxons told grim tales of life ruled by fate, people struggled with this fate with monsters living in their world. Beowulf was one of the few that reflects both pagan and Christianity. Beowulf is also known as a heroic character through the story. Throughout the novel of Beowulf, Beowulf has multiple conflicts such as: gaining trust, danger of the battles, and killing the dragon.
Flavius Belisarius was born in Germania, Illyria in 505 CE. Very little is known about his ethnic background, but some traditions say he was of Slavic background (Barker 1). He was assigned under Justinian's command when he was about twenty-five years old, and he was awarded full command of the army (Barker 1). He led armies against the Sāsānian Empire (Persia), the Vandal Kingdom (North Africa), the Ostrogoths (Italy), and the other barbaric tribes that intruded Constantinople during Justinian's reign (Mark 1).
Through all the hardships and blood, Joan of Arc was a fierce warrior and led the French to complete victory. Starting out in a maiden village, and more of a shock for being a woman, Joan completely transform herself and France. Advancing in a year and a month, crowned a reluctant king, rallied broken people, reversed the course of a great war, and shoved history into a new path (Richey 1); Joan made a name for herself. No one can ever suppress what she achieved at such a young age.
... the ancient queen. This can be seen in the statue of Boudicca and her daughters in Cardiff, as she appears maternal and feminine. Additionally, she is often portrayed in Roman clothing because of the connotations of civility involved, an example of which can be found in her statue in London. Overall, Boudicca’s romanticised image was a product of imperial Victorian ideals and a dismissal of Roman accounts.
The warriors of Boudicca’s warriors successfully defeated the Roman and absolutely destroyed the Romans, in their own capital. They even went on to destroy London and St Albans. The army of Romans left these particular towns largely unprotected. The cost of Boudicca’s victory in these first three battles, this is in terms of human lives, was high. The battle of warfare was brutal for majority of the time and all the towns were totally destroyed. Thousands of people left the cities; and raffle 70,000 and 80,000 citizens were killed, with out of those were 2000 Roman soldiers. With two of the soldiers having no interest in the taking or selling prisoners, Tacitus and Britons, instead they used slaughter by Gilbert, fire or
Boudicca’s Army mercilessly killed everyone in town, sparing no one. She and her army practiced “indescribable slaughter” as “they hung up naked the noblest and most distinguished women and then cut off their breasts and sewed them to their mouths” (Dio 95). These horrid methods of killing are described to demonstrate Boudicca’s passionate wrath against the Romans despite their innocence. The triumphant army then charged towards the unsuspecting ninth legion and claimed victory with them as well by “rout[ing] [Cerialis’] troops, and destroy[ing] all his infantry” (Tacitus). Boudicca and her rebels wasted no time in hitting their next target, Londinium. They effectively slaughtered all of Londinium’s people and set the town on fire, burning it to complete ashes. Boudicca’s army only wanted “slaughter, on the gibbet, the fire, and the cross” (Tacitus). She was not interested in the money she could make from prisoners of war, she only wanted death for her enemies. The citizens of Verulamium, Boudicca’s last victimized town, met the same fate as those in Londinium. With Boudicca causing the exact same destruction time after time in her enraged endeavors, it demonstrates Boudicca’s strong detest towards the
Rome became a powerful empire engulfing much of Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia and what seemed like this great entity called the Romans were always in the search of more territory and land to conquer and assimilate into their ever growing vast empire. However, this was not always the case, before Rome became one of the greatest empires in all of history, Rome was a republic. They were government consisted of a Senate who much like our country today represented certain classes of the citizens of the Republic. During the growth and rise of the Roman republic conquering neighboring territories and competing for land grabs was not Romans primary objectives. Romans believed in the well being and wealth of Rome, and if that meant the total destruction of a potential adversary, then as history will show that is unfortunately to the detriment of the adversary what happened.
“I am not afraid… I was born to do this,” confidently stated the brave and courageous Joan of Arc on her feelings of leading an army into battle (Joan of Arc). From being born into an ordinary farming family in northeastern France to becoming canonized a saint, Joan lived a legacy. Her call to life a holy life from God and to lead France into many battles against England show her strong faith and trust in the Lord. The early life, uprising, downfall, and canonization of Joan of Arc are factors that summarize her extraordinary life. Her humility during the good times and her strength during bad times make Joan an admirable woman.
The quality and detail of these accounts themselves are quite variable and Boudicca remains a mysterious figure and, in fact, virtually nothing concrete is known about her. Boudicca’s legacy is that she was a great heroine of the British Empire, who united the people against the forces of Rome and fought for their freedom. There is evidence, however that suggests that she was anything but. It is important to examine what is known about the woman herself, when examining her legend, as the mystery that surrounds her stems from the fact that there are only two primary sources. Boudicca is depicted in the most savage of terms by Cassius Dio: "She was huge of frame, terrifying of aspect, and with a harsh voice. A great mass of bright red hair fell to her knees: She wore a great twisted golden necklace, and a tunic of many colours, over which was a thick mantle, fastened by a brooch. Now she grasped a spear, to strike fear into all who watched her...…” (Dio’s Roman History). The quote, while appearing to describe Boudicca, could possibly have been exaggerating her appearance for the purpose of dramatic colouring, or even simply describing the typical Celtic warrior woman. Another possibility is that Dio simply exaggerated her appearance so as to minimise the embarrassment of the Romans having been defeated by a woman. As has been discussed, in contemporary sources, Boudicca is often described as a great heroine of the British Empire. However, the evidence suggests that she was absolutely brutal, punishment being non-exclusive. When the army razed the cities to the ground, they left no survivors, not even women and children (Brondou, 2011). Evidence found at an archaeology dig in Colchester supports this accusation that the brutality of the army was undeniable. Jason Burke, writing for