Badass Woman of History #1: Boudica

Boudica: Disney's Merida On Steroids (61AD)

When anyone mentions the subject matter of famous female warriors the first image that usually rattles off in peoples minds is Joan of Arc, that French knight of 100 Year War Fame. But for my series on kick ass female badasses I did not want to start with the cliche. Instead I chose to start with a woman who was down right savage in her response to sexist patriarchy and the defilement of her daughters; so bloody in her vengeance that the great halls of power throughout the Roman Empire shuddered at the name, Boudica. The name Boudica, or as later prounouced by Saxons, Voadicia, means victorious, and is one of the roots for the later name of Victoria. Now I know, I know, Disney's Merida is Scottish, not Briton Celt, and Merida is a princess with 3 brothers, not a queen with 2 daughters, but the resemblance and attitude has me questioning Disney's inspiration, in which I could not find any "official" connection. So instead of cartoon Scotland, our fiery red head's story begins in tribal Britannia, almost 115 years before her rise......

The Fosse Way

The Briton Celts had first encountered the Romans in 55BC when Julius Caesar crossed the channel during his war with Gaul (France). After a brief scrimmage and an odd display with a standard (see my posts about Caesar) the Romans left, but this did open up trade relations between the island and the empire. While goods flowed from the mysterious and foggy island, the Romans never stopped dreaming of northern expansion. Gallic tales, confirmed by Caesar, told of a land of lush forests, fertile fields, and hills ripe for mining. And after decades of delays due too internal strife, Emperor Claudius finally ordered the long awaited invasion in 43AD. It was slow at first as the Celtic tribes there were like no other people they had encountered before, even the Gallic Celts were not as good of woodsmen and guerilla fighters. But as Romans were known to do they played the game of setting tribe upon tribe, offering some chieftains status as kings of client states in exchange for aid in conquering those that defied the will of Rome. By 46AD the Romans were satisfied with the gains they had made and cut an enormous ditch across the land, known as the Fosse Way, to signify their new border, and let the world know that all lands east of the Way were under Roman "protection."

Iceni Territory

Enter the Iceni. They had been one of the 11 tribes that had allied itself to Rome and thus received the so-called autonomy of a "client state". They occupied an area within Rome's Fosse Way boundaries that is known today as Norfolk. Their relationship with Rome was amicable, the Romans enforced the peace between the tribes under its territory, and provided protection from the scheming Welsh tribes or the more brutish Scots and Picts. The Romans for the most part asked for nominally little: a couple of carts of food to feed their garrisons, sure they had plenty; some men to act as auxiliary forces at the border, sure they can do their part; lighten the weight of Iceni coins to devalue it for the good of the province's economy, now there is a problem. This request met resistance from the current Iceni chieftain/king, Antedi, and so a small insurrection to Roman rule started to bubble. But the Romans would nip it in the bud before it would grow, convincing the majority of the Iceni that their king was risking their autonomy for a few shavings of their coins that the common Iceni farmer or fisherman would never miss. So with the support of a Roman garrison the Iceni overthrew their king and replaced him with another of their own named Prasutagus, and with him came a new royal family; his wife Boudica and his two daughters.

Prasutagus and Boudica

The Roman governor of Britannia, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus wanted assurances from Prasutagus that he understood the Iceni partnership with Rome. So Prasutagus drew up a Will, where upon he named Emperor Nero his heir along with his wife and daughters, and that upon his death the emperor would be a rightful co-ruler of Iceni alongside his family. Like most Roman bureaucrats, Paulinus, was sucker for a good legal document and especially one that has such familial terms like "heir." Satisfied he left the Iceni to their enjoyed autonomy and sent a copy of the Will to Rome. But it was there that trouble would begin for our Celtic family.

Paulinus, Nero, and Seneca

Back in Rome, the capricious, immature, and often inebriated Emperor Nero had no real desire for the day to day running of the Empire. He much preferred day and night long parties and feasts, and playing his lyre for his "captive" audiences. He left the administration of his empire to a hand full of advisors, all of them looking to shape the empire to their own will and at the same time cut a profit for themselves. One of these (and would you believe the least evil of them) was Seneca, a Greek-Spaniard philosopher and teacher. He had found the copy of King Prasutagus's Will which had been sitting unopened among the stacks for sometime and doing some research on the Iceni tribe, he came up with a plan to cut quit a financial windfall for himself. The Iceni had borrowed money from Emperor Claudius back during the initial invasion of Britannia, but with the relative prosperity of the province no one bothered to collect. Seneca order the Procurator (financial officer) of Britannia, Catus Decianus, to approach the Iceni and tell them that Roman law does not permit woman from inheriting titles from men, and that they would dare see Boudica and her daughters, women, as equals of the Emperor was blasphemy. However, "Rome" would be willing to turn a blind eye to these infractions if the Iceni were to pay back their debts (at an absurd interest rate thought up by Seneca). 

During this pronouncement Paulinus was engaged in a war with the Northern Welsh and had not been informed of the Procurator's assignment, and by this time Prasutagus was deceased and Boudica was ruling as Queen.  She refused to pay until she could speak to Paulinus and stated under Celtic tradition wives and daughters were always entitled as heirs. Decianus had Boudica and her daughters arrested for inheritance fraud, she was taken by centurions (from Rome, not the local garrison) to the village of Norwich square and flogged. The centurions then proceeded to rape her daughters and plunder the village, to teach the Iceni a lesson about their "backward ways in accepting women rulers." 

The fact that Dedianus did not report his intentions to the governor, used outside troops, and then just left calls into question the legality of his and Seneca's actions. But none of that mattered Boudica and the Iceni. The Romans had disrespected their traditions and worse their queen, and had defiled the royal family. She called upon a neighboring tribe, the Trinovantes, to aid her, and spread the word to other like minded tribes that Romans had abused their authority and trampled on their heritage. Several tribes gathered into a make shift alliance and elected Boudica as their leader. She invoked the Celtic goddess Andraste, and in ritualistic fashion released a hare from the folds of her dress to divine wear the goddess would have them attack first. It ran in the direction of the Trinovantes former capital, Camulodunum (modern day Colchester), were the Romans had occupied and rebuilt it as a colony city and built a huge temple dedicated to deceased Emperor Claudius. 

Camulodunum and the Temple of Claudius

The city was filled with Roman traders, old legionnaire veterans, and families of the legionnaires now fighting with the governor in Wales. They had heard rumors of a large Celtic force headed for the city and asked Procurator Decianus to send reinforcements, but not seeing an army lead by a woman as a threat he sent only 200 auxiliary troops. Boudica arrived just outside the city and gave an impassioned speech to her army concluding....

"We Britons are used to women commanders in war; I am descended from mighty men! But I am not fighting for my kingdom and wealth now. I am fighting as an ordinary person for my lost freedom, my bruised body, and my outraged daughters... Consider how many of you are fighting — and why! Then you will win this battle, or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do! — let the men live in slavery if they will."

The Celts easily over ran the city defenses and dispatched the 200 auxiliary troops throughout the streets. They burned the building to the ground and tore down every monument and statute the Romans had erected to glorify their achievements. The last hold out was at the temple, what populace that were not killed or escaped into the countryside sought refugee within the marble walls, which the aged veterans now defended. For two whole days the veterans held out until they too were overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers. All inside were slaughtered and the temple burned to the ground.

Boudica rides into Camulodunum on her chariot, the veterans last stand, and the burning of the temple

The Procurator sent the IX legion to relieve the city and aid the veterans last stand, but before they could reach the temple they too were surprised and numerically overwhelmed. Only a small detachment of cavalry lead by Quintus Petillius Cerialis Caesius Rufus, was able to escape with their lives. With the destruction of an entire legion, Dedianus could no longer keep this quick and quite, he had to tell Governor Paulinus....and Rome.

Boudica continued her march across the countryside, her army gaining strength and picking up followers with every village emancipated or destroyed. Governor Paulinus relieved Dedianus of his position and sent him back to Rome in disgrace while sending overtures to Queen Boudica to talk, as a "friend" of her late husband. But all diplomatic efforts were ignored. Paulinus made way to the new commercial center of Londinium (do you really need to tell you the modern day location) as this was right in the path of Boudica's army. Meanwhile back in Rome news of this barbarian queen's slaughter of Roman citizens and worse the embarrassing defeat of an entire legion and destruction of the temple. Emperor Nero was besides himself, he was already dealing with a new conflict with the Parthians, to have this woman and this good for nothing island cause him further grief was to much, and that it might be better just to forget Britannia all together. Agents of Paulinus begged him to reconsider and send reinforcements. Nero refused, but he also did not recall the troops already there either. He declared if the Britannia forces suffered one more defeat then the provinces would be abandoned.

Paulinus took the decree with grave concern. One more defeat? What does that entail? He had a good amount of forces, not as much as he would like, but it was something. Did the emperor mean another city falling to the barbarian horde or another legion? He made his decision, he looked at his surroundings and decreed trying to defending Londinium was not going to get him the victory he needed to keep his province. He abandoned the city to find a battleground of his choosing to face Boudica. After burning Londinium she would go on to pillage yet another Roman town, Verulamium (St. Albans). She then started to march toward the Roman fort of Manduessedum (Mancetter) and it was on the road, Watling Street that the two armies met; Paulinus's XIV and XX legions, and some auxiliary, 10,000 in total, verse Boudicas 230,000 strong horde.

Depiction of Boudica rallying her troops at the Battle of Watling Street

Paulinus chose a section of road that started to enter a dense forest and thick underbrush on either side to help negate Boudica's numbers, there the Romans stood as if guarding the entrance of the forest from the army rolling down the meadow in front of them. Boudica stopped her troops and from her chariot gave another impassioned speech on how they, man and woman side by side, were on the verge of freeing all of Brittania from the oppressive Romans. She ordered the first wave to charge, the Romans threw there pillas (heavy throwing spears) in response bringing down many, there bodies tripping up others. The rest of the Celtic forces charged in and the Romans formed into a wedge dividing Boudicas forces in half. Each half now was pushed up against the forest to their back and Roman cavalry up their flank. The Celts tried to back out the way they came to give themselves room to maneuver but ran right into their own baggage train and camp followers, their whole families which had been following close behind the whole march. With the Celts in disarray trying not to trample their own families the Romans reformed and marched straight through them. Celtic causalties numbered over 80,000, not counting children and non combatants that got caught up in the battle at the end. The Romans lost 400. Boudica would drink poison over the guilt she felt in endangering the children. As part of the agreement for complete surrender the Celts were allowed to take her body and given a lavish funeral.

Before the horrific events that lead to her revolt she ruled confidentially and without question. The fact that the Roman governor had no concerns about her place in the husbands will or the fact he tried to entreat with her after he was made aware of events shows that he knew and respected her as a competent leader, surprising for a man that came from a highly patriarchal society. Even her fellow tribal leaders looked past her gender and saw what was most important, the will and determination to lead. From time since British kings, queens, members of parliament, and prime ministers, including Winston Churchill himself, would invoke her name when extolling the tenacity of the British people to defend their homeland. Every depiction of her, every painting, documentary, and tale has her in the thick of battle, and the fact she successfully coordinated the sacking of 3 Roman cities and ambushed an entire Roman legion, and made an empire second guess itself, makes her one badass woman warrior.

If you would like to see (a depiction anyway) of the terrifiying Queen in action I recommend the History channels "Barbarians Rising", a great docu-drama telling the tale of four fearsome barbarians that shocked the Roman Empire: