Boudicca: Enemy of Rome

"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 colors, over which was a thick mantle, fastened by a brooch. Now she grasped a spear, to strike fear into all who watched her...…" ~Dio Cassius (Dudley and Webster, 54)

 

Boudicca was queen of the Iceni, an isolated people of Eastern England.  She nearly toppled the occupying Roman forces.
 
Boudicca was married to Prasutagus, king of the Iceni people of East Anglia. When the Romans conquered southern England in AD 43, they allowed Prasutagus to continue to rule, as long as the Iceni paid the heavy Roman taxes.  When Prasutagus died, rule of the Iceni shifted to his wife, Boudicca and their daughters.  Unlike their Roman counterparts,women in the upper eschelons of Celtic society held positions of prestige and power.  In addition, they owned land, could choose their husbands, and initiate divorce.

Roman law, however, did not allow royal inheritance to be passed to women. The Romans decided to rule the Iceni directly and confiscated the property of the leading Iceni. When Boudicca protested citing Roman law, she was stripped and flogged. Her daughters were raped. 

In 60 or 61 AD, while the Roman governor Paullinus was leading a campaign in North Wales, the Iceni rebelled. Neighboring tribes joined them.

Boudicca's warriors successfully defeated the Roman Ninth Legion and destroyed the capital of Roman Britain, which was then Colchester. They went on to destroy London and the town that is now St. Albans. Thousands of Romans were killed. The British Celts expertly used chariots which were small and light.  Wicker screens protected the driver and the warrior as they rode.

Finally, Boudicca was defeated by a Roman army led by Paulinus. Many Celts were killed and Boudicca is thought to have poisoned herself to avoid capture.