Rebel, queen, warrior, widow, mother, woman–Boudica had many roles in her life despite only appearing in two historical sources
A legionary emblem bearing the legend SPQR, the inital letters of the Latin term meaning"The senate and the people of Rome."was the first Roman general to set foot in Great Britain, the real occupation of the island began almost 100 years later during the time of the emperor Claudius. In A.D. 43 Roman legions disembarked on the Kent coast.
In the speech attributed to her by Dio Cassius, Boudica rallies her forces and prepares them for war. She sets out the causes for the revolt: Found in the Thames in 1857, a copper shield dates from 350-50 B.C. Its fine craftsmanship hints at the cultural complexity of Britain’s tribal society. British Museum, LondonBoudica’s forces, which may have included female warriors, began their attack at Camulodunum, the Roman colony at Colchester in eastern England. This settlement was the principal cultural symbol of Roman power in Britain; here, Claudius had accepted the surrender of British kings in A.D. 43.
Tacitus described how the next settlement to fall to the ire of Boudica’s troops was Verulamium, a Roman town near what is today St. Albans in Hertfordshire. Whereas the already attacked Camulodunum was a colony of Roman citizens, and Londinium was the main port of the province with a population including many overseas traders, Verulamium was a “native” town. At this settlement, Britons who were allies of the Romans were constructing a new urban development on the Roman model.
Behold the proud display of warlike spirits, and consider the motives for which we draw the avenging sword. On this spot we must either conquer, or die with glory. There is no alternative. Though a woman, my resolution is fixed: the men, if they please, may survive with infamy, and live in bondage.