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Now things really got bad for the Roman invaders.
In 47AD the Romans had ordered the Iceni tribe, remember them, to hand over all their weapons. The tribe were actually friends with the Romans and had not
been conquered by force. The Iceni were upset, not because they wanted to use their weapons to fight the Romans but because weapons were a symbol of wealth and power.
It would be a bit like asking you to hand over your wallet or your purse. Some people in the tribe refused and the rebellion was quickly put down with force. The
Iceni remained independent and it seems likely that the Romans then installed a guy called Prasutagus, who was pro-Roman, as the Iceni king. Big mistake by the Romans.
Thirteen years later, in 60AD, Prasutagus died. Roman law dictated that on death a tribal leader should leave all his wealth and possessions to Rome but
good old King Prasutagus tried to leave half to his daughters. Big mistake by Prasutagus, though he was dead by then.
The Romans, on learning of his will, marched into Iceni lands and seized his property, flogged his wife and attacked his daughters. His wife, called
Boudicca, was, not surprisingly, a bit unhappy at this and so she signed a treaty with the Trinovantes tribe, who were anti-Roman. By the way Boudicca was said to
be very tall with long red hair reaching down to her hips. Just thought you might like to know that although very tall in those days may not be very tall now.
The average height of a Roman soldier was probably about 5 feet 6 inches, which makes me just above average then and pretty short now and I’m not totally sure
about the pretty bit.
Anyway, back to the tall, red haired Boudicca who then raised an
army and attacked Colchester, the biggest Roman town, and burnt it to the ground, moved down to London and did the same and finished with a hat trick of burnings at
St Albans. The governor of Britain was away fighting in Wales but he hurried back and lured Boudicca into a trap and massacred her army at the Battle of Watling Street.
So, as far as rebellions go, the Iceni played two, lost two but if you look at the havoc they caused to the three biggest Roman towns, they attacked three, burnt
three to the ground and, in the process, killed over 70,000 Romans. After the battle it is said that Boudicca poisoned herself to avoid capture.
There is a statue to Boudicca on the Victoria Embankment in London. She is shown riding her chariot. The statue is in bronze and was made in 1850. If
you are in London, go and have a look.
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