How I discovered Boadicea

I use the nickname of Boadicea to represent myself, but who is this character? This small page will, I hope, help you discover who the Killer Queen was.

"Boadicea, or Boudicca, meaning Victorious, was Queen of the Iceni tribe of East Anglia. She led a rebellion in 60 A.D. against the Romans, destroying the cities of Colchester, St. Albans and capturing London. She was defeated by the Romans, and rather than be humiliated by them, she poisoned herself."
-- Roma Ryan, in Enya's The Celts CD inlay.

This was how I discovered the character of Boadicea, thanks to Enya's song of the same name. You are listening to a MIDI version of this song right now, that was sequenced by Jeremy Ho (other MIDIs can be found at Angeles). But this is but a short summary, compared to all the legends on Boadicea.

Boadicea is in fact Boudicca, the former name was given to her later, when it was stylised (personnally, I prefer Boadicea to Boudicca). She was considered as a model of courage for the Britons (ancient inhabitants of Great Britain) as she dared to defy the powerful Romans for freedom. Here you shall find a summary of her life and actions. I cannot say that this is the exact and entire truth, simply because the only texts we have come from the Romans, and we know that the Roman historians used to exaggerate the foe's faults in order to glorify themselves, as historians still do to this day, when speaking of recent history.

Boadicea's Life

Julius Caesar had started Britain's invasion in 55 B.C., but never really managed to impose his domination over the Britons. It was in 43 A.D. that the Emperor Claudius ordered that Britain should be conquered. It is during this second invasion that Boadicea's story is set.

Boadicea was described as a fearsome, powerful woman. This description comes from a Roman writer:

"She was very tall. Her eyes seemed to stab you. Her voice was harsh and loud. Her thick, reddish-brown hair hung down below her waist. She always wore a great golden torc around her neck and a flowing tartan cloak fastened with a brooch."
-- Cassius Dio, quoted by Terry Deary in The Rotten Romans.

Boadicea was married to Prasutagus, the King of the Iceni tribe in East Anglia, and they had two daughters. Prasutagus was a rather weak king, and to avoid a war he made a pact saying that all his lands and riches would be split between his daughters and the Romans at his death. When he died, the Romans plundered the Iceni houses and invaded the entire land. They also flogged Queen Boadicea. This provoked the her anger. She started up a great rebellion, capturing the town of Camulodunum (Colchester), then marched onto Londinium (London) and Verulamium (St Albans).

"Among the Romans, Boudicca, the Killer Queen, was still a name to frighten children. In Londinium you could see the marks where the basilica had burned, and workmen digging foundations as the city grew sometimes found the bones of those who had tried to flee the bloodlust of the Iceni hordes."
-- Marion Zimmer Bradley, in The Forest House.

Boadicea managed to frighten many Romans, yet they were powerful and well organised, unlike the Britons. An army of 10'000 Romans was prepared to counter Boadicea's 100'000 men horde. It is said that she held this speech to them before the battle:

"We British are used to women commanders in war. I am the daughter of mighty men. But I am not fighting for my royal power now... I am fighting as an ordinary person who has lost her freedom. I am fighting for my bruised body. The Gods will grant us the revenge we deserve. Think of how many of us are fighting, and why. Then you will win this battle or die. That is what I, a woman, plan to do. Let the men live as slaves, if they want. I won't."
-- Queen Boadicea, quoted by Terry Deary in The Rotten Romans.

It is well known that the Romans are very organised. Their men managed to vanquish the Britons, and they finally captured Boadicea. Rather than undergo another humiliation from the Romans, according to Roman historian Tacitus, she took poison and died. Another version of the story, by Cassius Dio, says that Boadicea died in her cell, of a disease.

This photograph of the statue of Boadicea in London was taken by Peter Pehrson. Many thanks to him!

Why choose Boadicea as a nickname?

I believe that Boadicea, along with other Celtic rebels such as Vercingetorix and later William Wallace, are examples of courage and pride, that should be followed. Maybe that they lost their battle and died, yet they stood up to the crushing authority and wanted to fight for their people and land. But Boadicea is also one of the rare women who fought violently for justice. This is also to show that women may be as powerful and brave as men, maybe sometimes even more.

Boadicea represents the rebellion of a wronged people, the power of the Celts, the pride and will of a brave woman and the great fear that the ancient Britons could cause for the Romans. This is why I proudly bear her name, as a remembrance of a great Queen.

In no way is this page meant to promote racist or xenophobic thoughts about the Romans' descendants or to show the Britons' superiority over other races. I only mean to show some people that the Celts were also honourable and powerful.