Top 10 Interesting Facts about Boudica

1855 Bronze statue of Boadicea (Boudica) and her daughters at Captains Walk, Brecon by sculptor John Thomas. Photo by 14GTR – Wikimedia

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Boudica

Boudicca was a famous warrior queen of the Iceni people. They lived in what is now East Anglia, England. Her reign was between 60–61 CE when she led the Iceni and other peoples in a revolt against Roman rule.

Together with her army, they were able to defeat 70,000 Romans. Despite this victory, they were defeated.

Although not much is known about her, Boudicca is described as having been tall with flowing red hair below her waist.

She was also said to have had a harsh voice and piercing glare. Additionally, Boudicca always wore a large golden neck ring, a multi-coloured tunic, and a thick cloak fastened by a brooch.

She was married to Prasutagus, who was king of the Iceni as a client under Roman suzerainty. Unfortunately, Prasutagus died in 60 with no male heir.

His private wealth was therefore bequeathed to his two daughters. He also left them under the care of Emperor Nero, trusting that he would provide protection for his family.

This took a turn of events and the Romans seized his kingdom, humiliated his family, and robbed the chief tribesmen.

And this is what led to the rise of Boudicca. I have put together the top 10 interesting facts about her below. 

1. Boudicca’s daughters were the rightful heirs of their father’s kingdom

1855 Bronze statue of Boadicea (Boudica) and her daughters at Captains Walk, Brecon by sculptor John Thomas. Photo by 14GTR – Wikimedia

Boudicca and her husband Prasutagus had two daughters whose names are unknown. Her husband ruled as an independent ally of Rome.

According to the Roman tradition, a ruler or emperor would leave their wealth to their sons. This was not the case for Prasutagus who had only daughters.

He, however, defied the norm and left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and to the Roman emperor in his will. Boudicca was to remain the Queen of the tribe.

After his death, his will and testament were not regarded. The Romans annexed his kingdom and plundered his property.

To make it worse, Boudicca was beaten and their daughters raped.

2. She was known by several other names

There were several versions of Boudicca’s name. In the 16^th century, she was called Voadicia according to Raphael Holinshed.

Edmund Spenser called her Bunduca, a variation of which was used in the popular Jacobean play Bonduca of 1612.

Then in the 18th century, in William Cowper’s poem, he referred to her as Boadicea. This rhyme in the poem was popular in 1782.

In manuscripts written by Tacticus, he spelt her name as Boudicca. This was however found to be misspelt according to Celtic Language. Her name has only one ‘c’.

The misspelt name was more popular and even led to the different spelling of the same. So as the spelling of her name ‘evolved’ an ‘e’ replaced the second ‘c’.

They further added a ‘u’ and an ‘a’ at the end. The new spelling of her name was now Boadicea. This spelling was more popular in the medieval period.  

The Grek also had a variation of her name, they spelt it as Βουδουικα, Βουνδουικα, and Βοδουικα.

3. If looks could kill… that was Boudicca, one look and you retreat

An engraving by William Sharp was published in 1793, based on Boadicea Haranguing the Britons (called Boudicca, or Boadicea) by John Opie. Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Cassius Dio, a Greek scholar, described Boudicca in his manuscripts as very tall and most terrifying in appearance. She had tawny hair hanging down to past her waist, a harsh voice and a piercing glare.

He further adds that she regularly wore a large golden necklace, a colourful tunic, and a thick cloak fastened by a brooch.

This look is said to have made her a force to reckon with when she went to war. Her terrifying looks worked to her advantage against her enemies.  

Boudicca is also said to have been very intelligent, fearless and sharp, unlike most women during her time. Joan of Arc was also fierce.   

To march the energy of their leader, her soldiers painted themselves blue to make themselves look more frightening!

4. Hair goals? Boudicca’s hair won her several suitors

A lady with long red hair. Photo by Gage Walker on Unsplash

While her looks were fierce and her voice deep and harsh, Boudicca’s had one feature on her that was, soft.

This was her hair, it was incredible hair. Her hair was long, thick, and fiercely red. She is said to be the toughened-up version of Merida from Brave.

The wavy hair went past her waist and this made her attractive to several men. She had several eligible suitors seeking her hand in marriage.

This was also what attracted her first husband, Prasutagus the king of the Iceni tribe.

5. She got much-needed support from her ‘tribe’

After the death of her husband, Boudica remained Queen of the Iceni people. This tradition was acceptable in Celtic societies, unlike the Romans who were opposed to Women ruling.

Celtic men were progressive and allowed women to rule, take part in politics, make art, choose who they married and even get divorced.

What’s more interesting is that if a man was abusive to his wife, she had the right to poison him or behead him.

To the Romans, women had limited rights and were supposed to obey their male relatives.

So when Boudicca took over from her husband, the Romans were opposed to it. This was even after the late King, who knew this would happen, left a share of his property to them with the hopes his family would be protected.  

6. Boudicca defied Roman Law and led an army

Statue of Queen Boudica at Westminster. Photo by Paul Walter – Wikimedia

Boudicca, known for being a warrior queen of the Iceni people, led her army and other peoples in an uprising against Roman rule.

They were able to massacre 70,000 Romans and their supporters.

She took her leadership role seriously. Boudicca led several campaigns and rallied her army to battle.

It was not a surprise to find her fighting alongside the men on the battlefield. This courage and fearlessness made her a pain in the neck to the Romans.

According to manuscripts written by Cassius Dio, Boudicca had an army of 230,000 warriors. Other historians say she may have had about 100,000.

Meanwhile, her Roman counterpart, Suetonius Paulinus, had just 10,000 men.  

Despite having a bigger army, Boudicca was defeated by the Roman soldiers who had more skill, amour and discipline.

7. Playing nice with the Romans cost her the lives of her people

Around 43 CE, the Roman Emperor Claudius started to conquer Britain with an iron fist. The Iceni people had lived a quiet, undisturbed life but soon saw trouble closing in.

They knew it was a matter of time before they were invaded by the Romans.

This made Boudica and her husband think of an amicable way to handle the threat. Their first move was to be nice and welcoming to the Romans. Wrong move!

The Romans seemed to agree to let the Iceni people keep their land and way of life. They also worked closely with the Iceni ruler, Boudicca’s husband.

Things changed after the Prasutagus died. They killed the Iceni people, despite resistance from Boudicca and took over their land.

8. Her army killed more than 70,000 Romans

According to the Roman historian Tacitus, Boudicca’s army killed 70,000 Romans and pro-Roman Britons. They also tore to pieces the Roman 9th Legion.

This was considered a warning to the Romans. It was either they left a terror campaign with a deadly message to all Romans in Britain: get out or die.

Paulinus, the Roman ruler, met the Britons at a point thought to be near present-day Fenny Stratford. The Britons lost the battle to the Romans.

This was so heavy on Boudicca. It is believed she either died of shock or took her own life.

9. The Roman’s advantage over Boudicca was they knew the terrain and location well

Statue of Queen Boudica at Westminster. Photo by Paul Walter – Wikimedia

The Romans had another, far more relatable reason that gave them victory over Boudicca’s army.

Their advantage was the location. See, the Roman Empire bordered the west, and water a thick forest surrounded the north and east. This made it nearly impossible to attack the Romans.

10. Her early days are still unknown

While we now know that Boudicca was a revered leader by her people and loathed by the Romans; there is very little public information about her.  

Historians believe that she was born around 30 AD in today’s Colchester. It is also believed she came from an influential family.