Queen Boudica And The Iceni

~ beetleypete

Where I live now in the county of Norfolk, eastern England, was once home to a tribal people called the Iceni. They extended south into modern-day Suffolk, and west as far as what we now call Cambridgeshire. They were one of the original Brittonic peoples.

At the time of the Roman Invasion, they had been well-established and powerful since the early Iron Age. They had a social structure, a royal hierachy, and issued coinage that could be used in the territory they controlled.

Most lived in fortified villages, in large houses made of rendered mud with thatched roofs. (Replica of an Iceni village)

After the Roman conquest was completed by Emperor Claudius in AD43, the Iceni allied with the invaders, and that decision allowed them to expand, as well as becoming wealthier and more influential. However, the Romans constantly sought to integrate the Iceni into Roman society, and after the death of her husband in AD60, the new Queen of the Iceni, Boudica, began a revolt against the Roman occupiers. For over a year, her large army of over 30,000 untrained warriors, led by her riding in a chariot, defeated many Roman armies sent against it, and managed to travel south as far as the Roman city of Londinium, (London) which was looted and burned.

On the way to London, her army attacked the Roman city of Camulodonum (modern day Colchester) killing every single person inside, then went on to defeat a Roman force of 2,000 professional soldiers of the 9th legion that had just arrived outside that city.

Once in Londinium, the Iceni spared nobody in the Romanized capital. Contemporary reports put the death toll at close to 70,000 soldiers and citizens. Things were looking so bad for the Romans, the Emperor seriously considered abandoning Britain entirely, and returning all his soldiers and citizens to Rome.

However, Roman General Gaius Suetonius Paulinus returned with his army from a campaign in Wales, determined to crush the Iceni rebellion. Joined by other British tribes, Boudica took an army estimated to be almost 80,000 strong, and set off to meet the approaching Romans. Somewhere in modern-day Shropshire, on the old Roman road named Watling Street, the armies clashed in AD61.

Despite his force being heavily outnumbered, Suetonius had 10,000 well trained and battle-hardened soldiers under his command who could be relied upon to fight in formation, and obey every order.

By contrast, Boudica’s huge force was relatively untrained, poorly equipped, and had just travelled a long way on foot, living off the land. They attacked the Roman army in a disorganised fashion, and were easliy beaten, with most of their number being killed. It was said that Boudica took poison when she realised they would be defeated, rather than face capture, and the shame of slavery.

Boudica (also called Boadicea) is commemorated by this statue, on the north side of Westminster Bridge in London.

She is known to history as ‘The Warrior Queen’ of England.

45 thoughts on “Queen Boudica And The Iceni”

  3. Thank you for that piece of history, Pete. Very interesting. I especially like the map, because for those of us across the pond, we need a visual to put a ‘face’ to the names of your areas. Now, I know where your location is- that’s a bonus.

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  10. There is an absolutely wonderful 4 book series by Manda Scott (historical fiction) that haas been my favourite set of books ever, I’ve read them all at least twice, she has researched the heck out of those times and it starts when Boudicca is 12- well worth a read if any of your commenters are intterested.

    Link to first one- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Boudica-Dreaming-Eagle-Book/dp/B0821CW32J/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2TQGLU9W0FWVZ&keywords=manda+scott&qid=1655840019&sprefix=manda+scott%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-2

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      2. I keep forgetting to ask, did you get a copy of my pal’s book on the Russian civil war? I gifted you one but didn’t get any notification that it had arrived. Or, I completely forgot you already told me 🤣

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  13. Some of your history I did not know, Pete. Thanks.
    I believe more people would be surprised if they investigated the history of their own surroundings.

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  15. Thanks for a reminder of one of our very dramatic periods of history, the carnage is beyond imagining. Sad to think how many functioning societies get forgotten about or destroyed by invaders.

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    1. Thanks, Janet. England had quite a complex tribal society before the Romans arrived. Most of that cuture was sadly subsumed into a very ‘Romanized’ Britain.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  17. (1) When asked by Boudica if he was a threat, Roman General Gaius Suetonius Paulinus replied, “First of all, boudiful lady, you can call me Paul. And second of all, don’t worry about me. I’m just the driver.”
    (2) “At least she wasn’t burned at the stake!” (Jeanne d’Arc, who fought the British but finally met her match)
    (3) In the Old West, Native Americans called soldiers who arrived by locomotive, and then jumped off along with their horses, “untrained warriors.”
    (4) A soldier promised Boudica that after she took the poison, he’d send for her chariot so that her body could be transported back to Norfolk. He assured the queen that her chariot would swing down into a valley so as to not to be spotted by the Romans. Boudica smiled, and began singing:
    ♬ Swing low, sweet chariot
    ♬ Coming for to carry me home
    ♬ Swing low, sweet chariot
    ♬ Coming for to carry me home
    (5) The Iceni had ice in their veins. But they melted in the heat of battle.

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  18. A fascinating character, although having a well-trained professional army helped Romans conquer pretty much everywhere. Thanks for sharing this, Pete. Always good to learn more.

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    1. Thanks, Olga. I became more interested in the Iceni once I moved to what was their ‘territory’. Sadly, many people here have never heard of them, although some have a vague idea about Boudica.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  19. I’ve written about early Britain, namely concerning what happened to my ancestors in 1066, but never about Boudicca, despite the fact I was born well within her realm, here in North Suffolk. how remiss of me…

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    1. Since moving to Norfolk, i have though about the Iceni a lot. There was a replica village at Cockley Cley near Swaffham that I was going to visit, but by the time I got there, it had closed down permanently for lack of interest. Apparently, it was unimpressive…
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. I often wonder how different England would be now if Boudica’s army had been well-trained, seen off the Romans, and we would not have had the prolonged influence of Rome in Britain. Sadly, the Iceni were too obsessed with being ‘brave warriors’ instead of being soldiers.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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