04-19-2006, 08:15 AM
Ave!
Here is an alternative version for the purposes of comparison.
"Boudica's story
Following the Roman invasion of AD 43, all the British tribes that put up a fight were eventually defeated. Others were more pragmatic.
The Iceni, who occupied what is now modern Norfolk and north Suffolk, had kept out of the internecine warfare so popular in pre-Roman Britain. When the Romans invaded, they again kept out of the conflict and were awarded 'client kingdom' status by the victors.
The client kingdoms maintained a considerable amount of independence – for instance, their rulers were allowed to mint coin. They were bound by treaty to Rome, which, in return, gave them backing, often against rivals. Nevertheless, the Romans always took the view that they could intervene in the internal affairs of their client kingdoms at any time.
In AD 47, the Iceni unsuccessfully revolted against Rome when the latter tried to disarm them. Their king was killed, and in his place, the Romans appointed Prasutagus as 'client king'.
The humiliated queen
The Romans left the Iceni alone as long as Prasutagus was alive. Then, in AD 60, he died. Prasutagus had tried to guard against this day by drawing up a will in which he left his kingdom jointly to his two daughters and to the Roman emperor Nero. At the least, he thought, this would give his widow Boudica and their children half of his property.
Unfortunately the Romans decided to interpret the will very much in their own favour. Client kingdoms were going out of fashion; direct rule was now more to the Romans' taste. On the emperor Nero's orders, the imperial procurator Decianus Catus seized all of Prasutagus's estate and declared that any resistance would be treated as an act of rebellion. When Boudica took the matter to a higher Roman authority, she was, according to the Roman historian Tacitus, publicly stripped and flogged and her daughters raped.
Even the humiliated Boudica must have cut a striking figure. According to another Roman historian, Cassius Dio, writing 150 years later: 'She was very tall and her aspect was terrifying, for her eyes flashed fiercely and her voice was harsh. A mass of red hair fell down to her hips, and around her neck was a twisted gold necklace.'
Rebellion
The treatment meted out to Boudica and her daughters – and to their people, many of whom were evicted and made slaves – turned the previously pragmatic Iceni into rebels. They attracted support from other tribes, particularly the neighbouring Trinovantes, which suggests widespread British discontent with Roman rule.
Setting out from the Iceni centre at Thetford in Norfolk in AD 61, Boudica and her followers descended on the Roman colonia of Camulodunum – modern-day Colchester – which they burned to the ground. Then they marched on to Londinium (London), which they sacked and razed. Finally, they turned north to Verulamium (present-day St Albans, Hertfordshire), on which they inflicted great damage.
According to Tacitus, a total of about 70,000 Romans were killed, including part of the 9th Legion. Boudica's successes so far were undoubtedly helped by the absence of the Roman governor Suetonius Paulinus and a number of legions, who were campaigning in north Wales.
Alerted to the rebellion, Paulinus hastened south-east with two legions. His forces and those of Boudica met somewhere in the Midlands. Where is not exactly known, but many historians believe it to have been at Mancetter in Warwickshire. Here the Iceni's luck ran out: they were slaughtered. It is said that Boudica poisoned herself rather than be taken by the Romans alive.
The aftermath
The immediate result of Boudica's rebellion and defeat was the harsh repression carried out by Suetonius Paulinus on the British tribes. This led to clashes with the new procurator Julius Classicianus, and eventually the governor was recalled to Rome. Under other governors, the military conquest of Britain was halted for about a decade, while the Romans consolidated what they already had and replaced the client kingdoms with direct rule.
Boudica was forgotten for centuries. Then, during the Renaissance, manuscripts unearthed in Italy revealed her story. But interest in her was limited until the 19th century, when it was sparked by the fact that 'Boudica' is the Celtic word for 'victory' – so the Iceni ruler was the very first Queen Victoria. The famous statue depicting her – mistakenly labelled as 'Boadicea' – was erected next to the Houses of Parliament in 1902."
I found this piece here http://www.channel4.com/history/microsi ... boud1.html
Vale
M. Spedius Corbulo
Here is an alternative version for the purposes of comparison.
"Boudica's story
Following the Roman invasion of AD 43, all the British tribes that put up a fight were eventually defeated. Others were more pragmatic.
The Iceni, who occupied what is now modern Norfolk and north Suffolk, had kept out of the internecine warfare so popular in pre-Roman Britain. When the Romans invaded, they again kept out of the conflict and were awarded 'client kingdom' status by the victors.
The client kingdoms maintained a considerable amount of independence – for instance, their rulers were allowed to mint coin. They were bound by treaty to Rome, which, in return, gave them backing, often against rivals. Nevertheless, the Romans always took the view that they could intervene in the internal affairs of their client kingdoms at any time.
In AD 47, the Iceni unsuccessfully revolted against Rome when the latter tried to disarm them. Their king was killed, and in his place, the Romans appointed Prasutagus as 'client king'.
The humiliated queen
The Romans left the Iceni alone as long as Prasutagus was alive. Then, in AD 60, he died. Prasutagus had tried to guard against this day by drawing up a will in which he left his kingdom jointly to his two daughters and to the Roman emperor Nero. At the least, he thought, this would give his widow Boudica and their children half of his property.
Unfortunately the Romans decided to interpret the will very much in their own favour. Client kingdoms were going out of fashion; direct rule was now more to the Romans' taste. On the emperor Nero's orders, the imperial procurator Decianus Catus seized all of Prasutagus's estate and declared that any resistance would be treated as an act of rebellion. When Boudica took the matter to a higher Roman authority, she was, according to the Roman historian Tacitus, publicly stripped and flogged and her daughters raped.
Even the humiliated Boudica must have cut a striking figure. According to another Roman historian, Cassius Dio, writing 150 years later: 'She was very tall and her aspect was terrifying, for her eyes flashed fiercely and her voice was harsh. A mass of red hair fell down to her hips, and around her neck was a twisted gold necklace.'
Rebellion
The treatment meted out to Boudica and her daughters – and to their people, many of whom were evicted and made slaves – turned the previously pragmatic Iceni into rebels. They attracted support from other tribes, particularly the neighbouring Trinovantes, which suggests widespread British discontent with Roman rule.
Setting out from the Iceni centre at Thetford in Norfolk in AD 61, Boudica and her followers descended on the Roman colonia of Camulodunum – modern-day Colchester – which they burned to the ground. Then they marched on to Londinium (London), which they sacked and razed. Finally, they turned north to Verulamium (present-day St Albans, Hertfordshire), on which they inflicted great damage.
According to Tacitus, a total of about 70,000 Romans were killed, including part of the 9th Legion. Boudica's successes so far were undoubtedly helped by the absence of the Roman governor Suetonius Paulinus and a number of legions, who were campaigning in north Wales.
Alerted to the rebellion, Paulinus hastened south-east with two legions. His forces and those of Boudica met somewhere in the Midlands. Where is not exactly known, but many historians believe it to have been at Mancetter in Warwickshire. Here the Iceni's luck ran out: they were slaughtered. It is said that Boudica poisoned herself rather than be taken by the Romans alive.
The aftermath
The immediate result of Boudica's rebellion and defeat was the harsh repression carried out by Suetonius Paulinus on the British tribes. This led to clashes with the new procurator Julius Classicianus, and eventually the governor was recalled to Rome. Under other governors, the military conquest of Britain was halted for about a decade, while the Romans consolidated what they already had and replaced the client kingdoms with direct rule.
Boudica was forgotten for centuries. Then, during the Renaissance, manuscripts unearthed in Italy revealed her story. But interest in her was limited until the 19th century, when it was sparked by the fact that 'Boudica' is the Celtic word for 'victory' – so the Iceni ruler was the very first Queen Victoria. The famous statue depicting her – mistakenly labelled as 'Boadicea' – was erected next to the Houses of Parliament in 1902."
I found this piece here http://www.channel4.com/history/microsi ... boud1.html
Vale
M. Spedius Corbulo
![[Image: spedius-mcmxliii.gif]](http://www.nhmgs.org/images/spedius-mcmxliii.gif)
