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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Quote:Time for a recap (and, perhaps, some new ideas).

An excellent and very detailed summary, Michael - thanks. I have a few responses (of course), but I'll try not to repeat myself too much...


Quote:Celebration of the vernal equinox in mid-March could, perhaps, have provided a pretext for the meeting.

Very convincing! This would fit with the timescale as I imagine it. I also like your points about the extent and composition of the revolt - detailed examination of the original source texts is always welcome.


Quote:Paulinus decided to abandon the town... His reasons for taking the civilians are not explained and the only explanation that I can offer is that they were those whose wealth and expertise would be needed in reconstructing the province after the defeat of the rebellion.

I would assume that he principally took Roman citizens with him. Loss of citizen lives, especially after the fall of Colchester, would blacken his reputation much more than the loss of a flimsy little trading settlement or two...


Quote:It is likely that Paulinus’ principal concern would have been to seek reinforcements for his force

I'm not sure. Paulinus did, apparently, consider making a stand in London. He couldn't rely on being reinforced, and possibly always believed that he had the men to defeat Boudica. His 'principal concern', I think, would be to find a location where a small disciplined force could defeat a larger one.

Actually, if P was after reinforcements, surely finding a safe central location and staying there waiting for them to come to him would be preferable to heading off across the map looking for them? We've already discussed the difficulties of long-distance coordination...
;-)


Quote:Withdrawal into hostile territory would have been militarily unwise and the more so without the certainty of reinforcement.

A colonial governor with a small force facing a potential tribal insurgency has two options, it seems to me. He could withdraw from the hostile area, in the hope of returning later with more men. Or he could remain in the vicinity of the hostiles in the hope that his presence will deter an outbreak. Both strategies have their risks. By moving away, the threat is removed from potential rebels, leaving them free to lead an uprising. Staying close, there is a risk of being surrounded and overwhelmed.

In this case, as an uprising in the Midlands would divide the province and cut Paulinus' route to his only sure source of reinforcements (north Wales), I consider it more likely that he would have remained on Watling street in an attempt to deter an open outbreak. But it's a gamble either way.


Quote:The alternative withdrawal route from London to the west... would take him into the territory of the friendly king of the Atrebates, Cogidubnus

Ah, but as I've said - how could Paulinus know he was friendly? There's a risk here too - if Cogidubnus decided to throw in his lot with the rebels, or his people threw off their allegiance to him and attacked the Romans, Paulinus would be totally sunk - no defensive position, and his whole army and refugees cut off in open country. How much did Paulinus know of Cogidubnus? Intelligence networks in the south would probably fall into the procurator's ambit; with the flight of their chief, they would be in chaos.

I don't think it's impossible, of course - but we can't rely on it either. I think Paulinus would be hesitant about committing his security so heavily to the goodwill of a native king. Far better to look to his own defence and act independently...

:-)
Nathan Ross
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Messages In This Thread
Re: Calling all armchair generals! - by Ensifer - 03-11-2010, 03:13 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-18-2012, 06:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 12:02 AM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 02:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 05:40 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 02-19-2012, 11:26 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 05:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 09:42 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-24-2012, 10:10 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:11 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 03:25 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-25-2012, 08:36 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-26-2012, 02:57 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 04-27-2012, 01:50 PM
Re: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Steve Kaye - 08-05-2012, 02:24 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-07-2014, 02:18 PM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-08-2014, 01:50 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-11-2014, 02:03 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-18-2014, 07:54 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-20-2014, 02:37 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by antiochus - 11-25-2014, 08:29 AM
Calling all armchair generals! Boudica\'s Last Stand. - by Nathan Ross - 11-08-2012, 05:44 PM

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