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Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.
Renatus wrote:
 
Impelled by this outrage and the dread of worse to come - for they had now been reduced to the status of a province - they flew to arms, and incited to rebellion the Trinobantes and others . . . (Tacitus, Annals, 14.31)

The term “flew to arms” troubles me. What is the real meaning. Is it that they picked up their weapons immediately and went on the attack or was it a more measured approach?
 
I take the view that as Prasutugus died in AD59 and the revolt did not happen until the summer of AD60, it took a few months at least to arm themselves and to form alliances with the Trinovantes and others, so not just the Trinovantes and the Iceni were involved in the original uprising.   
 
Renatus wrote:

Nothing, however, pressed so hard as famine on an enemy who, careless about the sowing of his crops, had diverted all ages of the population to military purposes, while marking out our supplies for his own purposes. (Tacitus, Annals, 14.38)

This is possible but I think that the carnage of Boudica’s battle itself is the possible answer. The deaths of so many able and fit people would have had a marked affect on any of the winter wheat planting for AD60 with a reduced yield for AD61
 
Also Paulinus had a burnt earth policy after the first battle and forced most of the rebelling Brythons into the fens which appears to be borne out by recent archaeology.
 
Renatus wrote:
 
It is established that close upon 70,000 Roman citizens and allies fell in the places mentioned. (Tacitus, Annals, 14.33)

This does indeed indicate that London, St Albans and Colchester were populous places with a large number of Roman citizens.
 
Renatus wrote:
 
Buduica, at the head of an army of about 230,000 men . . . (Dio, 62.8)

This was later in this campaign when Boudica’s star was in the ascendant. Many extra tribes were attracted to her banner to get rid of the Romans and in typical Brythonic style they switched allegiances to Boudica.  
 
Renatus wrote:

They were in unprecedented numbers, and confidence ran so high that they brought even their wives to witness the victory and installed them in waggons, which they stationed just over the extreme fringe of the plain. (Tacitus, Annals, 14.34)

There is no doubt that this was a big operation and I would agree that the confidence of the Brythons must have been high with the huge number of fighters in comparison to the Roman force they were to fight and also the destruction of  the Roman towns and the defeat of a Legion (or part of a Legion) and also the capture of a number of forts. 
 
There is no mention of children at all although there is mention of large numbers of cattle being slaughtered.
 
Most armies had their camp followers and the Brythons would have had theirs especially as they were so confident.
 
Therefore this does not seem like a mIgraton.
 
My other concern about the whole tribe being on the road for any length of time, let alone a year, is that they would have destroyed the lands they were travelling through.
 
Often wars were averted and peoples would surrender just on the threat of invasion because of the devastation caused to food stocks just by an army marching through its territories.
 
Renatus wrote:

. . . by some accounts, little less than 80,000 Britons fell, at a cost of some 400 Romans killed . . . (Tacitus, Annals, 14.37)

 
Possibly a correct figure but if that was the case, according to the figures quoted,  some 150,000 survived – still a mighty host who dispersed on the news of Boudica's death.
 
Renatus wrote:
 
The fact that Iceni of all ages flew to the war and that they neglected to sow crops for the coming season, coupled with the presence of the wives at the final battle, indicates that this was little less than a whole tribe on the march and that they had, in effect, abandoned their homeland for at least a year, until the object of the rebellion, the elimination of Roman influence in Britain, had been achieved.  Thus, it is unlikely that they would have returned to defend their homeland from Roman retaliation because there was nothing, apart from deserted villages, to protect.
  
For the reasons that I have outlined above I do not think that the Iceni left their homeland in a mass migration. They were fighting in the first place to keep their way of life and their lands from being subsumed into the Roman Province, so why would they desert it?

Prasutugus was known for his wealth but where this originated from is unclear. Was it in their land,  their trade or else where? The basis of any wealth is land. 

All the other land roundabout was already taken by other tribes.

This would be the same for the Trinovantes and others. 


Deryk
Deryk
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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
RE: Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand. - by Theoderic - 11-27-2015, 10:16 PM

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