Gaius Suetonius Paulinus Gaius Suetonius Paulinus , also spelled Paullinus , ( fl . 1st century ) was a Roman general best known as the commander who defeated the rebellion of Boudica . A note about his name . When Tacitus refers to Gaius Suetonius Paulinus by one name , he almost invariably uses " Suetonius " rather than " Paulinus " , and this convention is used here . It should however be noted that many later sources prefer to use " Paulinus " , as " Suetonius " is usually understood to refer to the historian . Career . Having been " praetor " , he went to Mauretania in 41 AD as " legatus legionis " to suppress a revolt . He was the first Roman to cross the Atlas Mountains , and Pliny the Elder quotes his description of the area in his " Natural History " . Gaius Suetonius with his expedition south of the Atlas mountains was one of the first European explorers of Saharan Africa . Governor of Roman Britain . In 59 he was appointed governor of Britain , replacing Quintus Veranius , who had died in office . He continued Veranius ' s policy of aggressively subduing the tribes of modern Wales , and was successful for his first two years in the post . His reputation as a general came to rival that of Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo . Two future governors served under him : Quintus Petillius Cerialis as legate of Legio IX " Hispana " , and Gnaeus Julius Agricola as a military tribune attached to II " Augusta " , but seconded to Suetonius ' s staff . In 61 Suetonius made an assault on the island of Mona ( Anglesey ) , a refuge for British fugitives and a stronghold of the druids . The tribes of the south - east took advantage of his absence and staged a revolt , led by queen Boudica of the Iceni . The " colonia " of Camulodunum ( Colchester ) was destroyed , its inhabitants tortured , raped , and slaughtered , and Petillius Cerialis ' s legion routed . Suetonius brought Mona to terms and marched along the Roman road of Watling Street to Londinium ( London ) , the rebels ' next target , but judged he did not have the numbers to defend the city and ordered it evacuated . The Britons duly destroyed it , the citizens of Londinium suffering the same fate as those of Camulodunum , and then did the same to Verulamium ( St Albans ) . Suetonius regrouped with the XIV " Gemina " , some detachments of the " XX Valeria Victrix " , and all available auxiliaries . The II " Augusta " , based at Exeter , was available , but its prefect , Poenius Postumus , declined to heed the call . Nonetheless , Suetonius was able to assemble a force of about ten thousand men . Heavily outnumbered ( the Britons numbered 100 , 000 according to Tacitus , 230 , 000 according to Dio Cassius ) , the Romans stood their ground . The resulting Battle of Watling Street took place at an unidentified location in a defile with a wood behind him , probably in the West Midlands somewhere along Watling Street - High Cross in Leicestershire and Manduessedum near the modern day town of Atherstone in Warwickshire have been suggested - where Roman tactics and discipline triumphed over British numbers . The Britons ' flight was impeded by the presence of their own families , whom they had stationed in a ring of wagons at the edge of the battlefield , and defeat turned into slaughter . Tacitus heard reports that almost eighty thousand Britons were killed , compared to only four hundred Romans . Boudica poisoned herself , and Postumus , having denied his men a share in the victory , fell on his sword . Suetonius reinforced his army with legionaries and auxiliaries from Germania and conducted punitive operations against any remaining pockets of resistance , but this proved counterproductive . The new procurator , Gaius Julius Alpinus Classicianus , expressed concern to the Emperor Nero that Suetonius ' s activities would only lead to continued hostilities . An inquiry was set up under Nero ' s freedman , Polyclitus , and an excuse , that Suetonius had lost some ships , was found to relieve him of his command . He was replaced by the more conciliatory Publius Petronius Turpilianus . Suetonius became " consul ordinarius " in 66 . In 69 , during the year of civil wars that followed the death of Nero ( see Year of four emperors ) , he was one of Otho ' s senior generals and military advisors . He and Publius Marius Celsus defeated Aulus Caecina Alienus , one of Vitellius ' s generals , near Cremona , but Suetonius would not allow his men to follow up their advantage and was accused of treachery as a result . When Caecina joined his forces with those of Fabius Valens , Suetonius advised Otho not to risk a battle but was overruled , leading to Otho ' s decisive defeat at Bedriacum . Suetonius was captured by Vitellius and obtained a pardon by claiming that he had deliberately lost the battle for Otho , although this was almost certainly untrue . His eventual fate remains unknown .