Boudica Boudica ( ; alternative spelling : Boudicca ) , also known as Boadicea , and known in Welsh as Buddug ( d . AD 60 or 61 ) was queen of the British Iceni tribe , a Celtic tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire . Boudica ' s husband Prasutagus was ruler of the Iceni tribe , who had ruled as a nominally independent ally of Rome , and had left his kingdom jointly to his daughters and the Roman Emperor in his will . However , when he died , his will was ignored and the kingdom was annexed as if conquered . Boudica was flogged , her daughters were raped , and Roman financiers called in their loans . In AD 60 or 61 , while the Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus was leading a campaign on the island of Anglesey off the northwest coast of Wales , Boudica led the Iceni as well as the Trinovantes and others in revolt . They destroyed Camulodunum , which is modern Colchester . Camulodunum was earlier the capital of the Trinovantes , but at that time was a " colonia " — a settlement for discharged Roman soldiers , as well as the site of a temple to the former Emperor Claudius . Upon hearing the news of the revolt , Suetonius hurried to Londinium ( modern London ) , the twenty - year - old commercial settlement that was the rebels ' next target . Concluding that they did not have the numbers to defend the settlement , it was evacuated and abandoned . Boudica led 100 , 000 Iceni , Trinovantes and others to fight the Legio IX Hispana and burned and destroyed Londinium , and Verulamium ( modern - day St Albans ) . An estimated 70 , 000 – 80 , 000 Romans and British were killed in the three cities by those led by Boudica . Suetonius , meanwhile , regrouped his forces in the West Midlands , and despite being heavily outnumbered , defeated the Britons in the Battle of Watling Street . The crisis caused the Emperor Nero to consider withdrawing all Roman forces from Britain , but Suetonius ' eventual victory over Boudica confirmed Roman control of the province . Boudica then either killed herself so she would not be captured , or fell ill and died . The extant sources , Tacitus and Cassius Dio , differ . Interest in the history of these events was revived during the English Renaissance and led to a resurgence of Boudica ' s fame during the Victorian era , and Queen Victoria was portrayed as her " namesake " . Boudica has since remained an important cultural symbol in the United Kingdom . However , the absence of native British literature during the early part of the first millennium means that knowledge of Boudica ' s rebellion solely comes from the writings of the Romans . History . Boudica ' s name . Boudica has been known by several versions of her name . Raphael Holinshed calls her Voadicia , while Edmund Spenser calls her Bunduca , a version of the name that was used in the popular Jacobean play " Bonduca " , in 1612 . William Cowper ' s poem , " Boadicea , an ode " ( 1782 ) popularised an alternate version of the name . From the 19th century and much of the late 20th century , " Boadicea " was the most common version of the name , which is probably derived from a mistranscription when a manuscript of Tacitus was copied in the Middle Ages . Her name was clearly spelled Boudicca in the best manuscripts of Tacitus , but also " Βουδουικα " , " Βουνδουικα " , and " Βοδουικα " in the ( later and probably secondary ) epitome of Cassius Dio . The name is attested in inscriptions as " Boudica " in Lusitania , Boudiga in Bordeaux , and Bodicca in Algeria . Kenneth Jackson concludes , based on later development of Welsh and Irish , that the name derives from the Proto - Celtic feminine adjective " * boudīka " , " victorious " , that in turn is derived from the Celtic word " * bouda " , " victory " ( cf . Irish " bua " ( Classical Irish " buadh " ) , " Buaidheach " , Welsh " buddugoliaeth " ) , and that the correct spelling of the name in the British language is " Boudica " , pronounced . The closest English equivalent to the vowel in the first syllable is the " ow " in " bow - and - arrow " ) . The modern English pronunciation is , and it has been suggested that the most comparable English name , in meaning only , would be " Victoria " . Background . Tacitus and Dio agree that Boudica was of royal descent . Dio says that she was " possessed of greater intelligence than often belongs to women " , that she was tall and had hair described as red , reddish - brown , or tawny hanging below her waist . Dio also says she had a harsh voice and piercing glare , and habitually wore a large golden necklace ( perhaps a torc ) , a many - coloured tunic , and a thick cloak fastened by a brooch . Her husband Prasutagus was the king of Iceni , the people who inhabited roughly what is now Norfolk . They initially were not part of the territory under direct Roman control , having voluntarily allied themselves to Rome following Claudius ' conquest of AD 43 . They were proud of their independence , and had revolted in AD 47 when the then - governor Publius Ostorius Scapula threatened to disarm them . Prasutagus had lived a long life of conspicuous wealth and , hoping to preserve his line , made the Roman emperor co - heir to his kingdom , along with his wife and two daughters . It was normal Roman practice to allow allied kingdoms their independence only for the lifetime of their client king , who would then agree to leave his kingdom to Rome in his will . For example , the provinces of Bithynia and Galatia , were incorporated into the Empire in just this way . Roman law also allowed inheritance only through the male line , so when Prasutagus died , his attempts to preserve his line were ignored and his kingdom was annexed as if it had been conquered . His lands and property were confiscated and nobles treated like slaves . According to Tacitus , Boudica was flogged and her daughters were raped . Cassius Dio says that Roman financiers , including Seneca the Younger , chose this time to call in their loans . Tacitus does not mention this , but does single out the Roman procurator Catus Decianus for criticism for his " avarice " . Prasutagus , it seems , had lived well on borrowed Roman money , and on his death his subjects had become liable for the debt . Boudica ' s uprising . In AD 60 or 61 , while the current governor , Gaius Suetonius Paulinus , was leading a campaign against the island of Mona ( modern Anglesey ) in the north of Wales , which was a refuge for British rebels and a stronghold of the druids , the Iceni conspired with their neighbours the Trinovantes , amongst others , to revolt . Boudica was chosen as their leader . According to Tacitus , they drew inspiration from the example of Arminius , the prince of the Cherusci who had driven the Romans out of Germany in AD 9 , and their own ancestors who had driven Julius Caesar from Britain . Dio says that at the outset Boudica employed a form of divination , releasing a hare from the folds of her dress and interpreting the direction in which it ran , and invoked Andraste , a British goddess of victory . The rebels ' first target was Camulodunum ( Colchester ) , the former Trinovantian capital and , at that time , a Roman " colonia " . The Roman veterans who had been settled there mistreated the locals and a temple to the former emperor Claudius had been erected there at local expense , making the city a focus for resentment . The Roman inhabitants sought reinforcements from the procurator , Catus Decianus , but he sent only two hundred auxiliary troops . Boudica ' s army fell on the poorly defended city and destroyed it , besieging the last defenders in the temple for two days before it fell . Archaeologists have shown that the city was methodically demolished . The future governor Quintus Petillius Cerialis , then commanding the Legio IX " Hispana " , attempted to relieve the city , but suffered an overwhelming defeat . His infantry was wiped out — only the commander and some of his cavalry escaped . The location of this famous destruction of the Legio IX is now claimed by some to be the village of Great Wratting , in Suffolk , which lies in the Stour Valley on the Icknield Way West of Colchester , and by a village in Essex . After this defeat , Catus Decianus fled to Gaul . When news of the rebellion reached him , Suetonius hurried along Watling Street through hostile territory to Londinium . Londinium was a relatively new settlement , founded after the conquest of AD 43 , but it had grown to be a thriving commercial centre with a population of travellers , traders , and , probably , Roman officials . Suetonius considered giving battle there , but considering his lack of numbers and chastened by Petillius ' s defeat , decided to sacrifice the city to save the province . . . . Alarmed by this disaster and by the fury of the province which he had goaded into war by his rapacity , the procurator Catus crossed over into Gaul . Suetonius , however , with wonderful resolution , marched amidst a hostile population to Londinium , which , though undistinguished by the name of a colony , was much frequented by a number of merchants and trading vessels . Uncertain whether he should choose it as a seat of war , as he looked round on his scanty force of soldiers , and remembered with what a serious warning the rashness of Petilius had been punished , he resolved to save the province at the cost of a single town . Nor did the tears and weeping of the people , as they implored his aid , deter him from giving the signal of departure and receiving into his army all who would go with him . Those who were chained to the spot by the weakness of their sex , or the infirmity of age , or the attractions of the place , were cut off by the enemy . Londinium was abandoned to the rebels who burnt it down , slaughtering anyone who had not evacuated with Suetonius . Archaeology shows a thick red layer of burnt debris covering coins and pottery dating before AD 60 within the bounds of Roman Londinium . , whilst Roman - era skulls found in the Walbrook in 2013 were potentially linked to victims of the rebels . Verulamium ( St Albans ) was next to be destroyed . In the three settlements destroyed , between seventy and eighty thousand people are said to have been killed . Tacitus says that the Britons had no interest in taking or selling prisoners , only in slaughter by gibbet , fire , or cross . Dio ' s account gives more detail ; that the noblest women were impaled on spikes and had their breasts cut off and sewn to their mouths , " to the accompaniment of sacrifices , banquets , and wanton behaviour " in sacred places , particularly the groves of Andraste . Romans rally . While Boudica ' s army continued their assault in Verulamium ( St . Albans ) , Suetonius regrouped his forces . According to Tacitus , he amassed a force including his own Legio XIV " Gemina " , some " vexillationes " ( detachments ) of the XX " Valeria Victrix " , and any available auxiliaries . The prefect of Legio II " Augusta " , Poenius Postumus , stationed near Exeter , ignored the call , and a fourth legion , IX " Hispana " , had been routed trying to relieve Camulodunum , but nonetheless the governor was able to call on almost ten thousand men . Suetonius took a stand at an unidentified location , probably in the West Midlands somewhere along the Roman road now known as Watling Street , in a defile with a wood behind him — but his men were heavily outnumbered . Dio says that , even if they were lined up one deep , they would not have extended the length of Boudica ' s line . By now the rebel forces were said to have numbered 230 , 000 , however , this number should be treated with scepticism — Dio ' s account is known only from a late epitome , and ancient sources commonly exaggerate enemy numbers . Boudica exhorted her troops from her chariot , her daughters beside her . Tacitus gives her a short speech in which she presents herself not as an aristocrat avenging her lost wealth , but as an ordinary person , avenging her lost freedom , her battered body , and the abused chastity of her daughters . She said their cause was just , and the deities were on their side ; the one legion that had dared to face them had been destroyed . She , a woman , was resolved to win or die ; if the men wanted to live in slavery , that was their choice . However , the lack of manoeuvrability of the British forces , combined with lack of open - field tactics to command these numbers , put them at a disadvantage to the Romans , who were skilled at open combat due to their superior equipment and discipline . Also , the narrowness of the field meant that Boudica could put forth only as many troops as the Romans could at a given time . First , the Romans stood their ground and used volleys of " pila " ( heavy javelins ) to kill thousands of Britons who were rushing toward the Roman lines . The Roman soldiers , who had now used up their " pila " , were then able to engage Boudica ' s second wave in the open . As the Romans advanced in a wedge formation , the Britons attempted to flee , but were impeded by the presence of their own families , whom they had stationed in a ring of wagons at the edge of the battlefield , and were slaughtered . This is not the first instance of this tactic — the women of the Cimbri , in the Battle of Vercellae against Gaius Marius , were stationed in a line of wagons and acted as a last line of defence . Ariovistus of the Suebi is reported to have done the same thing in his battle against Julius Caesar . Tacitus reports that " according to one report almost eighty thousand Britons fell " compared with only four hundred Romans . According to Tacitus in his " Annals " , Boudica poisoned herself , though in the " Agricola " which was written almost twenty years prior he mentions nothing of suicide and attributes the end of the revolt to " socordia " ( " indolence " ) ; Dio says she fell sick and died and then was given a lavish burial ; though this may be a convenient way to remove her from the story . Considering Dio must have read Tacitus , it is worth noting he mentions nothing about suicide ( which was also how Postumus and Nero ended their lives ) . Postumus , on hearing of the Roman victory , fell on his sword . Catus Decianus , who had fled to Gaul , was replaced by Gaius Julius Alpinus Classicianus . Suetonius conducted punitive operations , but criticism by Classicianus led to an investigation headed by Nero ' s freedman Polyclitus . Fearing Suetonius ' actions would provoke further rebellion , Nero replaced the governor with the more conciliatory Publius Petronius Turpilianus . The historian Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus tells us the crisis had almost persuaded Nero to abandon Britain . Location of her defeat . The location of Boudica ' s defeat is unknown . Most historians favour a site in the West Midlands , somewhere along the Roman road now known as Watling Street . Kevin K . Carroll suggests a site close to High Cross in Leicestershire , on the junction of Watling Street and the Fosse Way , which would have allowed the Legio II " Augusta " , based at Exeter , to rendezvous with the rest of Suetonius ' s forces , had they not failed to do so . Manduessedum ( Mancetter ) , near the modern town of Atherstone in Warwickshire , has also been suggested , as has " The Rampart " near Messing in Essex , according to legend . More recently , a discovery of Roman artefacts in Kings Norton close to Metchley Camp has suggested another possibility , and a thorough examination of a stretch of Watling Street between St . Albans , Boudica ' s last known location , and the Fosse Way junction has suggested the Cuttle Mill area of Paulerspury in Northamptonshire , which has topography very closely matching that described by Tacitus of the scene of the battle . In 2009 it was suggested that the Iceni were returning to East Anglia along the Icknield Way when they encountered the Roman army in the vicinity of Arbury Bank , Hertfordshire . In March 2010 , evidence was published suggesting the site may be located at Church Stowe , Northamptonshire . Historical sources . Tacitus , the most important Roman historian of this period , took a particular interest in Britain as his father - in - law Gnaeus Julius Agricola served there three times ( and was the subject of his first book ) . Agricola was a military tribune under Suetonius Paulinus , which almost certainly gave Tacitus an eyewitness source for Boudica ' s revolt . Cassius Dio ' s account is only known from an epitome , and his sources are uncertain . He is generally agreed to have based his account on that of Tacitus , but he simplifies the sequence of events and adds details , such as the calling in of loans , that Tacitus does not mention . Gildas , in his 6th century " De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae " , may have been alluding to Boudica when he wrote " A treacherous lioness butchered the governors who had been left to give fuller voice and strength to the endeavours of Roman rule " . Cultural depictions . History and literature . By the Middle Ages Boudica was forgotten . She makes no appearance in Bede ' s work , the " Historia Brittonum " , the " Mabinogion " or Geoffrey of Monmouth ' s " History of the Kings of Britain " . But the rediscovery of the works of Tacitus during the Renaissance allowed Polydore Vergil to reintroduce her into British history as " Voadicea " in 1534 . Raphael Holinshed also included her story in his " Chronicles " ( 1577 ) , based on Tacitus and Dio , and inspired Shakespeare ' s younger contemporaries Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher to write a play , " Bonduca " , in 1610 . William Cowper wrote a popular poem , " Boadicea , an ode " , in 1782 . It was in the Victorian era that Boudica ' s fame took on legendary proportions as Queen Victoria came to be seen as Boudica ' s " namesake " , their names being identical in meaning . Victoria ' s Poet Laureate , Alfred , Lord Tennyson , wrote a poem , " Boadicea " , and several ships were named after her . A great bronze statue of Boudica with her daughters in her war chariot ( furnished with scythes after the Persian fashion ) was commissioned by Prince Albert and executed by Thomas Thornycroft . It was completed in 1905 and stands next to Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament , with the following lines from Cowper ' s poem , referring to the British Empire : < poem > Regions Caesar never knew Thy posterity shall sway . < / poem > Ironically , the great anti - imperialist rebel was now identified with the head of the British Empire , and her statue stood guard over the city she razed to the ground . In more recent times , Boudica has been the subject of numerous documentaries , including some by Discovery Channel , History International Channel ( now known as H2 ) , and the BBC . Boudica and King ' s Cross . The area of King ' s Cross , London was previously a village known as Battle Bridge which was an ancient crossing of the River Fleet . The original name of the bridge was Broad Ford Bridge . The name " Battle Bridge " led to a tradition that this was the site of a major battle between the Romans and the Iceni tribe led by Boudica . The tradition is not supported by any historical evidence and is rejected by modern historians . However Lewis Spence ' s 1937 book " Boadicea - warrior queen of the Britons " went so far as to include a map showing the positions of the opposing armies . There is a belief that she was buried between platforms 9 and 10 in King ' s Cross station in London , England . There is no evidence for this and it is probably a post - World War II invention . Fiction / Music / Film . Henry Purcell ' s last major work , composed in 1695 , was music for play entitled " Bonduca , or the British Heroine " ( Z . 574 ) . Selections include " To Arms " , " Britons , Strike Home " , and " O lead me to some peaceful gloom " . Boudica has also been the primary subject of songs by Irish singer / songwriter Enya , Dutch soprano Petra Berger , Scottish singer / songwriter Steve McDonald , English metal band Bal - Sagoth , Faith and the Muse , and Dreams in the Witching House . Boudica has been the subject of two feature films , the 1928 film " Boadicea " , where she was portrayed by Phyllis Neilson - Terry , and 2003 ' s " Boudica " ( " Warrior Queen " in the US ) , a UK TV film written by Andrew Davies and starring Alex Kingston as Boudica . She has also been the subject of a 1978 British TV series , " Warrior Queen " , starring Siân Phillips as Boudica . Jennifer Ward - Lealand portrayed Boudica in an episode of " " titled " The Deliverer " in 1997 . " The Viking Queen " is a 1967 Hammer Films adventure film set in ancient Britain , in which the role of Queen Salina is based upon the historical figure of Boudica . In the fictional world of " Ghosts of Albion " , Queen Bodicea is one of three Ghosts who once were mystical protectors of Albion and assists the current protectors with advice and knowledge . In The Mauritius Command by Patrick O ' Brian , the 4th novel of the Aubrey - Maturin series , Jack Aubrey is given command of the HMS Boadicea . Boudica ' s story is the subject of several novels , including books by Rosemary Sutcliff , Roxanne Gregory , Pauline Gedge , Manda Scott , Alan Gold , Diana L . Paxson , David Wishart , George Shipway , Simon Scarrow and J . F . Broxholme ( a pseudonym of Duncan Kyle ) . She plays a central role in the first part of G . A . Henty ' s novel " Beric the Briton " , and " The Queen ' s Brooch " , a children ' s novel by Henry Treece , is set during her rebellion . One of the viewpoint characters of Ian Watson ' s novel " Oracle " is an eyewitness to her defeat . She has also appeared in several comic book series , including the " Sláine " , which featured two runs , titled " Demon Killer " and " Queen of Witches " giving a free interpretation of Boudica ' s story . Other comic appearances include " Witchblade " and " From Hell " . The DC Comics character Boodikka , a member of the Green Lantern Corps , was named after Boudica . Additionally , in the alternate history novel " Ruled Britannia " by Harry Turtledove , Boudicca is the subject of a play written by William Shakespeare to incite the people of Britain to revolt against Spanish conquerors . Boudicca is a character in the animated series " Gargoyles " . The 2012 Big Finish Productions Doctor Who audio play " The Wrath of the Iceni " starring Tom Baker takes place during Boudica ' s uprising against the Romans . Boudica is portrayed by British actress Ella Kenion . In , Boudicca is the leader of the Celtic tribe . Enya recorded a song entitled " Boadicea " for her 1987 LP " Enya " . The lyrics of the song " The Good Old Days " , written by Pete Doherty and Carl Barat for British rock band The Libertines , refer to her under the alternate spelling ( " If Queen Boadicea is long dead and gone , Still then the spirit in her children ' s children ' s children , it lives on " ) . Martha Howe - Douglas played Boudica in Horrible Histories . Other cultural references . In 2003 an LTR retrotransposon from the genome of the human blood fluke " Schistosoma mansoni " was named " Boudicca " . The Boudicca retrotransposon , a high - copy retroviral - like element , was the first mobile genetic element of this type to be discovered in " S . mansoni " . In July 2008 , the UK Television series " Bonekickers " , dedicated an hour to Boudica in the episode named " The Eternal Fire " . Various female politicians , including former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark have been called Boadicea .