OUDICA Written by Claire Llewellyn Illustrated by Laura Tolton
Contents Who was Boudica? 2 Who were the Romans? 4 What was Britain like before the Romans? 6 A closer look: Life in Britain before the Romans 8 When did the Romans invade Britain? 10 What happened after the invasion? 12 How did the invasion affect local people? 14 What do we know about Boudica? 16 What happened after Prasutagus died? 18 What did the Romans do to Boudica? 20 Who might have stopped Boudica? 22 What did Boudica do? 24
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A closer look: Boudica’s fighters
26
What happened at Colchester?
28
What did Paulinus do when he heard the news? 30 What happened in London?
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A closer look: The Roman army
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How did the two armies compare?
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What happened in the battle?
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How did Boudica die?
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How do we know the story of Boudica?
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Glossary
44
Index
45
Boudica’s life
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Who was Boudica? Boudica was a queen who lived in Britain about 2,000Â years ago. Britain was very different then. It was home to many tribes, who lived in different parts of the country. Boudica was queen of a tribe called the Iceni. In about 43 CE, when Boudica was a young girl, Britain was invaded by the Romans. From then on, the Romans controlled all the tribes, and took their land and money. About 20 years after the invasion, Boudica rose up against the Romans. She built an army, raided Roman towns and led her warriors into battle.
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This book is all about Boudica. It explains why and how she fought the Romans and why she’s still remembered today.
DID YOU
KNOW?
The name Boudica means “victory”. The name is written and said in various ways: as Boudica, Boudicca and Boadicea.
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Who were the Romans? The Romans were a tough and powerful people, who came from Rome in Italy. They built a strong army with bold commanders and well-trained soldiers, who were well armed. From about 200 BCE, the Romans used their army to conquer other lands. In just a few hundred years, they built a huge empire, which was ruled over by an emperor. The people they conquered had to learn a new language, follow Roman laws and pay high taxes. The taxes made Rome rich. The money helped to pay for the army and build roads and towns. In about 58 BCE, the Romans invaded Gaul. Britain lay just over the sea, so the Romans decided to invade it too.
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Britain
France (Gaul)
Ita Spain
ly
Rome
Middle East North Africa
the purple areas show the Roman Empire in 41 CE
a modern reconstruction showing Roman soldiers lined up ready for battle
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What was Britain like before the Romans? At this time, the people of Britain weren’t a single nation. Instead, there were lots of different tribes, who spoke similar languages and could understand one another. Each tribe lived in a particular region, and had its own king or queen. Boudica’s tribe, the Iceni, lived in what’s now Norfolk. Tribes sometimes fell out with their neighbours and fought one another. The Iceni and the Trinovantes were neighbours. Iceni tribe Trinovantes tribe
Britons lived in villages like this.
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Most people had small farms and lived a simple, country life. There were no roads, no fine buildings and no large towns, so it was all very different from Rome. To the Romans, the Britons seemed rough and uncivilised. In fact, they were skilled artists who made beautiful metal goods, such as shields, brooches, coins and pots. These beautiful pieces of ancient British metalwork were found in the River Thames.
DID YOU
KNOW?
The Roman name for Britain was Britannia.
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A closer look: Life in Britain before the Romans Round houses Britons lived in small round houses built of wood, straw and mud. The houses had thick thatched roofs and no windows.
wall
Hillforts hill
ditch
Hillforts were larger villages built on top of hills. People dug deep ditches around their village so they could defend it from enemy tribes.
Clothes Clothes were made from linen or wool. Men wore tunics, trousers and cloaks, while women wore dresses, skirts and shawls. Clothes were coloured using dyes made from berries and plants. 8
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Jewellery y People loved jewellery. wellery. They fastened their heir cloaks with brooches and pins made from bronze, tin, silver or gold. The rich wore metal neckbands called ed “torcs�.
a solid gold torc
Food People gathered or grew food, such as grains, vegetables, berries and nuts. They hunted deer and other wild animals, and they kept cows, chickens, goats and sheep. g
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When did the Romans invade Britain? The famous general Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BCE. However, bad weather and fierce fighting by the Britons caused him great problems, and he returned to Gaul. About 100 years later, in 43 CE, there was a new Roman emperor called Claudius. He wanted more land, more money and more glory for Rome. He also wanted to show he was a great commander, so he decided to invade Britain again.
DID YOU
KNOW?
Britain was about 2,000 kilometres from Rome. Many Romans believed that it lay at the very edge of the world.
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A huge army of 40,000Â soldiers landed on the south coast of Britain. They marched inland, attacking hillforts until the locals surrendered. Then they pushed on ed further north and defeated more and more tribes. vasion This time the Roman invasion ritain succeeded, and life in Britain changed for ever. Emperor Claudius
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What happened after the invasion? Over the next 20 years, the Romans put down roots in Britain. They built forts to defend themselves, and towns where their soldiers could live. In the south-east of England, the towns of Colchester, London and St Albans all became important. The Romans built good roads, which made it easier for people to travel and buy and sell their goods. Trade and wealth began to grow.
This Roman road at Blackstone Edge, Greater Manchester, is still visible today.
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DID YOU KNOW? The Romans had different names for towns. Colchester was called Camulodunum, London was Londinium and St Albans was Verulamium.
Key Roman roads Important Roman towns
Camulodunum (Colchester) Verulamium (St Albans)
Londinium (London)
Colchester became the capital city. It was a place where older soldiers lived when they retired from the army. A big stone temple was built in the town, and dedicated to Emperor Claudius. The local people hated the temple; they had different beliefs. 13
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How did the invasion affect local people? Some tribes suffered greatly after the Roman invasion. One tribe, called the Trinovantes, lived in what’s now Essex. When the Romans marched into Colchester, the Trinovantes lost their most important town. The Trinovantes lost their land, too, and were forced to work in the fields like slaves. They also had to pay high taxes, so they had good reason to hate the Romans.
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Boudica and her husband Prasutagus were the wealthy rulers of the Iceni, a tribe that lived close to the Trinovantes. In 47 CE, they decided to work with the Romans rather than oppose them. In return, the Romans allowed Prasutagus and Boudica to remain as rulers of the Iceni. The tribe were charged lower taxes, and were allowed to keep their land. Boudica and Prasutagus agreeing a deal with a Roman official
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What do we know about Boudica? Boudica was born around 25 CE, but we know very little about her. There are no pictures of the queen. All we have is a description of her by a Greek historian called Cassius Dio, who wrote about Boudica long after she’d died.
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He described her as a tall woman with long, tawny hair. She had a harsh voice and steely eyes, and wore a colourful tunic, a gold neckband and a thick cloak pinned with a brooch. Is this a true picture? We just don’t know. Boudica and Prasutagus had two young daughters. The family enjoyed a comfortable life until Prasutagus died. Then things turned very bad indeed.
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