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Short Essay On Boudicca

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Boudicca is one of Britain's greatest heroines. She was a freedom fighter who rebelled against the Roman government. She was Queen to the Celts and was one of history's fiercest warrior queens in history.
Boudicca was a famous queen of ancient Britain who led a rebellion against the Roman occupiers. She was born in Colchester, South East England in 30 AD. Before marrying into kingship she was a simple girl of royal descent. Around CE 48, she married Prasutagus, the head of an Iceni tribe in south East England. Boudicca and her husband lived in what is now known as Norfolk, England. They were granted semi independence from the Roman occupiers. Prasutagus was given the freedom to remain King of Iceni, but under the control of Rome. Even though …show more content…

When Presutagus died he left his kingdom jointly to his family and the Roman Emperor, Nero, in his will. After he died, however, the Roman Empire ignored his will and the kingdom was put under Roman rule. All of his possessions were confiscated, people of the Iceni tribe were taken as slaves, and many homes were ravaged. Officials throughout the Kingdom were replaced by Roman generals or Roman officials. Women were raped, while men were forced to join the military or work as slaves. During his lifetime, Prasutagus had run up large sums of debts and when Boudicca was incapable of paying them, she was stripped and beaten in public. Many Roman Historians also claim that her daughters were raped. Other tribes such as the Trinobantes were subject to similar treatment, leading to growing resentment towards the Romans amongst the native …show more content…

The Roman commander on the island, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, amassed all the man power that was available to him, numbering only 10,000 men. Even though Paulinus was heavily outnumbered, he did have several advantages. His legionaries were well trained, properly equipped with weaponry and military experience gained throughout other battles. The Roman military was skilled at open combat due to their superior discipline and resources. The limited maneuverability of the British forces, combined with lack of military offensive tactics in the field, put them at a disadvantage to the Romans. Historians note that many of the rebels had no body armor and were provided with makeshift weapons, such as simple agricultural tools. Suetonius strategically selected a narrow gorge with a forest behind him, opening out into a wide plain. The gorge would serve as protection to the Roman flanks from attack, whilst the forest would block approach from the rear. This also prevented Boudicca from bringing considerable forces to bear on the Roman position, and the open plain in front made ambushes impossible. Before the battle began, Suetonius and the Romans had strategically gathered on a rocky landscape that offered good protection, forcing Briton troops to charge uphill. When the Britons reached the top of the hill they were out of breath and tactically vulnerable. The Romans saw their chance and

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