Queen Boudicca is defeated. Her Iceni and other British allies are dead or fleeing from the vengeance of unmerciful Rome. The British rebellion is over. The beaten Iceni Warrior queen has gone into hiding and awaits her poison elixir which will aid her departure from life while the waiting druids wish to bury her in a secret place. However, before Boudicca can complete her final and drastic act; a messenger arrives with news of a potential alliance. The Brigantes Queen Cartimandua may be able to offer a new pact against Rome. This is confusing because Cartimandua is loyal to Rome and has betrayed other Britons who fought Rome in the past. Cartimandua is equally perplexed. She has no desire to aid Boudicca and fears the Iceni queen. Could both sovereigns be pawns in another participants' ploy? To find the culprits of the conspiracy, Cartimandua chooses to indulge the inappropriate consultation of two very different British queens.

There have been many books written, and much research carried out, about this Queen, who is so well revered by this country, and held up as a figure to be admired and remembered for all time, that she has a statue in her honour in Westminster, London. Boudicca had her kingdom cruelly taken from her by the occupying Roman forces, when her husband died. We have a few paragraphs, written by a Roman, named ‘Tacitus’ which tells us how Boudicca was invited to a meeting with the Romans, which she thought was to welcome her as the Queen of the Iceni. She did not receive the hospitality she expected, and the treatment that she, and her daughters received, are believed to be the trigger for what happened next. The Romans under-estimated the strength and grit of Boudicca and the fanatical support of her people, and came to regret their actions. The book tells the story of Boudicca’s campaign to reclaim her kingdom. Written to inform the reader about the way of life of the ancient Britons, it tells how the occupying Roman forces ruled them. How Boudicca inspired her tribesmen and led them in a campaign that saw the destruction of Colchester, London and St Albans.

Boudicca (Boadicea), Leader of the Iceni, is synonymous with rebellion and feminine strength, yet what we know of her is often far removed from the time in which she lived and the early authors who first wrote about her. In this new study, Marguerite Johnson returns to the original sources and interrogates them in order to unearth what the ancients thought of this most enigmatic heroine of British freedom. After a concise overview of Boudicca and the British rebellion against Rome, she turns to the writings of Tacitus and Dio and provides an in-depth analysis of their views on Boudicca and her people. These readings, which form the centrepiece of the book, are followed by an insightful series of readings of Boudicca post-antiquity, including the scant references to her in the writings that emerged after the fall of the Roman Empire to the most modern re-workings of this most fascinating of historical icons.

This book, through extensive research and analysis, endeavours to reveal what actually happened when in 60 AD Boudicca was elected to lead the united British tribes in their war against Roman rule. Despite the brutal punishment she had suffered at the hands of the Roman officials, Boudicca recovered to command a brilliantly effective military campaign against the pre-eminent super power of the ancient world. This is the story of the momentous events that culminated in the great British uprising against the Roman occupiers and their army, and challenges the credibility of the traditional ‘histories’ of Boudicca. So, while it is about Boudicca, her life and achievements, it also seeks to follow the fate of her tribal people – the Iceni. In the aftermath of the war, many migrated through Ireland to the Scottish Highlands. Regardless of a short lived ‘golden age’, the descendants of the Iceni have suffered a succession of ethnic cleansings over 2000 years through war, famine, migration, plague, forced emigration and invading armies. Today the remnants – represented by the McEachrans, Cochrans and the many variants of these names – are scattered throughout the world and have lost the identity of their origins.

When Roman troops threatened to seize the wealth of the Iceni people, their queen, Boudica, retaliated by inciting a major uprising, allying her tribe with the neighbouring Trinovantes. The ensuing clash is one of the most important - and dramatic - events in the history of Britain, standing testament to what can happen when an insensitive colonial power meets determined resistance from a subjugated people head-on. In this fascinating account of a legendary figure, Miranda Aldhouse-Green raises questions about female power, colonial oppression, and whether Boudica would be seen today as a freedom fighter, terrorist or martyr.

This story is a blend of the available historical facts concerning the famed Iceni Queen, with the mythology in Britain at the beginning of the first millennium. It begins four years before the Claudian invasion of Britain, when Boudicca was probably in her early teens, and follows her life through her early training, her marriage to King Prasutagus with whom she has two daughters, and her increasing power with Iceni tribe. The story ends with her death in 61 AD. In the years after the invasion, the victorious Romans become greedy and when the Prasutagus dies, Boudicca is scourged. In the resulting revolt, she leads an army that slaughters all who side with the Romans. In her rampage she very nearly defeats the Roman army, but when victory escapes her, she commits suicide. While allegory, fantasy and mysticism are employed, the story remains true to the mores, customs and beliefs of the Celts, as nearly as knowledge permits. Many of the characters, such as Prasutagus, Caratacus, Togodumnus, Cunobelinos, The Roman leaders and the Roman procurator are documented historical figures who were involved in the four hundred year reign of the Romans.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This vivid and bloodthirsty tale explores the true story of the woman who took on the might of the greatest power of the ancient world and nearly drove it out of part of its empire.