Boudica is a fascinating historical figure who, over time, has risen as a very powerful archetype. Queen of the Ices and leader of the Resistance in Anglia, Boudica commanded a gigantic army against the Roman legions to liberate Britain from the Empire.
For centuries, it has been a symbol of the struggle against injustice exercised by patriarchal Rome over the feminine values of pre-Roman Europe. Udic embodies all the qualities that Roman patriarchy did not allow women and that she ended up forslifying.
- This Celtic queen was a free.
- Ferocious and savage woman.
- Praying to the pagan gods and was the leader of a huge army of blue-painted savages who followed her to death.
- Many classical warriors present therself as young virgins.
- But this is not the case of Boudica.
- She had several daughters who fought with her against the Roman invasion and in defense of her people.
- Men.
- Women.
- Culture and religion.
- Has become the archetype of the mother and the vengeful woman.
- Who brings fire and blood to those who harm her own.
Unlike Joan of Arc and other later heroines, Boudica never renounced her status as a woman, did not adopt masculine customs or hide her feminine nature after the mists of mysticism.
Boudica was a woman, from head to toe, who would never give up any of her aspects as a person, even what was considered a symbol of femininity: motherhood, so understood by the Celts the nature of women, as equal to her own characteristics An idea far away from the Roman patriarchal vision of female roles.
Boudica was born around 30 a. C. m. , under Emperor Claudius, when the Roman invasion had already established many posts in the British Isles. Daughter of a probably noble family, she has stood out since she was a child for her intelligence, athletic complexion and beauty. At the age of 18 he married Prasutagus, king of the Icenes, one of the Celtic tribes who settled in the eastern part of the islands.
The Edens enjoyed great independence from the Romans, thanks to agreements with the emperor that meant a considerable payment of taxes. The Celtic peoples were of druid tradition, seeking harmony between human beings and nature, astrology and magic. They were brave warriors who believed in reincarnation, feared no death, and were brave in battles, put their bodies blue and fought practically naked, the magic applied to battles, and their fierce appearance terrified the Roman legions.
Boudica had two daughters with the king and was queen consort. The Celts regarded women as equals and could hold political and religious positions. Prasutago knew that this aspect was not the same for the Romans, heirs of the Greek culture of the man. In an attempt to protect his family and his people, he reached an agreement with the Roman prosecutor Cathus, in which he would surrender half his fortune and kingdom to the Roman Empire, leaving the other half to his daughters and wife, who would occupy the ice queen upon his death.
Boudica’s husband died shortly after making such an agreement and, at about the same time, Emperor Claudius also died. His heir, Nero, did not respect any of the agreements with the Celtic tribe. The new emperor did not recognize Boudica as queen of The Celtic ethnic group. Icénes, not even her daughters as heiresses. He was unwilling to recognize the power of any Celtic woman.
In a grotesque display of power, the Roman prosecutor attacked the Edene tribe, turning many nobles into slaves and taking ownership of all the possessions of Boudica and her people. In an attack of total contempt for the Celtic queen, she ordered that she be publicly whipped while forcing her to contemplate the terrible scene of the rape of her daughters by all the Roman centurions under her command.
Through rape, the Romans emphasized their principles, their imposition of power by force, deployed their masculinity and emphasized their supposed superiority. It was at this time that Boudica gathered several Celtic tribes, organized them under his command and prepared them to attack the Roman invaders. Sources estimate he had about 230,000 warriors under his command.
“We will win this battle or we will die! That’s what I, a woman, intend to do. Can men live as slaves if they so desire?”-Boudica-
The Edens, under Boudica, decided to attack Camuloduno, the city where Cathus lived. The Roman prosecutor had called for reinforcements in the face of the imminent attack by Britain’s most powerful resistance army, but this was of little use. reinforcements sent from Londinium, as well as the 2,500 centurions of the IX Legion sent from Hispania before arriving in Camuloduno. Once there, they executed Cathus and massacred the city, because the Celts, unlike the Romans, had no prisoners.
Boudica immediately takes her army to Londinium, ready to do the same. Suetonius, the Roman general and new governor of Britain, decides that Londinium is not defensible and leaves the city with his army and the Roman nobles who managed to escape.
When Boudica and his army arrive, Londinium is left to their fate and without any defense, the Celts took the city and, relentlessly, quickly headed to Verulmio, where they won again. It is estimated that in a few weeks, the Boudica The army led by him recovered the three main Roman colonies of Great Britain.
Suétone, who admired and respected Boudica openly and deeply hated Nero, was forced to form an army capable of confronting Boudica’s men and women en masse. After an epic and bloody battle, the Roman legions dominated the Celtic army.
Some authors say boudica died in battle, but it is not known for sure, she was honored with funeral acts such as Queen of Britain and her remains were hidden forever, her life has become a powerful legacy that functions as an archetype and represents rebellion against submission.
Boudica and the men and women of the army of Eden knew that they would die in the last battle against the Romans, but they also firmly believed in reincarnation and, therefore, that this battle would not lead them to the end of their lives. Wait a few more centuries, but in the end they will come back to life to fight again, and this time they will win forever.
Boudica’s story is the story of many other men and women of the European Atlantic tribes who fought against the invaders of the Roman Empire, an empire based on patriarchy, the tribes only wanted to defend what was legitimately theirs, so they fought the defense of their lands, culture and traditions in Brittany, Gaul and Iberia. In short, a struggle for identity and submission.
Boudica’s story, which oscillates between history and legend, shows us that, in the past, there were also brave women and mothers who knew how to prove their talent beyond the domestic realm. Boudica is the name of a woman who stands out among the countless male names who write our history, symbol of struggle and courage.