What it was: Queen
Where did you live: Britannia
When he was born and died: 30-61
Its name is of Celtic origin and means «victory». For the queen of the Iceni, a people who lived east of present-day Britain, defeated the mighty Romans on two occasions. Along the way, she destroyed cities they controlled, including Londinium, now known as London. She would eventually be defeated, but put her name in England’s history.
She was one of Europe’s greatest warriors in the 1st century and, in the 19th century, ended up being adopted by the British as an inspiring muse and a kind of matriarch of national identity. Currently, a pompous statue of the Queen can be seen on the outskirts of Big Ben.
NECKLACE AND SPEAR
Tall, with a powerful voice and red hair down to her waist, bodica she was the wife of Prasutagos, the king of Icenia, whose territory is equivalent to the present English county of Norfolk. She was often seen carrying a spear and wearing multicolored tunics, heavy cloaks clasped with a silver brooch, and a thick gold necklace around her neck.
The Romans arrived on the island in the 1940s and began to occupy large swaths of territory. They gave religious autonomy and agreed to keep some local political leaders, as long as they promised obedience.
It was more or less like this with Icenia. Prasutagos remained the king. But when he died, he left his lands in his will to his wife and two daughters. Tradition ordered the territory to be ceded to Rome. bodica refused and paid dearly.
The region has been invaded. Flagged, the queen was forced to watch the soldiers rape the girls, who were 12 and 10 years old. It was the year 61, and her reaction would make Emperor Nero consider abandoning Great Britain. By the time the queen was finally defeated, more than 70,000 Romans and British allies lost their lives.
“I, who am a woman, continue to fight for freedom. You men can choose to become slaves”, she would have proclaimed, according to the reports of the Romans themselves – they were the ones who recorded the queen’s deeds in writing.
CITIES DESTROYED
An army of 100,000 men followed the chariot of bodica and his two daughters to Camulodunum, now Colchester. The dominators did not expect such boldness. The city was burned to the ground and the inhabitants slaughtered. Those who escaped ran to hide inside the temple built in honor of the former Emperor Claudius. After two days of siege, the work was set on fire, with hundreds of people inside.
bodica he defeated troops based in Camulodunum and another legion of 5,000 men who rushed to defend the capital. From there he went on to Londinium, which was also razed to the ground. He took the opportunity to wipe out the neighboring village of Verulamium.
His victorious career ended there: the governor of Rome in the region, Paulinus, was reorganizing himself. He placed well-prepared and armed troops, albeit in smaller numbers. And he bested the rebels at the Battle of Watling Street. The queen and her daughters killed themselves to avoid being imprisoned.
YOUR GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS
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Organized your people
Devastated, the Iceni could follow the path of the other peoples in the region. But the queen convinced them to fight for independence -
attacked by surprise
The Romans did not expect to be attacked in their own capital. Half of his forces were farther north, attacking the Druids’ villages. -
used the chariots
For the Romans, short chariots were a means of transportation. bodica turned them into weapons of war, of great mobility
YOUR GREAT FAILURES
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committed atrocities
At least according to Roman historians, the queen spared no civilians. She slaughtered everyone, including women, old people and children. -
the strategy was wrong
bodica commanded an army 20 times the size of the Romans. But he fought on narrow ground, where numerical superiority was of less value. -
took the families
It was a habit at the time, but it proved disastrous: wives and children of warriors went to battle. were massacred
book tip
the trilogy bodica, by Manda Scott, chronicles the life of the queen. It was released in Brazil by Editora Record