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BOUD1CCA is a legendary figure today, the mother who determined to avenge her ravaged children, the warrior who rose up to protect the land she inherited from the assault of a rampaging enemy. Feminists identify with her as an icon of womanly strength; she has been described as a Margaret Thatcher without a handbag. Yet what of the true woman behind the legend? Did she, a mere woman, really draw together a disparate tribal nation against a ruthless Roman occupier? And if so, how? In this new book, the first general biography for several years, Mei Trow strips away modern and ancient myths to reveal the flesh-and- j blood woman who terrified Rome.
Married to the puppet king of the Iceni, Boudicca was beaten by the Romans, and her daughters raped, after her husband's death. In the summer of AD 60 Boudicca united several British tribes and led her people in revenge attacks on the Roman towns of Colchester, London and St Albans, burning and destroying with a ferocity that has left a permanent scar on the archaeological landscape. An estimated 70,000 people died in the flames of Roman settlements, and, had the Iceni and their allies not been destroyed at Manduessedum, the place of the chariots, the entire course of British history would have been altered.
This book takes us on a journey through the Roman archives, the archaeological record and Celtic mythology to a new understanding of Boudicca - the warrior queen who took on the might of the greatest power of the ancient world and very nearly won.
book reviews
- Book News, Winter 2003
This accessible and lively biography, clearly targeted at the general reader, examines …her life… Boudicca's revolt left its mark not only in the archaeological record but also in the writings of Roman historians, reflecting the awe and respect with which the Romans regarded her, which provides the principal source for this enjoyable study. - Week Ahead
Trow presents a deft and very readable account of the great warrior queen without sinking into mawkishness. Scholarly but not densely packed, his story brings to life a woman who inspired her countrymen, became a legend for future generations and almost changed the course of history. - This is Worcester Website
This book shines a torch in to the gloom of pre-history and is well worth investigating by even the most casual history buff. - Stroud News and Journal
Trow uses historical sources to paint a more sympathetic picture of the legendary warrior queen than we are accustomed to. His Boudicca is more is wronged mother than rabid psychopath, in his words "a queen more sinned against than sinning."
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