Boadicea

bo-ad-i-se'a, a British queen in the time of the emperor Nero. The Romans at this time occupied a large part of Britain. At his death, 60 A. D., her husband left Nero his wealth and his two daughters, hoping in that way to secure fair treatment for them. The Romans, however, scourged the widowed queen and wronged her daughters. Stung to frenzy by her injuries, Boadicea summoned the warriors of her people and levied war upon the Romans. Camp after camp was taken and the Romans put to the sword. London, then a Roman colony, was reduced to ashes, and Roman citizens, traders, Italians, and other intruders to the number of 70,000 were put to death. The timely return of the Roman governor with a legion of 10,000 seasoned soldiers was all that saved the Romans from utter extermination. In the pitched battle that followed, the Romans remained on the defensive sheltered by their bucklers in a dense grove until the weapons and darts of the Britons began to fail. A general onslaught was then sounded. Men, women, children, beasts of burden, and even dogs were cut to pieces mercilessly by the Roman soldiers. The vanquished queen committed suicide rather than be taken by her conquerors. Boadicea is without doubt a historical character. Our account is derived chiefly from Roman sources. No doubt the numbers given are exaggerated, but it is claimed that Boadicea had 120,000 men under her banner. Seen from the Roman point of view the war with Boadicea was a native outbreak like that conducted by King Philip, Tecumseh, Sitting Bull, Black Hawk, Little Crow, or Joseph. It was the struggle of a native race to regain territory taken by encroaching foreigners. See Druids