Boudicca was a British woman from a noble family in the Iceni tribe in southeastern England. She led a revolt against Roman rule in 60 AD (or CE, as it is often called today). She is significant for the results of her rebellion and, to some degree, as a national symbol in England.
England was first invaded by Rome about 100 years before Boudicca’s rebellion, in the time of Julius Caesar. However, this invasion was not really successful. It was not until 43 AD that the Romans truly took control of the England (and even then, of course, they did not have control over all of it right away). By 60 AD, the Romans were still trying to consolidate their authority. In that year, they tried to take Boudicca’s kingdom when her father died and left it to her and her sister. In doing so, they stripped and beat Boudicca...
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and raped her daughters. This led to the rebellion.
The rebellion almost succeeded, but in the end it actually strengthened Roman rule. It led Britons to believe that they were not going to be able to get rid of the Romans. It also led the Romans to take the Britons more seriously and to do things like trying to respect their religion. This led to relative peace on the island. Later in history, Boudicca became a symbol of what the English see as their national character and indomitability.
Why is Boudicca significant today?
To the extent that Boudicca is well-known and significant today, it is for two reasons.
First, of all, Boudicca is well-known as a symbol of British pride and nationalism. Boudicca came back to prominence in Victorian times. She was associated with Queen Victoria and was seen as a symbol of the British fighting spirit. Boudicca can be seen as an embodiment of the idea that, as the song “Rule Britannia” says, “Britons never, never shall be slaves.” Because of the fact that she was not willing to give in to what the Romans wanted, Boudicca became and remains a symbol of British pride and tenacity.
Today, Boudicca is well known in part because of her sex. We live in a world in which women are encouraged to fully develop their talents, whatever those might be. We see ourselves are more enlightened than past generations when it comes to issues of sex roles. We celebrate strong women from the past because we see them as confirmation of our current values and attitudes.
Thus, Boudicca remains well known and significant as a symbol of feminism and of British pride.