jjares reviewed Boudica: The Life and Legacy of the Celtic Queen Who Rebelled against the Romans in Britain on + 3294 more book reviews
You know you have found a fierce fighter when the text explains that the Celts took no prisoners! Queen Boudica was part of a Celtic group known as Iceni. Gender roles were not defined according to our definitions; the women worked alongside the men. Boudica was also a Druid priestess.
Initially, when the Romans invaded, they let Prasutagus, Boudica's husband, keep his lands, as long as he supported the Romans politically and paid tribute yearly. When Prasutagus died, he left only half his wealth with the Roman emperor. The Roman emperor was enraged. Prasutagus' palace was decimated and his relatives were enslaved. All of the Iceni lands were appropriated.
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Boudica stepped forward and commanded the Celtic tribes to expel the Romans from Britain. At first, they were successful. But the better-armed and better-trained Romans eventually slaughtered the Celts. Boudica committed suicide rather than submit to further humiliation from the Romans. Her story still speaks to us of an unbelievably brave woman who led her oppressed people against a more powerful force.
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I was disappointed in this book; it talked more about the Roman conquest of Britain than about Boudica. Probably, no more than 35% was about Boudica. The rest was a mish-mash of other topics related to the Romans and their conquest of the British Isles.
Initially, when the Romans invaded, they let Prasutagus, Boudica's husband, keep his lands, as long as he supported the Romans politically and paid tribute yearly. When Prasutagus died, he left only half his wealth with the Roman emperor. The Roman emperor was enraged. Prasutagus' palace was decimated and his relatives were enslaved. All of the Iceni lands were appropriated.
 Â
Boudica stepped forward and commanded the Celtic tribes to expel the Romans from Britain. At first, they were successful. But the better-armed and better-trained Romans eventually slaughtered the Celts. Boudica committed suicide rather than submit to further humiliation from the Romans. Her story still speaks to us of an unbelievably brave woman who led her oppressed people against a more powerful force.
Â
I was disappointed in this book; it talked more about the Roman conquest of Britain than about Boudica. Probably, no more than 35% was about Boudica. The rest was a mish-mash of other topics related to the Romans and their conquest of the British Isles.
