Friday, April 4, 2008

Boudicca, queen of the Iceni



The Roman historian, Tacitus, describes Boudicca, about to lead her Briton army into battle against the powerful Roman forces:

"Boudicca, in a [chariot], with her two daughters before her, drove through the ranks. She harangued the different nations in their turn: 'This," she said, 'is not the first time that the Britons have been led to battle by a woman.' But now she did not come to boast the pride of a long line of ancestry, nor even to recover her kingdom and the plundered wealth of her family. She took the field, like the most lowly among them, to assert the cause of public liberty, and to seek revenge for her body which had been whipped with ignominious stripes, and for her two daughters so cruelly ravished."


Even though her rebellion was repressed by the Romans, Boudicca has become a national heroine in Great Britain, as this modern statue of her shows. What values does she represent? Why would she be a leader to look up to?

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