Is Boadicea to be admired?

Question

Boadicea was the Queen of the Iceni tribe that led a revolt that failed after she was beaten In public and her daughter's raped. After her husband death she became the leader of the Iceni and half his land went to the Emperor half to his daughters. This prompted the Attack on them. Sure the Romans were brutal conquerers to their enemies but Boadicea burned Camledounem first,(setting fire to it's temple with civilians in it and looting), then what is now London and some other places but If she wasn't just some angry celt leader looking for revenge on her victims and some heroic freedom fighter why didn't she Just destroy the Roman legions enforcing Rome's rule over them.
After she lost Tacitus says she commited suicide. She had brought that destruction on her people yet she refused to face the Music. Rome gave 350 years of peace to britain. And I personally think the Romans would have come back again not being the kind of empire to take defeat lightly if they had lost to her.?

Answer 1

You could interpret her suicide as a brave action - a final act of defiance. And whilst her treatment of Roman civilians was abhorrant, it is still possible to sympathise with and even admire her refusal to submit to the occupiers after their treatment of her. At the end of the day, however, brutality was an unavoidable and accepted part of life at the time, and it is difficult to find any figures truly worthy of admiration once we dig deeper into their lives.

Answer 2

The Iceni's had a peace accord with Rome that they had always honored. That pact was broken by emperor Nero after Boadicea's husband died. Her wanted her land and her wealth. She was publicly flogged, her peoples wealth was stolen and her daughters were raped and made illegible to marry. So she led an army of some 100,000 people and kicked Roman ***. She is a hero and a role model to every group of people who have ever lived under the thumb of another. I admire the hell out of her.

Answer 3

She led a somewhat effective "Guerialla Campaign" against the Roman army, but mainly against soft, lightly defended civilian targets. Her ultimate demise came in believing that she had an army that was capable of defeating Rome in a pitched battle.

Roman Legions were highly disciplined, organized and effective troops, not a rag tag collection of brigands. They were summarily defeated.

She is more of a folk here for the 'resistance' than anything else.

Answer 4

i admire her for not wanting to be pushed around.anyways, the romans should have employed a better policy when dealing with conquered peoples and not thinking that they can just take what ever they want.the womans husband had just died, her daughters raped ,she had been puplicly beaten and her land confiscated...how would you feel if that happened to you?i would also go on a rampage.anyways, after all that ive said i must add that rome was good in the long run for britian.enya has made a nice piece of music dedicated to her.

Answer 5

Without a doubt

Answer 6

She certainly proved that the romans shouldnt have taken the "natives" for granted. Oppression never has and never will work. She made the roman realise that they were fighting for their own land and that the romans were foreigners that certainly werent welcome on their soil. (ring any bells in modern times?)

Answer 7

Interesting that you refer to the wonderful lady as "Boadicea" because they so often call her Boudica nowadays, for some reason?

Of course she should be admired!!

Answer 8

well, you've got a modern viewpoint, looking back on an old war
Romans.....Rapists and conquerers, but they brought 350 years of peace.....it's nice to have hindsight.

{hindsight...and interesting word... does that mean from the viewpoint of an @ss?}

Answer 9

Hi,its a shame you cannot go back in time & ask the people who lived in that era.I am glad I was not around.

Answer 10

Without doubt she is. She was the scourge of the Romans.