Should our Celtic queen (Boudicca) be a national hero?

Question

I know that she was not actually queen of England but merely her tribe, but I believe that she was a very courageous lady of her time. I feel that we hear about lots of things in the past and not enough about her. East Anglia UK has a special bond with her!

It is good to hear the different points of view but I think we should remember that she had no military training and was marvellous to defend her family and her tribes (I know she joined forces with neighbouring villages) against the ruthless, well trained Romans.

Answer 1

Boudicca didn't just lead her own tribe she also united five or six other tribes with her. Also the two towns she pillaged were both Roman towns. And the Romans slaughtered multiple towns in Britain alone in their quest for "civilization." The fact that she had been raped and that the local Roman governor had stolen land from her that was hers even under Roman law means that she was more than justified by what she did.

Answer 2

I would have to say no. She overstepped all human decency in her lust for revenge by savaging the southern tribes and towns. She failed to consolidate a solid tactical advantage, and she lost control of her forces and put them into a trap due to her overconfidence. A hero would have avoided that, possibly even parlayed with the Romans from a position of power and consolidated her position in the north. Yes, she had the Romans reeling for a while, but in the end, her temporary gains were all lost, and the Romans took their revenge.The Picts at least consolidated their territorial claims, forcing Hadrian to raise his wall.

Answer 3

Don't know a great deal about her except that she was a warrior Queen who led her tribe against the Romans. Good on her, she was probably one of the first known freedom fighters. Not bad for a mere woman!

Answer 4

I agree with Modern Day Caveman. She along with all of her people and those of the tribes she united had been horrifically oppressed by the Romans and she chose to fight back. She did not commit any atrocities against the Romans or their cities that had not already been committed against her and her people. She may not have had the military power or the fighting experience which would have given her success, but still Boudica was a great leader.

Answer 5

It goes against the grain to say no but she and her tribesmen committed awful atrocities against civilians particularly at Colchester and Londinium. I know it is probably wrong to project our own moral standards back to earlier times but they were bad even by the ghastly standards of the day. I think we can do without national heroes anyway. I could be biased in my view as a Roman historical re-enacter and a camp follower of the II legio Augusta.

Answer 6

But the tribes of the south hated her! She burnt and butchered Londinum and Verulamium! She might have been the Bees Knees to the Iceni, but you can't extrapolate that to making her a 'national' hero. After all, it was only under the Romans that Britania became a recognisable 'nation'!

Answer 7

When all is said and done Boudicca, (so called),
was a woman scorned and most likely got some of her drones to do her bidding.
Nothing really changes in basic human nature - she was certainly no hero but did let her gender down badly.
And we should always bear in mind that; history is bunk.
Who said that? !!!!!!!!!!

Answer 8

She was a type of hero, what other woman of her time rose up to bring the people together as one to gather and fight back. She does deserve recognition.

Answer 9

Lapu Lapu - the native hero who beat Magellan...pride of the Philippines..