For us the Roman legacy means civilization and order. But for the conquered it held another meaning: oppression and terror. The story of Boudicca.
At its height, the Roman Empire was the greatest the world had ever seen. For us, who have inherited its legacy, it means civilization and order. But for those conquered by the peerless legions it held another meaning: oppression and terror.
This is the story of Boudicca / Boadicea / Bonduca. The name comes from the Celtic root-word for Victory, and thus she may, ironically, be called Victoria. She suffered, she fought, she died. From the mists of 60AD very little else has come down to us. What we have now is more legend and myth than history, and that history is little better than propaganda, written by the victors.
I offer a wholly un-academic explanation of Boudicca’s savage rebellion against the Romans. No historian, certainly not a male one, should condemn a woman for revenging the brutal attacks on her daughters.
Perhaps men fear the violence of women because men know how much they have done to deserve the wrath of a woman’s resolve.