Boudica, Warrior-Queen

Queen Boudica in John Opie's painting Boadicea Haranguing the Britons

Boudica (also written as Boadicea) was a Celtic queen who led a revolt against Roman rule in ancient Britain in A.D. 60 or 61. As all of the existing information about her comes from Roman scholars, particularly Tacitus and Cassius Dio, little is known about her early life; it’s believed she was born into an elite family in Camulodunum (now Colchester) around A.D. 30. At the age of 18, Boudica married Prasutagas, king of the Iceni tribe of modern-day East Anglia. When the Romans conquered southern England in A.D. 43, most Celtic tribes were forced to submit, but the Romans let Prasutagas continue in power as a forced ally of the Empire. When he died without a male heir in A.D. 60, the Romans annexed his kingdom and confiscated his family’s land and property. As a further humiliation, they publicly flogged Boudica and raped her two daughters. 
Like other ancient Celtic women, Boudica had trained as a warrior, including fighting techniques and the use of weapons. With the Roman provincial governor leading a military campaign in Wales, Boudica led a rebellion of the Iceni and members of other tribes resentful of Roman rule. After defeating the Roman Ninth Legion, the queen’s forces destroyed Camulodunum, then the captain of Roman Britain, and massacred its inhabitants. They went on to give similar treatment to London and Verulamium (modern St. Albans). By that time, the Governor had returned from Wales and marshaled his army to confront the rebels. The Britons heavily outnumbered the Roman forces, however the Romans had superior tactics, training, discipline and weapons. The Romans chose a narrow location, where the Britons could not use their superior numbers.  The Romans managed to defeat the Queen's forces, and Boudica and her daughters apparently killed themselves by taking poison in order to avoid capture. Though her rebellion failed, and the Romans would continue to control Britain until A.D. 410, Boudica is celebrated today as a national heroine and an embodiment of the struggle for justice and independence.

Cultural Depictions

The image of a Warrior-Queen became very popular and numerous depictions of her have been created throughout the history. Boudica has secured a special place of her own in British folk history remembered for her courage; The Warrior Queen who fought the might of Rome.
Boudica has beed depicted in various Movies and Tv series, as well as several video games (including her numerous appereances in Civilization series, where she leads the Celtic civilization)

One of the most epic depictions of the Queen, titled Boadicea and Her Daughters

Boadicea and Her Daughters, a statue of the queen in her war chariot (anachronistically furnished with scythes after the Persian fashion) was executed by Thomas Thornycroft over the 1850s and 1860s with the encouragement of Prince Albert, who lent his horses for use as models. It was cast in bronze in 1902, 17 years after Thornycroft's death, by his son Sir John, who presented it to the London County Council. They erected it on a plinth on the Victoria Embankment next to Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament. 
Ironically, the great anti-imperialist rebel was now identified with the head of the British Empire, and her statue stands guard over the city she razed to the ground.