Boudicca: Real Life Braveheart

     Everyone knows or at least has heard of the all-time great film Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson. As great as that film was, people don't know of the story of Boudicca, who was an actual real life version of Braveheart. Boudicca was a Celtic woman who took on the whole Roman Empire and built the first Celtic army in history to revolt against the Roman Empire.

Caitlin C. Gillepsie. Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain. Oxford University Press, 2018.
   
   It was 41 A.D. when the Roman Empire was reaching its peak and the Roman Emperor decided he wasted to take over more land, therefore they invaded the land of Britannia (land in United Kingdom). After nearly a decade of ruling Britannia, there was an exchange of power of the Roman Empire where the nephew of the former Emperor took over power after the death of his uncle. The new Emperor was much more violent in his rulings, which led to the king of Britannia (Prastagus), Boudicca's husband, making her Queen of the Celtic people, to fight back and resist the oppression on the Celtic people. The Roman army responded with killing Prastagus, beating Boudicca, and her daughters getting raped by Roman soldiers.
   
James Grout. “Boudica (Boudicca)”. Encyclopaedia Romana. University of Chicago, 2017.

Margaret Donsbach. “Boudica: Celtic War Queen Who Challenged Rome.” Military History, Apr 2004.

   Once Boudicca processed the horrific events that just took place, she gathered and united the warring Celtic tribes for the first time in history. Putting together a Celtic army of over 230,000 Celtic soldiers. Over a few months, she pushed back Roman Invaders, eventually leading to Britannia's largest city, Londinium (London).

     Going in, the Celtic army knew they were outnumbered, but would rather die in freedom, than live as a slave. Boudicca fought and led the Celtic army and would eventually sacrifice herself in refusal to become a slave to the Roman Empire. With Boudicca dying in honor of the Celtic nation, she left a legacy behind that lives forever, especially in regards to what this represents to the female gender. Not only was it the fact that she took a stand and assembled an army against the Roman Empire, but this goes so much farther than just displaying bravery and courage at its finest. It also breaks the stigma that leadership and bravery only comes in the form of a male leader. Boudicca adopted these "masculine qualities" on her own, in the face of adversity and became trained in deathly weapons and warfare combat. She is one that few know and that all should. She is the true Braveheart.