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The Historical Bit!

(Or is that Hysterical !?!)

East Anglia was the territory of the Iceni Tribe, during the Roman invasion of Britain, Iceni are probably best remembered for their Queen (and war-leader) Boudicca.

At the time of the Roman invasion of Britain, the high king of the Iceni nation was Prasutagus who ruled with his Queen, Boudicca. He formed an alliance with the invaders, which allowed the Iceni to continue ruling their territory in return for taxes, trade and quotas of young men to serve in the auxiliary regiments of the army. The Romans established their capital at Colchester and set about subjugating the rest of Britain and assimilating it into the Roman Empire.

The procurator's staff and troops descended on the Iceni and proceeded to pillage the countryside as well as the Royal household. Estates of the aristocracy were confiscated and their owners evicted. Prasutagus’s tow daughters were raped by the Roman troops and Boudicca was horsewhipped around the palace.

At the time the military garrison usually stationed here were battling the Druids in northern Wales. Hence its citizens and a few retired legionnaires defended the settlement. The settlement was totally overrun by the rampaging hoards, whose savagery and thirst for revenge knew no bounds. The entire population was slaughtered and all the buildings were raised to the ground.

On the euphoria of their, so far, total victory the Iceni rebellion moved north along Watling street, sacking the settlement of Verulamium near St. Albans. Continuing along Watling Street the collection of warriors with their convoy of wagons with their wives and children and animals, now numbering an estimated 80,000 souls, met for their final battle against the Roman army led by their commander, Suetonius.

When the battle was joined, the legionaries discharged their javelins into the oncoming hoards. Then they pressed forward in close formation, battering at the enemy with their shields and doing murderous work with their short stabbing swords. In disciplined formations such as this, the lack of body Armour amongst the Iceni and Trinovantes told. Trapped by their wagon train and unable to move because of the dead bodies, the Britons were slaughtered. The revenge of the Romans was complete and total. Men, women, children, even draught animals were slaughtered. Boudicca, who was mortally wounded during the battle was taken from the field by loyal warriors, where she took poison and her body was secretly buried, so that the Romans could not crucify her body for public display.

The Iceni were a peaceful and well-established tribe whose area of influence included Norfolk and parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. They lived under a feudal system with a hierarchy of leaders and a high king of the Iceni nation.

In AD60 Prasutagus died and the Iceni Nation went into mourning for their king. In preparation for this day, Prasutagus had declared Emperor Nero joint heir with his two daughters so that half of his wealth would go to his wife and two daughters, but the other half would be given to the Romans. By this measure Prasutagus meant to safeguard his family and tribe but he underestimated the greed and ruthlessness of the Roman procurator, Catus Decianus. The Romans treated the Iceni as if they were a nation that had been defeated and forced to surrender.

Needless to say this harsh treatment by the Romans incensed the Iceni and the call to arms went out to the Iceni nation and a tribal meeting was held at the Iceni religious site at Thetford. Here Boudicca addressed the gathered leaders of the Iceni Nation to call them to war against the oppression inflicted upon them by the Romans. The neighbouring Trinovante tribe from Essex, who were disturbed by what had happened to the Iceni and by seizures of their own land around Colchester, joined the call to arms and together the combined forces of these two tribes marched upon Colchester.

Flushed with their success the allied Britons proceeded to march towards London, which whilst not as important as Colchester was a major trading port for goods from the rest of the Roman Empire. The same fate awaited London as Colchester, though the population of this settlement had received reports of the sacking of Colchester and some of them decided to pack their belongings and leave. As before the remaining population was slaughtered and the town was set ablaze.

Suetonius had at his command all of Legion XX, part of Legion XIV and those auxiliaries he was able to summon, all in all some 10,000 men to face the entire force of Britons. Hoping that the Britons would risk everything in one pitched battle. Suetonius chose his ground carefully, picking an area where his rear was protected by woodland. The area in front of them was an open plain with no hope of surprise ambushes by the Britons. When the Iceni arrived they crowded onto the field and their wagons were positioned behind them so that the womenfolk could watch the days sport.

Although the Iceni rebellion of AD60 was unsuccessful in ousting the Romans from British soil, the total destruction of Colchester, London and St. Albans shook the senate in Rome and although there was a period of retribution, consequent invasions and negotiations with British tribes were of a more fair and diplomatic nature.