An Iron Age Queen Vs The Romans.

Welcome to this weeks video in which we look at two possible locations for Boudics's final battle against the Romans. Namely Suetonius and the 14th and 20th Legions.

Join this channel to get access to perks:

Usual notices:
1. We are not historians. We enjoy researching and learning, and with that we enjoy sharing our journeys with you. That said, sources for information often listed below with credits. (See main sources at the top of this description).
2. Errors. Whilst we make every attempt to not include any errors, research, and piecing stories together from dozens of sources sometimes leads to one or two. I will note here if any are found:

a. "Glimpse" is spelt incorrectly at 9.20

Credit and Thanks

Duncan Mackay and Steve Kaye - General Inspiration and a wealth of info for this video.
Filter: Snowman Digital and Beachfront B-Roll
Maps: Google Maps
Maps: National Library of Scotland
Maps: OS Maps. Media License.
Stock Footage: Storyblocks
Music: Storyblocks
Old Map: NLS

All pictures: Creative Commons (listed below)

Boudica Statue: Aldaron
Boudica Statue: Paul Walter
Boudica Statue: doyle of london
Boudica Statue: carole raddato
Britosh Stater: geni
Other Staters: Geni
First Invasion Picture: wellcomeimages
Balisica: Z Galstyan
Dunstable from the air: MJ Richardson
Roman Map: Jones and Mattingly

Chapters:

0:00 - Part I Boudica
03:51 - Part II Suetonius
06:39 - Part III Windyridge Farm
11:40 - Part IV Ogbourne St George.

[AdrianLee-ig]

As ever, Paul, this film was excellent.

I have to say, I am astonished that someone has suggested that the site of the elusive Battle of Watling Street is in Wiltshire! Talk about a diversion. The common view is that it was likely to be somewhere in the Midlands. The story I grew up with was that the Romans were coming down from sacking Mona (Anglesey) when they encountered the Celts. Mind you, given the scale of the slaughter that took place that day, it's odd that nobody has ever found much evidence of the battle. A similar lack of physical evidence also surrounds the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. Both of these events are pivotal to our history.

[martinmarsola]

Thank you the walking talking video this day. Always easy to formulate the conversation with the scene. The conversation makes sense upon analysis of the subject. Hello to Rebecca and see you on the next! Enjoy the week ahead, Paul. 🇬🇧🙂👍🇺🇸

[andykopgod]

Never tire of hearing the storys of Boudica, but youv smashed this one paul, very very well done 💪

[gar]

The wessex location rather than Watling St is very compelling.
Put yourself in Paulinus's shoes.
Having rushed back from Mona, he didn't feel strong enough to confront the rebels. He abandoned London and StAlbans to their fate.
There's little point retracing his steps up Watling St, the northern Legio had already dispatched a flying column and it had been wiped out.
He would have gathered up what he could on his march on London and what he could in the south east.
It makes total sense to go west, shield the Roman possessions there and hope for the reinforcements sent for from Exeter to arrive.
They were never sent.
So he made a stand on a battlefield of his choosing.
The Britons primarily from the eastern tribes had already sacked Colchester. StAlbans and London.
I bet many had slipped away with their booty having had their fun.
Others would have been drawn to the party for sure, but probably more looter types than warrior types.
Having marched to Anglesey, probably in military order, and then force marched back to London in a hostile countryside, formenting with rebellion, at a pace to stay ahead of the mob, once he knew no help was coming from Isca it made total sense to pick his spot rest his troops amd prepare and await the mob.
But would he retire along the Ermine way ?
This was a long established british pathway possibly established by the Iceni.
Having resupplied in London before setting out a three - or four day speed march with a cavalry screen to the rear and engineers going ahead to find the spot is very logical.
Given his obvious competence and forethought, he must of contemplated a defeat, in which case what would his line of retreat been, if only for himself and his officers ?
Surely Calleva (Sillchester) would have made sense. It would have been a good point for any Exeter reinforcements to head to.

[billybobbassman]

Absolutely wow Paul. A mini epic. I wish I had popcorn available. Great work. Can't wait for next week

[richardcartledge]

Mancetter, on the A5 between Tamworth and Hinckley as been touted as a good location for the battle. And just south of Coventry, a Fort called The Lunt was constructed, which included a corral for the breaking of captured Iceni horses.

[malcolmrichardson]

Fascinating, well-researched account of these momentus and bloody series of events, when the Roman's nearly lost this part of their empire. Well done!

[Richardincancale]

In France there’s kind of an equivalent character who led the fight and lost against the Romans at about the same sort of time. He’s still revered here - Vercingetorix - and we know where his battlefield was, at the plateau de Gergovie, just outside Clermont Ferrand, with extinct volcanoes all around - dramatic landscape!

[chesterdays]

One of my absolute favourite debates in the study of Roman Britain, and this is a really great video. Thanks for the links too. Wherever the site actually is, it must still be littered with so many objects and human remains from the battle. But I tend to agree that we may not live long enough to see it found. But a superb watch all the same. I am busy emailing the link to friends and colleagues! All the best, and thank you. Oh, and yes please: more Roman subjects please!

[SteamCrane]

16:15 - It's amazing what the Romans accomplished, despite always marching in slow motion!

[hedleythorne]

Hugely professional production, enjoyed this

[brianroper]

Having been born and bred in St Albans this brought back many memories of studying the Rpmans. Many thanks Paul for the returned memories after 60 years!

[Madonsteamrailways]

That glorious valley is where Boudicca fought her last fight. Absolutely stunning location!!

[slydawgg]

Bloody amazing work.Its like a professional TV production.I watch lots of your vids 10/10 for effort.

[MrGreatplum]

Excellent work sir, and can I also applaud your placement of the adverts at the end of each part rather than half way through a sentence as so many YouTubers do!

Oh, just one more thing - rivers will have changed over the last 2000 years - surely using this as a search criteria is riddled with issues?

[ianbates]

Great video, such an interesting subject. Reading Steve Kaye's paper just demonstrates why the Roman army had no match in those days. I doubt the Iceni even thought about water supply and the fact it meant they would have to base themselves nearer large water supplies and then march to the battle. this would have given Suetonius the upper hand as the Iceni were not used to these types of long distance battles. Very clever the Romans, thanks for the really well put together piece, Paul.

[GreenGibbon]

Greatly enjoyed again, Paul! I can smell the grass, feel the mud and hear the leaves blowing! Greetings from Melbourne, Australia. 🤠

[ianwheeler]

Personally one of the main factors for Boudica's uprising overlooked by historians, including yourself is the slaughter of the Druids on Anglesey, who were gathered in concave to figure out a response to the Romans, just imagine outrage if the leaders of the main religion of Britain were massacred even today.

[kevwhufc]

Living, working in and around StAlbans for almost 35 years, ive had many questions re the Iceni uprising, especially since 96, when excavations required us to go deeper than most people have since wheeler, maybe Frere
We went down to the pre Roman archaeology, when it was the capital settlement of the catuvellauni .
It was in the very centre of the Roman city, which gave us an opportunity to look at the earliest Roman layers including the destruction attributed to the time of the Iceni uprising, a thin very thin layer of burnt wood/ plaster and very patchy.
I havnt read mr Mckay book, ive never looked into the possibilities of the last battle site .
But im surprised that he talks about 100k rebels !!
Because i have always wondered Who the other tribes were that supposedly joined the Iceni.
Historians say 'the Iceni with the trinovantes attacked colchester' !?
As if it was a place unrelated to the trinovantes, when we know it was in fact their main settlement.
The temple and new city ( just like verulamium) had most of their inhabitants living outside and around the new city many waiting for work to finish so they could move in, meanwhile the rest continued living in their original homes, roundhouses,
The Iceni, as district archaeologist for colchester P.Crummy has proven over the decades that the whole place beyond the Roman, the whole trinovante settlement
was destroyed and its people killed, inc women babies children.
It was not a focused attack on the new Roman building's but the whole trinovante settlement.
Which makes archaeologists, Crummy and others question the historical idea of trinovante involvement, why would a people who have just witnessed their own settlement and people killed maimed etc, join those guilty of killing them?
The trinovantes were a much larger tribe than the Iceni, they would've considered each other as outsiders.
There's no record or mention of the trinovantes 20 years after the Roman invasion being unhappy with their lives, no minor incidents ( unlike the iceni) nothing at all to suggest they felt oppressed or treated badly, the archaeology shows more land was farmed etc buisness was good.
Just like it was for the catuvellauni.
Who btw both fought against the invading Roman's .
But 20 years after were prospering.
Colchester and the lands south to the Thames belonged was occupied by people of the trinovantes.
Further west the land from the Thames north to verulamium and into Northamptonshire's Cambridgeshire was occupied by catuvellauni, before and after the Roman invasion the people were the same.
From the Midlands to the south the Romans had no forts or garrisons scouring the land, they were further north because they had nothing to worry about, the people fought lost made peace when the realised thet weren't going to be sold as slaves or lose their lands and were given positions of status, they had accepted the new ways and weren't on the verge of rebellion.
Ive read, studied archaeological reports and i can't come up with any ideas about who the tribespeople were that would have joined the Iceni ( up to 100.000)
I ask where did they come from, considering verulamium had a population of around 3/4000, the trinovantes about the same.
100k rebels, it's a lot of people, even if it included wives children..
70k killed ? Again i ask who from where ?
When they only attacked trinovante and catuvellauni territory.
Recent GPR results ( Kris Lockyear) verulamium and around highlight verulamium, at it height, the largest and many buildings were not inhabited by the public, they were temples, the huge basilica/ forum, theatre and market place, a large portion of the SW was stables and animal enclosures.
The remaining insulae, the public buildings were large villas with fancy gardens and not crammed with tenements 3 stories high..
The numbers don't stack up, but there's a lot to the whole story that doesn't make sense.
A quick example, StAlbans during the 1800s ( a much larger town than verulamium) only had 3000 inhabitants.
Colchester roughly the same.

I just think about the Vikings, and what they achieved with just 1000 men ..
Took almost half of England..
Or i think of th numbers killed at Waterloo, muskets, rifles, cannons solid and explosive shells, yet only something like 30k were killed.

I find it impossible to believe the Iceni killed more than that,
A 1000 armed warriors could/ did ( in the case of the Vikings) do a lot of damage especially when nobody is expecting it .
🤔 so many unanswered questions..

Love your video's btw 😊

[MrDazvere]

Running out of superlatives for your videos Paul! Yet another excellent production and I am already looking forward to the follow up! ……Please!