Boudicca: The Warrior Queen by M. J. Trow

Author:M. J. Trow [Trow, M. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Women
ISBN: 9780750934008
Google: O7h6OQAACAAJ
Amazon: B011NZBFSQ
Publisher: Sutton Publishing
Published: 2005-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Cleopatra was a competent ruler and Egyptians remained loyal to her, but she got close to the centre of Roman politics in a way that Boudicca never could and never intended to. Seduction was not part of her game plan and had the Romans bothered to know her better, would probably have been impressed by her virtue. On the other hand, what would horrify them later was her ability to command troops in battle. Cleopatra was probably present at Actium (though there is no evidence for the legend of her barge hoisting sail and starting a retreat), but it is unlikely that she actually led troops in the conventional sense. Boudicca did, and she terrified them.

We do not know the exact circumstances of the beating that Boudicca received. It is likely that this was public, wherever her capital was, intended as a deterrent and certainly a humiliation for those who would oppose Rome.

Scourging – whipping with rods or thongs – was a profound mark of dishonour, normally reserved for slaves, and it was no doubt in this context that the punishment was administered, probably by Catus Decianus’ thugs.

There were a number of different whips in the Roman world, the flagellum, made of ox-leather which cut deep into the flesh; the scutica, made of parchment; the ferula, a flat leather strap. Refinements were added, such as leather thongs knotted with metal pieces, bones or lead balls to the increase the pain.

Today, we are perhaps more appalled by the rape of Boudicca’s daughters than the ritual whipping of the queen herself. No doubt this was done in private, Decianus’ people perhaps drawing lots for the privilege. The girls cannot have been more than fourteen and were possibly as young as eleven. It may have been Roman law that forbade sex with Boudicca herself.

It was a rule of the great Augustus that sex with a widow was illegal; although it is likely that this did not apply to conquered peoples or even citizens of client kingdoms. The law on rape was even more unforgiving than it is today. Prosecutions for the crime, known as iniuria (wrong) and vis

(force) could only be brought by a male relative of the rape victim and of course the whole of the law was created by men. Under Constantine the Codex Theodosianus differentiated between girls who were at first willing and those who were unwilling. The former were publicly burned, the latter whipped, because they should have screamed for help. Against this inflexibility, Boudicca’s girls stood no chance at all. According to John Matthews and Bob Stuart110 the daughters of disgraced consuls were habitually raped before being strangled or thrown to their deaths, and executioners deflowered virgins before they killed them, in case they gave offence to the gods. Matthews and Stuart also speculate that deflowered virgins would be less attractive to would-be husbands who might be subsequent leaders of revolt, but we do not know Celtic attitudes on this.

Roman men certainly preferred their wives to be virgins, but Celtic society seems altogether less rigid.

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