BOUDICA:I am Boudica, Queen of the Iceni. When my husband died he left his kingdom both to me and the Roman Emperor Nero, to share. It was meant to keep the peace between us.
NARRATOR:It is 60 AD; the Romans have invaded and taken over much of Southern Britain. Some of the native British tribes have agreed to support and work with the Romans, but others are not so happy.
NARRATOR:The Roman army is heading to North Wales, but elsewhere trouble is brewing
NARRATOR:
- led by Boudica.
BOUDICA:But the Romans want it all! Nero had me whipped in front of my people. He demands we pay taxes on land that belongs to us.
BERETTA:She is magnificent.
BOUDICA:Fight with us.
ROMAN SOLDIER:Welcome to Britannia.
ROMAN GENERAL:Do you know why we鈥檙e here son?
ROMAN SOLDIER:The glory of Rome sir?
ROMAN GENERAL:Yes, the glory of Rome. But this land is rich, rich鈥
ROMAN SOLDIER:Erm.
ROMAN GENERAL:鈥he gold, silver, tin and wood for building to send back to Rome 鈥or the Empire.
ROMAN SOLDIER:But I hear the Britons are heading to Colchester, they mean to fight back.
ROMAN GENERAL:With a woman in charge! What chance do they have?
BERETTA:I want to fight too; I want to be like Boudica.
BERETTA鈥橲 FATHER:No Beretta.
BERETTA:You named me Beretta, Beretta means strong.
BERETTA鈥橲 FATHER:Yeah that was a mistake.
NARRATOR:Beretta and her father follow Boudica and her army, they head for Colchester, an important Roman town, and burn it to the ground.
BOUDICA:What鈥檚 your name?
BERETTA:Beretta.
BOUDICA:You live up to your name.
BOUDICA:And now, onto Londinium.
NARRATOR:After burning down Colchester, Boudica鈥檚 army destroyed the Roman town of [London], before heading north to St Albans.
NARRATOR:Meanwhile, the Roman army is busy conquering Wales. But messengers soon bring them news of Boudica鈥檚 campaign - and their plans are changed.
ROMAN GENERAL:The Britons have done too much damage. If we don鈥檛 defeat them now, we will have to leave these islands and all the riches they contain. We must end their revolt once and for all.
NARRATOR:But the Britons won鈥檛 give up without a fight.
BRITON MOTHER:Hurry up; I don鈥檛 want to miss seeing the Romans being defeated.
BRITON BOY:I鈥檓 just finishing packing the supplies.
BRITON LADY:Those Romans don鈥檛 stand a chance against us. Our army is much bigger than theirs.
NARRATOR:Native British warriors blow war horns, known as [carnices], to put fear into the Romans and are experts at driving two wheeled chariots.
NARRATOR:They use iron tipped spears and long slashing swords, but wear little armour. They don鈥檛 fear death; believing they will come back braver and stronger in their next life.
BOUDICA:Charge!
NARRATOR:Roman soldiers are put into groups of around 6000 men known as legions.
NARRATOR:The Roman army is well armed, very skilled at working together, and heavily protected by armour.
NARRATOR:Britons outnumber the Romans by up to twenty to one, but the Roman soldiers are highly trained.
NARRATOR:Boudica and the Britons are defeated. Around 80,000 Britons are killed.
NARRATOR:Rome will control most of Britain for the next 350 years.
ROMAN GENERAL:Welcome men, this is Roman Britain.
Video summary
An exploration of life in Britain at the time of Boudica鈥檚 rebellion through the eyes of a typical family.
It's 60AD and the Romans face a serious challenge to their control of Britannia, as the Iceni tribe rebel after the death of Boudica鈥檚 husband as they try to take over Iceni lands.
The Romans seek to consolidate their control of the country, where some tribes accept them and others resent them.
Boudica takes advantage of the Roman legions being in North Wales, and sets out to overthrow Roman rule.
Our family is caught up in the events of the rebellion.
This is from the series: The Story of Britain
Teacher Notes
An introduction to the Roman invasion and the response of Britain's tribes.
Pupils can be asked to discuss the invasion.
Why should we remember Boudica? Was she a hero or a villain?
Teachers can download several images of Boudica, including the statue of her in Westminster.
What does she look like? How is she shown? How do we know what she looked like? Why do you think she is shown the way she is?
Using the clip, and any other sources they have, students can be asked to decide why Boudica rebelled against the Romans.
They can be tasked with drawing up a timeline of the events of her rebellion.
Why did the rebellion fail? Was Boudica a good leader, in your opinion? Students can hold a class discussion, or produce a poster, to decide whether Boudica was a hero or a villain.
This clip will be suitable for teaching History at KS2 in England and Wales and KS1 and KS2 in Northern Ireland.
Also Early 1st and 2nd Level in Scotland.
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