Travel back to the mist of time, to the ancient isle of Britannia, in the year of our lord 61 AD, during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero. A red headed, Celtic queen of the Iceni tribe, Boudicca, laid her husband on the burial couch and wrapped a wool, plaid funeral cloth over his cold, stiff body.

Before he died, King Prasutagus, like other Celtic client kings of Britannia, drew up a Roman will. In it he named his two daughters as heirs to half his kingdom, and willed the other half to Nero, to pacify the roman government and protect his family.

Before Boudicca’s tears had dried from mourning her husband’s death, the Roman procurator, chief financial administrator of Britain, stormed the Iceni palace with an auxiliary force of old, retired roman soldiers, basically a police force, and claimed the Iceni kingdom for Rome. By Roman law he didn’t have to recognize a woman or two daughters as heirs.

The legionnaires fell on the two young girls, ravaging and raping them. The Iceni princesses are believed to have been around the pre-teen to teenage age. Though mortified by her daughter’s screams, Boudicca was unable to help them, for at the same time, she was tied to a wagon and flogged with a whip in front of her entire tribe.

In that state, beaten, both of her girls defiled and traumatized, her whole tribe, which she was responsible for, now left homeless, even in that condition, Boudicca managed to do what few Celts have ever done, she united the tribes into a Celtic army and led them in a revolt against Rome.

Boudicca slid her feet into a warrior stance on the floorboard of her ash wood chariot, at the head of an army of woad painted, Celtic Warriors. As her bright red hair streamed in the breeze and the multi folds of her plaid cloak flapped in the wind, Boudicca brandished her black, iron spear high in the air. First they hit Camulodunum, (now Colchester), setting fire to the temple which was being built to honor Emperor Claudius, a past conqueror of Britannia.  They pulled his statue down and dragged it through the streets of Camulodunum. As the name Boudicca means victory, she was victorious.

Taking no prisoners, Queen Boudicca slew all the Roman residents and burned the entire city.

From that victory, her army thundered down the roman road to Verulamium (now St Albans). The city was held not by Romans, but by the Celtic Catuvellauni tribe who were aligned with Rome and branded as traitors by the other tribes. Boudicca razed the city. But there were few deaths as Verulamium had been deserted upon the news of her coming attack.

Next, the Celtic army made their way to Londoninum (now London). Her forces leveled every home and set the town aflame. The few inhabitants left were killed. To this day, beneath London, lies a layer of scorched earth, ten inches thick, from where Boudicca set the city afire in 61 AD.

The Roman historian Tacitus, indicates there were druids with her, for he describes the Celts impaling the bodies of roman women and mutilating them for rituals. These descriptions don't fit with normal druid practices and were probably war propaganda. But there is no doubt she had druids with it. 

The druids supported the rebellion. This was not only Boudicca’s war, it was a religious war as well. Rome’s policy of religious tolerance with conquered countries was waved when it came to Judaism and Druidry. In both, the spiritual leaders had such strong influence, the Roman government thought they could entice a revolt. Therefore these two religions were considered a threat.