Boudicca

Ancient British queen of the Iceni tribe or Norfolk who led a revolt against Roman rule in 60 AD. After suffering many cruelties to her family, herself, and her tribe at the hands of the Romans, Boudicca raised a rebellion throughout East Anglia. They burned Camulodunum (Colchester), Verulamium (St. Albans), the mart of Londinium (London), and several military posts; massacred approximately 70,000 Romans and pro-Roman Britons; and destroyed the Roman 9th Legion. The Roman governor Paulinus regained the province in a battle during which 80,000 of the rebelling tribesmen were killed and after which Boudicca took poison or died of shock.

[inaccurately Boadicea]. Queen of the Iceni, a British tribe inhabiting a large area of East Anglia. Under a special client-king agreement (dependent sovereignty), their King Prasutagus was permitted to continue ruling after the Romans began to occupy Britain in AD 43. Upon his death (c60), Rome took advantage of the King’s ill-advised will, under which he left his kingdom jointly to the Emperor and his own daughters, and moved directly to annex the territory. Apparently for daring to object Queen Boudicca was savagely beaten and her daughters raped. This provocation, coming on top of excessive taxation and other forms of harassment, goaded Boudicca into leading a massive rebellion involving the entire southeast of the province. Tacitus relates the burning of Colchester [Camoludunum], London [Londinium] and St Albans [Verulamium]. The rebellion was eventually crushed by the governor Suetonius Paulinus, and Boudicca committed suicide by taking poison.