 In 6th AD, the Celtic Queen of the British and Sinai tribe rebelled against Roman rule, killing tens of thousands of occupying Roman troops in the process, but what sparked this revolt? Initially things were very different for Boudicca, when the Romans invaded Britain decades earlier. Boudicca's husband, Prasatagus, who was king of the Sinai tribe at the time, allied his kingdom with the Romans. Father Prasatagus allied with the Romans after attempts to resist Roman conquest were defeated, or whether he surrendered without a fight are not quite clear. Regardless, the Sinai tribe was an independent ally of the Romans going forward up until his death. In his will, he left half of his kingdom to his daughters and the other half to the Roman Emperor Nero. When he died, however, his will was ignored and his kingdom was annexed by Rome and his property taken. His wife, Boudicca, was flogged and abused in the streets and his daughters were raped. Naturally, Boudicca, as a mother and a widow, snapped. Boudicca, who was known as a very tall woman with a fierce gaze, organised others who had been aggrieved by the Romans. She led her in Sinai tribe, which occupied the region around the Norfolk area of Easter in England, along with other tribes including the Tunavantes, which occupied the region corresponding to parts of modern-day Essex and Greater London and rebellion against Roman rule. It started when the Roman Governor of Britain, Gaius Setonius Paulinus, who was on campaign against a druid's stronghold in Monet, modern-day Anglesey and Wales. With Paulinus and his army out of the way, Boudicca seized their opportunity. The Celtic Queen and her army sat Camillodinum, modern-day Colchester, overpowering and surprising the Romans guarding the city. Boudicca quickly moved on to attack Londinium, modern-day London. Paulinus, who had received word of Boudicca's success in Colchester, marched straight for Londinium to head off Boudicca's advance. Paulinus did not have sufficient numbers to defend Londinium however, and ended up having to evacuate the city, leaving it for the Celts. Boudicca and her army taught Londinium as a demonstration of power and moved on to sack and burn other Roman-controlled towns in England. In her campaign, Boudicca and her army killed an estimated 70-80,000 Roman troops, many by torture. Her uprising was so impactful that it apparently even made Nero the Roman Emperor at the time, to consider withdrawing his forces from Britain altogether. Paulinus eventually reorganised his forces and despite being outnumbered, the Romans defeated Boudicca's army in a decisive battle that suppressed the revolt. The fate of Boudicca herself is debated however. Some sources argue that she killed herself to avoid being captured, whereas others say she died shortly after the battle due to illness. Regardless of her mortal fate, her name and her spirit has never died. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe and hit the bell to turn on notifications. You can also support this work through buymeacoffee.com and Patreon. All the links are in the description below. Thanks again. Speak to you next time.