Background Information.
The Romans came to have power over the Iceni kingdom and how it was stolen from the rightful family. The ‘Revolt of Queen Boudicca’ questions why it wasn’t Boudicca who was due to inherit the throne after her husband. One of the theories states that Prasutagus didn’t trust Boudicca because of her prejudices against the Romans; others talk more about concerns for the safety for his family and the kingdom.
"When Boudicca's husband, Prasutagus, died, he left his territory to the Romans and to his two daughters. By doing this he had hoped to keep all parties happy that they had got part of his kingdom. When they Romans moved into the kingdom, they looted the buildings and took people away to be slaves. " "In his book The Annals, the Roman historian Tacitus told of Boudica (or Boadicea), the red-haired warrior queen of the Iceni, a Celtic tribe of ancient southeast Britain. She was the wife of Prasutagus, a 'client king' when, after the conquest of Britain in 43 C.E., continued ruling only by permission of Rome. The status of 'client state' allowed the tribe to remain otherwise independent. At his death in 59 C.E., Prasutagus left his wealth to be divided between his two daughters and the emperor, Nero, hoping to safeguard his family. The Romans, however, did not permit inheritance by women, and client states customarily became a possession of the Roman Empire after the death of the client king." |
"Prasutagus then bequeathed his kingdom to his daughters and the Roman emperor, because in this he saw the only way of safeguarding for his family that continued tenure of power. It is surprising to see that Prasutagus left his kingdom to his daughters and not to his wife. That this was not because of her age is shown by the revolt itself. On the other hand it is clear from what Tacitus sats that the daughters are no longer children; so the intention cannot have been either to name them as heirs when the queen is in fact meant to govern. Hence the exclusion of Queen Boudicca from the rule of the kingdom must be a deliberate step of the late king for which we must try to discover a reason. It may be that he thought his daughters - as wives of client kings to be appointed by the Romans - more likely to win Roman approval. But it is also likely that he did not want Boudica and her relatives to take over rule because he suspected or knew about their anti-Roman attitude, and knew also that any conflict with the Romans could only end fatally for the Iceni. Lastly his choice was probably to some extent influenced by the advice of the Romans, since his own position as king was far from one of independence." |