Short Term Impact.
The short-term impact of Boudicca’s battle was the damage that it caused the Romans. The casualties from the battle, including lives of citizens, architecture and resources was incredible. The reason for such damage was that the Romans weren’t ready for battle because their army was focused on the Druids, meaning not many people were guarding the tribe making it easy for them to plan and execute a battle. The anger the Iceni people had made the battle savage and merciless. After their victory the Romans slowly started to rebuild themselves and work on their defence tactics, they began building walls and ditches around their cities in attempt to improve security.
"The short-term significance of the rebellion largely comes from the shock and damage it caused to the Romans. Roman losses in the three cities hit were numerous because the cities were mostly undefended, lacking both men and defensive walls. The rebellion took the Romans by surprise. Most of the Roman forces in Britain were with the general Suetonius Paulinus fighting the Druids on the Isle of Anglesey when they learned of the revolt, suggesting that the Britons were becoming more relaxed towards Roman rule as Suetonius could afford to take his soldiers elsewhere. It was because the soldiers were too far away to be of any assistance for a while that the Briton rebels managed to attack the cities with ease, and purportedly with great savagery." |
"The significance the revolt had on the Romans can be seen in their response to it once they had put it down. Only Tacitus examines the aftermath, stating that the number of military personnel in Britain was greatly increased, as Nero "strengthened the forces by sending from Germany two thousand legionaries, eight cohorts of auxiliaries, and a thousand cavalry", which were then used to carry out stern reprisals against the Britons, especially the Iceni, something he viewed as arrogant on the part of Suetonius. The bolstering of military presence is further identified through what is arguably the only major change in Roman security policy to come out of the rebellion: the construction of defensive walls and ditches around their cities, something they hadn't done until now." |