Queen Boudica led the southern Celtic tribes in revolt against Roman rule 1 ueen of the Iceni tribe in what is now known as Norfolk, England, Boudica repelled the Romans from Londinium, the capital, before eventually falling to the governor Gaius I Suetonius Paulinus. Though ultimately unsuccessful, she , almost threw the invaders out of Britain for good, and left an indelible cultural mark that led Queen Victoria to claim her as her namesake centuries later.
When Boudica's husband, King Prasutagus of the Iceni, died in 60 or 61 AD, the Romans were quick to capitalise on this opportunity. They flogged Boudica, raped her daughters, and called in their debts from the tribesmen. Boudica fought through these terrible trials and went on to lead 100,00 Iceni and other old East Anglian tribes in revolt against the Ninth Spanish Legion and the capital of the Roman lands, Londinium. The later defeat of Boudica, however, ensured Roman rule in the south of Britain for generations to come.
King Alexander of Macedonia came to power after his father, King Phillip II of Macedon, was assassinated in 336 BCE, and he inherited both a strong kingdom and a capable army. He put them both to work quickly, proving himself a ruthless leader who was changing the world with his vision.
Continuing to establish himself as an extremely capable military tactician, his armies defeated the Achaemenid and Persian empires, leaving Alexander to rule Persia and Asia Minor, and then swept on towards India, which was the edge of the known world at the time. Alexander sought to rule over the Aegean as Athens had done before, and as he marched his left great cities in his wake, naming each one Alexandria. By 326 BCE he had made it deep into India, where his army now struggled against the jungle, harsh climes and ferocious warriors. He was eventually turned back, but he spread Greek culture deep into the east and ushered in the Hellenistic period.
World History
