Boudica, or, How Present-Day Politics Changes The Past: The London History Show
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- Опубликовано: 7 ноя 2023
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Music is used under a Creative Commons licence, CC-BY:
Mozart Flute Quartet No.1 Mov.2 by Toshiki Iga
Travelers Notebook by Rafael Krux
Sources and further reading:
Adler, E. 2008. Boudica's Speeches In Tacitus and Dio: www.jstor.org/stable/25471937
Hingley, R. & Unwin, C. 2006. Boudica: Iron Age Warrior Queen. archive.org/details/boudicair...
Vandrei, M. “Who will be a coward when a woman leads?”: Boudica and the Victorian Female Hero. www1.essex.ac.uk/history/docu...
William Cowper's poem: allpoetry.com/Boadicea.-An-Ode
The Roman sources for Boudica: warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/classi...
The head of Nero: www.britishmuseum.org/collect...
My favourite kids' book on Boudica: Boudica and her Barmy Army, Valerie Wilding, 2005
There's some truly exceptional homework coming in, folks. I've seen arguments that Boudica would have been in favour of ULEZ, Scottish independence, Donald Trump, abortion, the EU, unrestricted gun ownership, and more! Please enjoy Ctrl+F'ing the word "homework" on this comment section to see people's wild takes, and feel free to argue a political slant on Boudica yourself- whether you personally agree with the position or not. It's really useful to see how easy it is to argue this stuff, so that one can spot it easier in a live-ammo environment.
While Cornwall and Devon remained mostly native, my understanding is that the Dumnonii submitted like the Iceni early on and so didn't get a Roman garrison. They were probably enough out of the way that the villa crowd didn't have any interest in going there and the locals weren't into all the posh stuff.
It irks me that every website seems to have decided its a good idea to only load just enough of the page to fit on my screen at one time - so Ctrl+F doesn't work properly to search the entire collection of comments, or any other entire page. All these years of buying faster and more powerful computers and I can't have something so basic.
It's the same with work tools - I use Jira as a glorified team to-do list at work and that quietly removes the items from the page when you're not looking at them so the built in browser ctrl+f search doesn't work and we're forced to rely on the search tool of the individual web app.
Unrestricted gun control and live ammo. I see what you did there. 😊
It truly is amazing that any bit of history, particularly the ones farther in the past that include mythic or folklore elements, can be manipulated to support really any opinion.
My history degree taught me that history is certainly written by the "winners", but can certainly be weaponized.
My political science degree taught me that whoever frames the debate is usually the one who ends up winning it, because they control the narrative. It's rampant in public policy making in any nation state, and descends all the way down to local government and even friend-based social groups with any sort of leadership board. The manipulations of story and political machinations of narrative are staggering in scope. I've seen fast friends rip each other apart over differences in narrative for social purposes. The power of framing a narrative is both wonderful and petrifying. It can be useful, but it can also be vicious. It can be, and usually is, weaponized in much the same way as historical narratives. Comparing what children learn in their history texts and the facts behind Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" (or the youth version) provides an excellent example of how often we utilize history to manipulate entire populations. It's mind-boggling.
I know one thing, she was very in favor of burning down London apparently.
Imagine having an entire archeological layer named after you 🤣
Edit: After a name some strangers gave you long after you died.
Homework:
Boudica let children and the elderly go along with her warriors. She voluntarily did this, even though it slowed down traffic flow for the chariots. Therefore she would have been in favour of massively expanding pedestrian infrastructure.
Boudicca believed in walkable cities, that's why she burnt down London, it was too cart-dependant.
@@treeaboo God I love this!!! 🥰🤣
@@treeaboo😂
Her army lost because they got trapped in a narrow passage, she might've won that battle if britain had wider highways that could accomodate large amount of chariot traffic.
So you're saying Boudicca would have been in favour of the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre? Jurassic Park!
Boudica's story as a modern tabloid headline.
Stroppy mum of 2 (31) kicks off a bender that leave three cities in flames. Finally apprehended by authorities near Wroxeter.
Boudica's story as a broadsheet headline.
Norfolk mother outraged by local government takes her grievances to London where she takes defiant action.
The Daily Mail seems to be holding back there.
Great stuff😂
Routine debt collection at 10,000 nummus aureus abode snowballs into DESTRUCTION of three cities with single mother provocoteur still at large.
🙌
Well done!
Homework:
Boudica had two preteen daughters, is often depicted utilizing equines, and fought against an evil force wrecking tyranny upon a rural land of beautiful nature... all while using the power of friendship to unite every person she met.
Therefore, Boudica would have been a huge fan of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. Her favorite character would have been Twilight Sparkle (steadfast leader and source of unity), with Rainbow Dash (confident military powerwoman) as a close second. And since she had disabled and wounded Britons in her army, she would have argued that Derpy is not an ableist character.
(Well, she also killed thousands and burned down cities... but that doesn't fit with the narrative that I'm trying to construct and the biases I'm trying to push onto people, so I'm deliberately ignoring those parts like any good armchair historian.)
Dang, I didn't know Boudica was based like that.
😆
Colonists and their cities don't matter anyway
Ethnic cleansing is only a thing if it's happening to a local population, planters are fair game
So carry on with your weird analogy
Boudicca would have supported the National Hockey League expanding to Quebec City. Boudicca lived in a cold climate and would have understood the need for winter entertainment. She had experience with taking road trips to more southern cities and emerging victorious. She was good at drawing crowds in small market cities, which is essential for a professional ice hockey team in a city of less than 1,000,000.
She would of also instinctively hated the French
What's with hating the French! Pretty poor taste and embarrassment for other Canadians.! What has that got to do with Boudicca anyway?
Or maybe an Atlantic team. You guys already have the Montreal team. Boudicca would've understood the need to share resources amongst different groups as she ruled over a large group of people.
@@Vancouverpillmuncher666 *would have
@@juliamannard824 because its funny to shit on the french?
A thought that strikes me is, if history is written by the victors, and Boudica is written as a powerful, vengeful woman with great destructive skills and a following of many tens of thousands, the Romans must have been quite impressed by her. As a respected adversary, or a great thorn in their sides, she is remembered now because *they* immortalized her.
Turns out history is written by people who can write and have the social infrastructure to preserve it.
I was thinking similar except perhaps Boudicca was an early form of propaganda for the Roman army.
Boudicca being a character britons at the time could could identify with & get behind and rally with her.
In the end the Romans were victorious against the indefatigable heroine or the Roman equivalent...
..
I say this as it appears all the accounts of Boudicca were from the Romans & maybe it was all made up for a recruitment tool...
@@stuartd9741For all the modern talk and discussion about how reality and history is bent by people's biases and purposes, it's important to remember that these authors weren't writing in a vacuum. When they wrote stuff down, there were generally other people around them who also knew about what had happened and why, and would very much have their own take on it as well.
This means that, while they were free to make an awful lot of stuff up (the actual speeches Boudica gave, for instance) and spin what facts they did give, if they wanted to keep credibility with their peers (some of whom would be responsible for preserving their writings), they couldn't stray too far from the consensus history at the time and place. People who made too much up, or strayed too far from what was acceptable would mostly just be ignored and neglected.
This is why, despite the very real need to read these texts *critically*, it's important to not read them *skeptically*. There's a difference.
I think Roman accounts of barbarians often tell us more about the Romans than they do about the barbarians. It's a long time since I've read Tacitus, but as I recall, his "Germania" had a tendency to portray the German tribes in a way that acted as a sort of mirror through which he could criticise Roman society. I seem to remember getting similar vibes from "Agricola" (where his account of Boudicca is from) when he's reporting the alleged speech of the Caledonian commander before the battle of Mons Graupius - that famous "They make a wilderness and call it peace!" speech. I think a lot of surviving Roman writers had a tendency to make everything about themselves. I don't know off the top of my head what point Tacitus may have been trying to make when writing about Boudicca: maybe some warning to the current emperor about the evils that follow from arbitrary and tyrannical acts against the "noble" patrician class, safely projected back in time and outwards to the fringe of the empire and pinned on the governance of the final, discredited emperor of the previous dynasty. But that's just woolly speculation on my part: somebody more familiar with the details of Roman history may have a better idea.
@@anarchodolly All of that is quite true and an excellent reason to read the text critically. That is very much happening. You do need to remember, though, that the rhetoric loses its effectiveness if the actual history he describes is too different from the history his intended audience thinks they know.
In Vietnam, there is a similar story from exactly the same century as Boudica as well: the Trưng sisters. What is now northern Vietnam was under Han occupation at the time, and it appears that the Han pissed off the natives quite a lot. After a native lord was killed by the Han, his wife Trưng Trắc and her sister Trưng Nhị staged an uprising in 40 AD that was widely supported by other native peoples of the Red River Delta. They rode into battle on the backs of elephants, scaring the shit out of the Han soldiers (so opposite to Boudica, I guess). They managed to form their own government for a while, write up some laws of their own, before the Han sent a different commander, Ma Yuan, down south to crack down on the rebellion in 43 AD. This time, unable to defend their new state, the two sisters lost their lives. According to the Book of the Later Han, Ma Yuan had the two sisters beheaded.
But that's just like a composite version made from the dynastical records of the Han (as far as I can remember). Vietnamese folklore disagrees with the Han versions a lot: for example, the Vietnamese believed that the women died by suicide to avoid being captured and violated. In some versions of folklore, there wasn't even a husband for Trưng Trắc; she and her sister just did an uprising because they were pissed. That's not to mention the fact that the Trưng sisters' rebellion were like the Avengers of the time: in the folk retellings of the Trưng sisters, you'll find mentions of dozens of women warriors from all over northern Vietnam who somehow got wind of the Trưng sisters doing a rebellion and deciding they wanted to support the sisters too. According to Vietnamese folklore, almost all of the Trưng sisters' generals were women, and wandering around in northern Vietnam, you're guaranteed to find some temple reclined against a mountain that turns out to be dedicated to one of the female generals under the Trưng sisters--people that none of the Han records mentioned.
After the Vietnamese declared independence in the 10th century, Vietnamese historians started compiling Chinese records and local folktales to write their own dynastical historical records, and they too began talking about the Trưng sisters. They described all the glory of the revolt and were like: "See? Even women could do such a powerful thing! Where were all the men doing this? Too busy being cowards to the Han, perhaps?" Flash-forward to when Vietnam was colonized by France, the Trưng sisters became a symbol of Vietnamese resistance. And when the country was split in half after the Geneva Accords, both North Vietnam and South Vietnam worshipped the Trưng sisters with their own nationalistic festivals too. Nowadays, after the country was reunified and plunged into neoliberalism, you can even pick up some cheap books with a pink cover literally girlbossifying the Trưng sisters. It is impossible to even know what is truthful about the Trưng sisters, because there is little information about them left and every source that repeats their story has their own take too. Of course, I am not saying we should deny everything and say, "Well the Trưng sisters weren't real", but much like Boudica, their status as symbols has outlived who they really were, and it's up to each of us to decide what we should make of their story.
Thanks! Never heard this. Appreciate you taking the time to educate the rest of us. 😊
I had no idea about any of this, thank you for sharing!
That’s such a cool story, thanks for sharing! Also, thank you for inventing the word “girlbossifying”!
Thank you for that. I wouldn’t have known to seek it out until just now. 🙏💐
I wonder if taking a maidens head was a synonym for rape before Shakespeare he had to have got the idea from somewhere I suppose
For my homework assignment: Boudicca had long red hair. It probably got in her face and mouth. It may have contributed to her defeat due to distraction and annoyance. Therefore Boudicca fought to bring scrunchies to Britain
"My kingdom for a scrunchie!" - Boudica
Woman tied their hair back then as well. You know the Princess Leia hair do? Dates back to iron age if not bronze age Iberia.
ruclips.net/video/Qrub9iKdarA/видео.htmlsi=eUKKYFIjdwHgbpui
As a Norfolk gal, I adore Boudica. Sadly they closed the Iceni village living history centre, but we're very proud of her. A lot of local school houses are called Boudica.
Why she was incompetent
@@Ghastly_Grinner coming in second place to the most efficient imperial force of all time isn’t exactly a sign of incompetence
Norfolk.💚💛👍
Homework: When Boudicca marched upon the romans, she brought with her the young and the old, the injured and the ailing, because even if they slowed her army down, she knew that through banding together and ensuring all were taken care of, her people would be stronger and more numerous in the end, with the contribution of the thousands who would have died without aid.
Boudicca would have been in favour of radical healthcare reform and free access to medical care for all, even if it required an overall increased tax burden.
No she would not have.
"How much better to have been slain and to have perished than to go about with a tax on our heads!"
-- Boudica.
Better to die than to pay taxes.
@@tompatterson1548
And they did....
Ignorant American here (no sarcasm; we just aren’t taught English ancient mythohistory):
So she was for bodily autonomy, because the wounded and infirm could have chosen to come with her and live or stay behind and die?
@@tompatterson1548 Tax in that context means oppression. Taxes are often oppressive but when used for general welfare they’re good. Nuance is fun like that
@@DeathnoteBB You mean, tax is great when people with money pay it, so you can sit on your behind and do nothing?
My homework assignment (as a Welshman):
Boudicca would have been appalled that her legacy was kept alive by another bunch of foreign invaders, the English.
Boudicca WAS English. She may not have spoke the language but she was more like the people of England than the people of wales
Ah, you beat me to it! Was going to mention my Welsh grandfather having red hair as an added detail. Cymru am byth!
The Saxons, Angles, Jutes, and Mercians didn't arrive for another 500+ years. So, not she's not English but Welsh. @@StuJee1
Every English person has majority celtic blood and only 25% Anglo saxon so id say shes just as much our ancestor coming from our part of this kand
@@richardjohnston3359 Ethnicity isn’t everything. Culturally, she has nothing in common with the English.
Homework: Boudicca had regular encounters with stricter and more draconian regulations through the occupation of the Romans in Britain. The area of what we now call East Anglia where the Iceni lived was a rich and fertile land, supporting many who lived and worked in communities. These communities, through their day-to-day actions, produced a large amount of waste. Despite this, the Roman Empire persisted in creating more and more bureaucracy to make lives harder for those living in these areas, whilst collecting their gift-debt through the removal of regular promised services to support waste removal. In rising up against the oppressors and taking her fight to the other cities, Boudicca showed her willingness to fight against this bureaucracy and resist attempts to remove regular waste collection services. Which is why Boudicca would have supported weekly bin collections at the doorstep.
Was there word of mouth folklore about her or someone like her?
Iceni is a hard c
A hard Cnut to crack
This might be my favourite!
😂 brilliant
I adore the philosophy tube vibes of effort put in to costume going on here.
Homework:
Boudicca was a fighter, legiones and radical hero at heart. She fought for her people and burned cities to the ground in name of retaliation against the Romans. For these reasons, I suggest the theory that Boudicca would’ve been pro-arson.
She was a terrorist - she ordered the celts to shop off the breast of roman woman and shove them in their mouths. The celts were like Hamas today.
Nope, the real Boudica was probably more matronly figure, with no military background who rose to power because there was nobody else left more royal and only because of the rampant abuses by the Romans. If none of this happened she would have been content to leave the generaling to others as she should have since she was a terrible general as you can tell from her ultimate fate. If she even directly led the battle since most if not all women 'generals' in pop history tended to be more mascots or overarching political leaders or figureheads in reality.
@@archieames1968 could you please watch the vid to the end and undterstand the asignment?
@@archieames1968 watch the video bru
I think a bunch of loser men decided they needed to blame a woman for the fiasco.
There is someone from London who’s destiny it is to found the band ‘Boudican Destruction Horizon’ and I wish them godspeed.
Ooo! Cool band name!
Or Colchester!
Or at least a great name for a song!
BDH
I’m already a fan
This is nearly exactly what my thesis paper was for my BA back in college for my history degree - except with Cleopatra (THE Cleopatra VII). I even used Cassius Dio as one of my sources as well seeing as all the accounts of HER were written by male enemies years after her death. As soon as you started the 2nd part of the video I knew EXACTLY where you were going with this and I got SO excited!!! 😂 you did a fabulous job and I love that your thought process was so similar to mine here - helping to reframe the histories of women of the past instead of just taking accounts from people like Plutarch at their word(s).
what a stupid reply to this video.
@@billphilips8522 care to elaborate? Or just here to spread negativity?
I was in a band once called Boudiccan Destruction Horizon. Imagine the Sex Pistols playing Herman’s Hermits. We did an awesome version of Men of Harlech.
That’s my new band name!
Homework assignment
Boudica and the Britons suffered under the Romans oppression, with the taking away of their weapons.
This, leaves them with lesser tools to fight in their rebellion, but also diminishes their freedom to own and use whatever they wish.
Though this was said to be for some idea of collective good, in this case, to keep the peace, it was primarily to control the population and subdue them.
In these modern times we face similar struggles with overreaching rulers in the name of collective good. So, it is clear to me, and anyone that has a clear view of history, that Boudica would have been against the implementation of paper straws.
Edit: Thank you for the lovely comments, glad I got you.
😂🤣😂🖖💕
Beautiful ❤
Boudicca could have continued as a wealthy Roman citizen but was too greedy for power. Her people suffered because of her. They had been Roman citizens for almost two decades with few problems. Queen Cartimandua of the Brigantes was well chuffed with Roman rule and betrayed Caractacus to get even more favour. Cartimandua was a fan of progress and would have welcomed any innovation in straw-making.
I love paper straws. Much more engaging to chew on
Well done! Paper straws is not where I expected that to go. You really took me down the garden path!
Homework:
Boudica engaged in conflict with the Romans in response to the percieved injustice of her daughters being denied their rightful inheritance, with the state authority usurping what was rightfully theirs. Consequently, it can be inferred that Boudica would have advocated for the elimination of inheritance taxation.
You are right, this can be implied on anything haha
😄 Well done!
Thanks! I used chat GPT haha
@@else5871 lol I was hoping there would be at least one cheeky homework cheater in the comments. I didn’t expect ChatGBT but I’m too much of a goodie goodie to think of the new and improved ways people cheat on homework :P
(Note: This is not a stance in favor of cheating. I am only in favor of a low stakes joke about it)
@@chipmunkwarcry Hehe in my defence I wrote it myself at first in Swedish, which is my first language, and then only let chatGPT translate it since I find it difficult to write academically in english.
I was introduced to Boudicca by Horrible Histories. I still got her song stuck in my head: "Boudicca, superstar..."
I just want to commend you for your ability to present complex events/ideas so clearly and eloquently. Thank you
These are so well written and so impeccably performed. The way you teach is top tier pedagogy
Also andragogy, because she's mostly teaching adults. :D
@@ocudagledamI have learned a new word 🥰
She's well informed, I wonder if she's an autodidact.
@@tomthx5804 ok, piggy.
@tomthx5804 With this comment, you're exactly proving her point!
So here's a fun addendum, Colchester City Council has two icons it uses in different places - on is Boudicca, one is a Legionary. We have a statue of Boudicca outside the train station where she seems to be wearing a Roman helmet and carrying a Roman shield. Gotta play both sides!
Maybe she picked em up off a dead Roman, the way Indigenous Americans would collect arms and horses and clothing they found on dead Yanks. And also bought. Maybe she traded for the superior armor.
Sounds like they confused her with the goddess Minerva (of victory and wisdom, basically Athena of greek, but syncreted with British pagan goddess Sulis so associated with Britain) or Brittania who's kind of got the same iconography of a helmet?
Legionary equipment was common salvage, and good quality so if she used weapons at all it's not a stretch.
Helmets with cheek plates and large shields are quite common in the iron age they are not exclusive to Romans. Some even say the romans copied their equipment from the celts.
That's not Boudica, that is based on Minerva and is known as 'Britannia' the personification of Britain.
Tacitus might not have actually met Boudica, and might have written his Annals around 40years after the end of the revolt, but I personally think his history is pretty accurate. He was no doubt writing his Annals over a period of time, they were his final work but considering the size it would not have been surprising to learn that he had been working on them for a good long while. As such it isn't hard to think that many of his sources for Boudica's revolt were first hand and actually written down within a couple decades of the events, maybe even contemporary if Tacitus had access to first-hand written sources - he certainly had good contacts. Agricola, his own father-in-law, was literally serving in Britain at the time of the revolts, so I think Tacitus's sources were probably absolutely top drawer and, generally, he can be trusted. If anyone was writing a history as Roman Propaganda it could have been Tacitus but he is pretty scathing of the Romans and does not water down their treatment of the Iceni at all. Yes, he exaggerates the Roman's final victory over Boudica but that is not uncommon in history and doesn't necessarily imply bias. It is actually typical for humans to stand in large crowds and exaggerate the numbers around them, even today (just ask Trump, lol), and then add a decade onto the time between the event and it being retold and those numbers will only grow in one's mind. There is no way to physically do a head count and, when you are outnumbered and no doubt intimidated, 100 people can very easily feel like 1000. So I allow Tacitus a few inconsistencies but I think his core description of the events is probably fairly accurate and archaeology has since seemed to back him up.
Tacitus may be a fake identity. There's a clue in his name. He might be an invention of those who wish to control the narrative.
Ya I a similar idea if he lived a long life maybe he simply heard of Boudica from one of the Briton slaves. Who was involved or descendants from the revolt.
Fact his father served in Briton is something I never knew now makes much more sense. An makes his account much more believed.
Many years ago I watched a BBC documentary about Boudica, hosted by Tony Robinson.
I have learned far more from your show than I learned from the BBC.
As a Floridian, I watch in daily horror the overt politicization of our schools' curriculum. As such, it was intriguing to hear your thoughts on bias in history lessons. It has given me much to consider, not only in what's happening here in my home state, but in my own mind as well.
Excellent piece!! (Really love these longer videos.)
The globalists built the govt. schools for their own purposes. The history has always been skewed at best because it's usually the victors that write it.
“The truth is the best propaganda.” - attributed to Adolf Hitler.
The problem is simple: We're not hanging our domestic enemies, our greatest enemies.
We’re winning the gun battle(sort of) and losing the war. We have 400 mil. guns and NO MEN to use them.
Why is western civilization being intentionally collapsed and who or what profits from this?
The commie globalist trash want us disarmed so we can't hunt and exterminate them as should have been done generations ago.
The SECOND AMENDMENT was written as a statement of MILITARY purpose to ACKNOWLEDGE our NATURAL BORN right to possess ARMS SUPERIOR to those carried by the standing army our Founders rightly feared. But we have NO MEN to enforce this.
Why don't we have an engraved in granite copy of the Bill of Rights and the Bill of Rights of that state in front of EVERY govt. building beside a granite gallows to be used on the demonscat and republicrat trash that breaks their Oath as soon as they take it?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See what the evil goolag doesn't want you to:
ruclips.net/user/waypasthadenoughabout
FLORIDA, where they try to teach that ENSLAVED PEOPLE WERE LEARNING TRADES!!!!!!😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
@@tesmith47 Thankfully our communities of color are picking up the torch to make sure a complete & accurate historical curriculum is available to everyone. It's a job for our state leaders, but they continue to prove themselves unequal to the task.
I don't recognize this world anymore.
Homework:
Boudica loved children. She allowed the children to come with her on the march because she believed that new-born children would bring good luck and morale on the journey and because after what happened to her daughters she couldn't allow leaving the children behind unprotected. You see, besides being a powerful queen and warrior, Boudica was also a midwife for the Iceni. She cared deeply about children and was very interested in the miracle of childbirth. Just before going on the march, Boudica made a speech in which she famously said that Britain shall be repopulated with Britons once again. Because of her wonderful dedication to the wonders of childbirth and the British people, Boudica will always be remembered as the inventor of the pro-life movement.
Writing this made like half of my muscles recoil and honestly made me feel a bit lightheaded. Coming up with a narrative that is so obviously not based on evidence just feels wrong when you're aware of it and not doing it for any particular reason.
So instead of leaving the women and children behind she brought them on campaign?
As always, a brilliant video. It’s fascinating, seeing the parallels that can be drawn between Britain’s Victorian jingoism and the political climate of the modern-day UK. Thanks, J, for not leaving the politics out of the storytelling. To those who say “I don’t do politics”, as someone wise once said, we all should at least try: after all, you may not ‘do’ politics, but politics ‘does’ you 😊
After all, politics is in pretty much everything in life.
Homework assignment:
As person not natively from Ohio nor from Britain or Rome I can say that Boudicca would have been 100% in favor of Ohio’s legalization of cannabis. She fought for freedom the very same freedom that allows people like myself who live in Ohio enjoy cannabis. She said in her speech to her grand army of pure blood Brits that “Rome is weak and so is their pot. We must take back our country and only do indoor grows like true brits. God save the me!” She was truly an inspiration.
Boudicca would have been proud of Ohio's election results. :)
As a native Ohioan, this made me laugh, thank you
Haters gonna hate but Boudica was just built different.
I totally approve of your use of the word "cannabis". "Marijuana" was contrived to exploit anti Hispanic sentiment.
@@chrismiller5198 yeah man it’s horrible they used racism to scare people off from a plant that had already been in use for thousands of years
I love the use of the Boudica story to demonstrate how it is impossible to tell history apolitically. I've never had much interest in history, but your channel and the stories you tell have been a wonderful route in to history as a subject. Thank you for all the videos you've made.
Besides fact it isnt in history you learn somthing called nop nature origin pourpose any source u must evaluate these three for it
@@demonic_myst4503 Punctuation exists for a reason. You should look into that.
Just because it is difficult doesn't mean that you shouldn't strive to give the events a honest shake.
Anyone ever heard of the "Boudicca was actually an ancient alien and was the original reason for crop circles to appear in England" version? Okay maybe not, but your video was excellent! Your presentation, your use of role-playing and your passionate love of history really moved the story along. Great job!
As an American, I had never heard of Boudica and knew almost nothing about the Roman occupation of Britain. Thank you for bringing this bit of history to life in such an engaging and thought provoking way. Of all the channels I subscribe to, this is one of my Top 5 favorites, in no small part due to your obvious love of your subject and the care you put into each presentation. If I ever get to London and you're still doing walking tours, I'm going to sign up.
It wasn't exactly a Roman occupation of Britain. Before being conquered there was no unity. Then the area was an actual province of Rome, Brittania, for several hundred years. In the same way as Texas is a state of the USA. Londunnum (London) was a Roman city. In reality, it was likely the fact that much of it was unified under the administration of Rome that started the framework of a more unified identity for the area.
As an American now I'm wondering whether or not most Americans are familiar with her or not...I thought she was common knowledge, but maybe not.
@@evelcustom9864 Not to mention the Romans never bothered to make much headway into Scotland.
well they’re your ancestors
@@TAZKs I'm wondering the same thing! I hope the majority of people in charge at companies and voting actually know their history.
The irony of victorians idealizing boudicca when they were doing the very thing she fought against or said to have fought against is rather iconic
But it feels good hearing about Brittons during the roman rule
Thanks for the video :)
I'm guessing either a typo or a know-it-all auto-correct, but 'iconic' should be 'ironic', yes?
'they were doing the very thing she fought against'....No they weren't. That is just you falling into the trap the Victorians fell into, except you're doing it from another angle. What the Victorians did is neither what Boudicca did nor is it the thing she fought against. There is simply no comparison either way, as it was a different time and place.
Can you please let us know what is was that Boudicca fought against, and what her motivations and beliefs were?
@@faust8218 didn’t you just watch the video?
The Romans took a look at us Scots and went "Nope! Just put a wall there!" And Boudica is my absolute favorite Britton.
Picts not Scots.
@@azieldaly2965 I largely use that term with my acquaintances that have little understanding of the region. It sort of serves as a way to keep from confusing people, as a staggering number of them have never heard of the Picts.
@@ericthompson3982yeah but explaining what a Pict is isn’t difficult. Pretending the Scots were there or that Scottish ppl now prevented the Romans is… simply a lie, one amongst many often used by disingenuous pro nationist. Not far off saying Boudicca was English or angle. Just a complete falsehood
@@cyclofeedubox8332Well majority of English DNA is celtic and only 25% of Anglo saxon so she is probably a ancestor of living English people
@@cyclofeedubox8332 send more tears
Reminds me a lot of the figure of Vercingetorix here in France.
Vercingetorix was the leader of a gathering of various gallic tribes into an army against rome trying to take over from 58 to 51 B.C., which they also lost pretty hard (see Gallic Wars if you want to do your homework). There was a lot of state propaganda especially during WW1 about this guy and the gauls alike. He was elevetad to a semi-legendary stature to serve as a symbol of resistance and national unity against invaders. Very much like Boudica, most of the sources on his life were written by romans, although there is a few more sources and less obscure of a life story as her.
With the state re-writing history on biased sources, teaching that at school as ancient history of France until the 60's, and later pop culture with Astérix & Obelix (while being really cool comics beloved by everyone here for all the right reasons), it messed up a lot of public understanding about that period of time, even to this day. Althouhg things are a lot better now than they were 50 years ago 😅
I absolutely love it when Jenny dresses up to make her stories come alive!
I once wrote a song about Boudica for my folk metal band. It contained the line 'I see you, the Iceni' . Unreasonably proud of that one.
No, no, be loud and proud!
What's the band called?
@@Chicklo11 Andraste, the song is called The Forsaken Warrior.
POST! POST! POST! POST! I want to hear it. :)
There once was a lady named Boudicca, Who was treated by Romans quite rude-icca…
"The Italian battalion, the legionnaires from elsewheres" 😂 oh my gods I love it! Painting themselves into the blue corner was good, but this is too much awesome to not say something about it!
I like it when the narrator gets into the character of one's story. Keep up the good work, the paint and the approximate wardrobe
Homework:
Boudica was a land owner whos rights were abused, and who was taxed with limited (almost no) representation in a government across an ocean from her, she fought against (roman) loyalists in her own country in this effort. This makes her a symbol of american revolutionaries... Also a few word changes away from being an american confederate.
Well, I think you slowly become the David Attenborough and the James Burke of London and Britain's history. Plus the great acting skills. Plus the chameleonic makeup. You literally transformed yourself in Boudica and really transported us in her times. Amazing episode, congratulations!
I do hope those lucky A-Level history students appreciate that they are getting first class tuition / guidance from a great historian / resercher.
Congratulations J. Draper for being their chosen guide.
When I was a kid, in the 1960s, about 15 miles south of Colchester, my grandmother told me Boudica ("Boadicea") was our queen. I can't remember anything else she might said about her, but I took it to mean the queen of the people in our part of Essex. I don't know where she got her information from, but having grown up in Victorian England, I guess it was just part of the narrative. As far as I remember, she was never mentioned in my school's curriculum, and the next time I heard of her would probably have been discovering her statue on the Embankment in my early 20s.
OMG the homework assignments are brilliant. And what a great channel to inspire such engagement.
Great job as always. And if boudicca were alive today she would take the London walking tour with Jenny Draper.
Before the homework, can we just stop to once again appreciate what a cracking storyteller and writer Tacticus was? He may not have been a good historian. But he wrote *awesome* prose and created amazing characters and people!
Homework:
Boudica, as a member of the ruling class and a victim of outrageous government repression and overreach would clearly have been a proponent of Thatcherite policies, or at the very least advocated small, low-intervention government.
(N.B. I feel I have to say this is stretching it, but that’s the my crux, you could easily spin the story to be a retelling similar to any of the myths about the American Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers. Her story is right up there with Paul Revere.)
Sadly, perhaps, few members of a ruling class have ever favoured low-intervention government within their own particular sphere of influence, be it large or small. Most of them tend to enjoy issuing orders on behalf of their special friends and allies, especially if they don't even believe in the concept of 'society' in the first place. Boudica, just possibly, may have favoured the concept of 'popular solidarity' and so, with a stretch, might be considered as a proto-trade-unionist, which would put her at daggers drawn with the Iron Lady
Actually, Tacitus is known for being one of the most reliable ancient historians, for its age standards. That being said, the "standards" werre other ancient historians who reported stories about people having the head of a dog and the body of a man
Homework: Boudicca brought the children along to watch the battle so she would be against putting age ratings on video games because she would think it’s good for children to see violence and actually it’s better for them to see it at a distance (both physically or through a screen) so they don’t grow up to be snowflakes
(This is not my actual opinion on age ratings lol)
Literally every piece of info i get about Boudicca is tempered by my memory of spike milligan as Minnie Bannister as "Boadicea"
Amazing lesson on the inherent bias in history and storytelling!
I love how you have very clearly shown how impossible it is to tell anything as "just the facts." One of the first things I learned in my first communication course, was that bias is everywhere. The question is not whether something is biased, but what is the bias? The best we can do is to acknowledge our own biases and go from there. When someone says to me they believe that the news or other media were less biased in some bygone era, I can't help but laugh. We have always made choices about what "facts" to present. Thank you.
It's actually very easy to tell "just the facts." The real problem is that many people won't bother to listen to you. People want to be fed a political narrative and many writers are willing to oblige them.
I always said bias in history is like strokes in golf. It is impossible to not have any strokes in golf but the whole point is to reduce your number of strokes as much as possible. However there are some people who will shoot 72 on the front 9 and keep going full speed on the back 9- don't be that golfer.
Really REALLY love how you went into the biases present in both historical accounts and our interpretations of them! Everything about this video is top tier - I always love your content.
One of your best videos - the retelling and reframing of Boudica really makes her relevant to debates today!
No matter how good the research, or the rhetorical skills: It's the obvious joy in storytelling (and theatrical performance!) that makes this videos exceptional!
Homework: Boudica would have pronounced "GIF" with a hard G, as in "Those were gifts, goddammit!"
This is one great, well put together history lesson from a brilliant teacher! Came for the Boudica story, but subscribed because of the thoughtful presentation of history in general. Learned more than I thought I would and it was totally enjoyable. It's true, teaching is a gift and this lady is gifted. TY!
Embellishing events and adding speeches was pretty standard for ancient historians. History was, as you point out, as much about scoring political points are recording facts, even more so than today. One must also wonder how Boudica could have spoken to 100,000 troops without a microphone.
Long form J.Draper content for breakfast? Yes please 🙂
Why is the third comment exactly what I was about to post? Hivemind activate!
Ooooh, I loved this so much. I grew up in South Africa , my dad was British, and I had always known Boudicca was an ancient queen because I was blessed with red hair myself. I loved that there was a strong warrior queen with red hair as a role model for me because redheads are much maligned there, as they are here, and I was bullied quite a bit. I also read an amazing novel called The Eagle and the Raven, by Pauline Gedge, which was well written and made the story seem so real. Thanks for this amazing episode, I love your shorts but prefer this in depth look at someone fascinating.
Finally #Redhead representation for white South Africans
😁, I've lived here for a very long time, barely consider myself as South African any more.@@stratospheric37
I'm intrigued. Did you learn more about Novimbi okaMsweli and Mkabayi kaJama?
How does it feel that Britons were enslaved and exploited and then they did the same thing to native South Africans? Does it feel weird or conflicting ever? Just curious. Or do people tend to take pride in history from a thousand years ago, but not acknowledge recent history and crimes.
@@kellynaz9256how does it feel to study which tribes sold Africans to the Arabs? How does it feel to wonder what happened to the people who were taken during the Sack of Baltimore and sold into slavery in North Africa? Only a very few were ransomed and the town was abandoned for generations. The history of slavery is fascinating. It was so common. I even found cases in the Pacific Northwest among different tribes. The program Finding Your Roots finds so many surprising links following genetics and records. People of all races are shocked to find they are descended from people ( of various ethnic backgrounds) who enslaved others.
Homework: Around 1000 years ago an Iceni women was recorded as the figurehead in the temporary destruction of 3 settlements in Roman occupied Britain. ;)
I used to hate history class in school, because of the way it was taught. I have been learning so much from your videos and a few other youtubers I subscribe to. Thank you for showing people history is much more interesting when we have more information. When discussing this subject WWI is what I always mention (here in Canada at least) we were simply taught that the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand was the catalyst for the war. While yes that's true, they never taught us who he was, and why that was the case (not to mention how bungled the attempt was, and that it was pure chance that it actually occurred). I know they can only put so much in the lessons, but when the teacher
can't actually tell you beyond what's in the text book it's a big problem.
And no one ever talks about how the Austro-Hungarian Empire had already planned for the invasion (ethnic cleansing) of Serbia years earlier, or when they crossed the border that was the cause of the war.
"Boudica in the local language means 'victory', might have been a nickname!"
-With her track record of military success, that might be a nickname similar to naming the tallest person of a group Shorty. That would indicate one of the earlier appearances of British humour! 😊
Sacking three Roman towns in the middle of the Pax Romana is a pretty good track record, comparatively.
@@digitaljanus Which mainly was an assault on civilians. The first clash with an army ended in complete disaster.
@@zweispurmoppedMostly because it was two fighting styles crashing with one another. She was victorious for a long enough time to be backed. Had they not brought an entourage she may have continued to be 🤷🏾♀️
@@zweispurmopped For the Romans. The 9th legion was heavily defeated and forced to retreat to their fort. Losses are unknown but the Roman forces after Boudica's defeat were reinforced by 2000 troops sent from the forts in Germany. No legions are mentioned so these are replacement troops for the existing legions. Additional auxiliary units are also sent.
Even before naming King AEthelraed "unraed" as a pun!
Me, a Yorkshireman, early in the video: "We don't know where she's from? Oh, clearly there's a case she might be from Yorkshire then."; Me, later in the video: "How dare you call me out on my biases!". Me, now: "Wait. I hate homework. This comment is blatantly conformant to the homework requirement. AAAARGH"
She was from norfolk. Even if she didn't get born there she certainly took it up with a passion.
Brilliant story telling, wonderful visual costume changes, and balanced rational thinking! Please keep up this great work!
I’m a 47yo American male and Boudicca is one of my favorite historical characters. Your video was absolutely and completely brilliant. You staged it so perfectly with the mythology of her story and then ended with some really hard truth in that it’s impossible to tell her story without it being political.
She can really be anyone’s hero for anything. I’ve got two young daughters under the age of 10 and Boudicca is an example that I use for them on being a warrior woman and politically I’m a very American Right wing but I find her historical example (as I’ve read it) the story of rebellion even though you know that your going to lose as something of inspiration.
Thank you for how you laid out your video. It was truly brilliant
Homework:
After the death of Boudica’s husband, we do not see any more Iceni coins, and her name never appears on any coins. This means she must have been opposed to currency as she refused to issue more coins. This means she rejected money, as coins were basically the only form of money at the time, so she couldn’t’ve favored another sort of currency. This shows a deep opposition to the financial system, which is the pillar upon which capitalism is built. In many way, the derivatives and stocks that are so important to our economy today would be rejected by Boudica. She would also reject money as a whole, which means she would also reject capitalism.
Homework:
Boudicca brought children and elderly people on her campaign in an effort to get all generations to lead a more active lifestyle. Burning London to the ground was merely an accident, she was talking about burning calories but someone misheard her.
Also, battle tactics were considered part of a good education back then, so she brought the kids along to the final battle so they'd be able to analyse the situation in real time.
In modern times, this would mean that Boudicca would support hands-on learning in schools (preferably Montessori schools), and multi-generational fitness regimens. Not much is known about her diet, but it's reasonable to assume that she would be in favour of healthy school lunches, too.
Excellent! Really puts "historians" in the spotlight and under a microscope. Bravo!!
Since this is a dinner conversation: How was/is your dinner? My dinner was excellent! Even more so, because I was watching this amazing video! Not only was the "history" part of it interesting and thought provoking, but also the scrutiny of historical narratives and the politics of "writing history". As a history teacher, I loved the "homework" at the end. It really makes you think!
THANK YOU for all your hard work! 🎉
Boudica can be seen as one of the great women of the Roman Empire. She represents the Roman ideal of a passionate mother, dedicating her life to her daughters. Through the inspiration of her words and deeds she worked effusely toward the destruction of a vast number of rebellious peoples and, despite ties of countryhood and tribe to these traitors of Rome, she was willing to stand against and even fight directly her own British people. She supported clearing space for the opportunity of Roman building projects. She brought a genuine warmth to the cities she visited. And for her passion, by the end of her quest, she was surrounded by those who supported her and her movement, from young children up to wise elders, all the way to the end of her ambitions. And so, though she was only from one of the more remote corners of the empire she will be remembered as a hero of Rome.
💯
🤣
Such a pity I can't give more thumbs up for this. Thanks a lot for your wonderful videos and impeccable performance.
A very different story to the one taught in the 1950's - much more interesting - Thank you.
This is fantastic. Engaging and thought-provoking and fun. Exactly how I think of history and wish more people could. Proud to see my name on those credits! Keep on with your awesome self!
The second part of this video (in school teacher costume rather than Celtic warrior costume) is the best explanation of what is involved in writing 'popular' history that I've seen. I write in a rather niche field, Australian mountain history, but I've won a couple of awards, so my stuff can't be too bad. People have often asked me 'why do so many history books push a political argument' or 'why did this book leave that thing out'? While I don't push a political ideology and I try to include all relevant facts and viewpoints in my long form histories, I do appreciate historical works by those who do push an argument or ideology. Thanks for this video. In addition to being an outstanding popular history, it is also an outstanding explanation of the process involved in writing a history. When people ask me questions about the writing process, I will refer them to this video. 🙂
Thing is, historical revisionism and propaganda have been a big thing for so long that a neutral interpretation of the known facts look like political arguments to some people.
@@MartynWilkinson45
It’s actually pretty easy to spot. If the book has a hero/villain feel, it’s revisionist. If it brings up insanely foolish criticisms (ie a book I read claimed Hitler found a terrier and called it stupid for not understanding German. Same book also claimed he used the dog for ratting in the trenches, then claimed he wasn’t in the trenches. So was he going on vacation with his dog?
But it’s amazing how much interesting history I’ve found from little side comments in a book on another topic
I think it's easier to read stuff with an overt political agenda. At least then you know what you're getting into.
@@tompatterson1548 I think overly political messages provide a frame of reference people can at least understand. In some ways, they make stories from history relatable.
Overt agendas should be stated. Just so that people know. Overt might not be so overt especially to children.
Homework:
Boudica lost the battle in part because she had elderly, children & wounded marching alongside her, thus losing the race to get to London and as such the terrain advantage. her dedication to include all of her tribe in all of their community endeavours shows how passionate she was about accessibility. she never would've stood for municipal changes being forced on disabled people with minimal community consultation and no consideration for access.
Boudica would've been against LTNs
This whole video was a ride worth taking but the last five or so minutes captures how it feels to be someone passionate about historical discussion. Thank you for such a great video! Looking forward to more.
Ohh!! I’m so excited to see what you bring with this story!
Not disappointed!! This is now one my TOP 10 FAVORITE videos on RUclips, all time.
So .. just well done.
This is just so good, every single word and the closure.
So good!
Obviously as a free Briton she would have opposed the romanised England ruling over Scotland.
Vote SNP or Scottish Green.
😊
Hell no
Ludicrous comment.
It is very interesting to me how lot of European countries have similar story about a hero from a local tribe, beginning by working with the romans before rebelling and winning one or more battles before loosing the war.
I am french. I learnt about Vercingetorix in school. Later during a german class, I learned about Arminius who has a very similar story.
Because a lot of the Roman administrators were corrupt. Many of the rebellions were over taxes. In 21 the Aedui and Treveri rebelled due to property confiscations and tried to use prohibitions against the Druidic religion to spark a wider rebellion.
Gaul is different compared to britain or Germany they we're more advanced aka actually Had real cities also the Romans Had A real Axe to Grind they Had Like century old boiling Revenge building Up that Caesar fulfilled by absolutely devastating Gaul.
Same in Portugal with Viriato (Viriathus). Viriato’s name, real or not, also has symbolical meaning: a man of strength and virility.
"The Legionaires from Elsewheres" BRILLIANT 😭😂🤭💀
Roman historians have a thing about speeches before a battle. It was something the Roman generals did. Josephus gives a word for word speech by the Judean commander at Massada, yet all the people who heard it committed suicide and the Romans broke in to find no-one alive, so he has to make an excuse as to how he came by the speech.
Your content keeps getting better by the minute! It's really inspiring to see someone that is genuinely interested in a subject and wanting to share it. I'm really liking the kind of "historical monologue" them you're trying out recently! Hope you get more subscribers fast !
Boudica could well be a first name just like Victoria is. There is also an ancient Roman era headstone from Cirencester that commemorated a woman called Bodocacia suggesting that such names were in use.
I really appreciated the talk about bias and reciting historical events without invoking a bias. It makes you think about how the news today is presented and how it would be virtually impossible for an institution like the BBC to remain 100% bias. Great content, thank you for sharing!
Jenny Draper, Lucy Worsley, Sue Perkins and Jennifer Saunders are four creative top-women like there are nowhere else. A nation that produces such gems is unusually rich indeed.
William Cowper (supposedly an ancestor of mine), was a weird poet, and for no sensible reason (even as he tells it) he ran a hare sanctuary. But his name is pronounced like someone who makes barrels, not like someone who works with cows.
The way you unfold these multiple events with many names and stories and times/dates so seamlessly and enthralling is top tier!
Love your work
Just found your channel today, I really appreciate the way you include context on sources & biases in deconstructing the story!
I'm American and had never heard of Boudica in my life, but this was absolutely fascinating! I love your channel. Your analysis and story-telling are *chef's kiss*
Like so many others, I love your content and your passionate delivery.
I've learned more about British history from you than I ever did at school, and your content has made me laugh, cry and always kept me interested.
Thank you so much.
What more need you know? The biritsh suffered at the hands of the largest empire the world had seen and learned everything they could from the experience to inflict it on the rest of the world at their own hands. It's not terribly complicated.
Half of it is woke garbage.
In my bias I never cut the part where she charges the romans riding a triceratops.
Oh, absolutely! That's the best part!
Boudica, the fierce warrior queen of the ancient Britons, has been gaining tremendous attention lately. Let me tell you, folks, she is truly an impressive figure in history. Nobody, and I mean nobody, could stand up to her. She was something else, let me tell you. First of all, let's talk about her leadership skills. Boudica was a natural-born leader. People loved her, they respected her, and they followed her blindly into battle. You know, it takes a special kind of person to inspire that level of loyalty. Not many can do it, but Boudica had it in spades. She had the knack for motivating her troops, pushing them to their limits, and leading them to victory. This woman was a true winner, just like me, believe me.
But it wasn't just her leadership that made Boudica special - it was her strength. My goodness, was she strong! She led her people into war against the mightiest empire of the time, the Romans, and she didn't back down. Boudica fought with a ferocity that was unmatched, I'm telling you. She was tough as nails, and she didn't take any prisoners. You know, people have compared her to me, and I can see why. We both have that unstoppable spirit within us. We know how to fight, and we know how to win.
Now, let's not forget about her determination. Boudica had a fire in her belly that couldn't be extinguished. She was driven by a deep desire for justice, for freedom, and for the protection of her people. No matter what obstacles were thrown her way, she persevered. She faced immense challenges, but she never gave up. She kept pushing forward, fighting for what she believed in. Let me tell you, folks, that kind of determination is impressive. It's the kind of determination that I admire - the kind that I possess myself.
Finally, I have to mention Boudica's legacy has resonated throughout the ages, inspiring people to never back down in the face of adversity. She is a symbol of strength,
courage, and leadership. Her name will forever be associated with victory and defiance. And you know, I can't help but see a little bit of myself in that. We both have left our mark on history, and I have no doubt that Boudica's legacy will live on for generations to come.
Probably the most honest "documentary" I've ever watched.
It's not always popular to say "we don't know" but it is often more accurate. I found this video to be very interesting and I will use it as an exemplar of good practice. Thank you.
Homework:
Boudica was an early Plaid Cymru activist. The party dislikes the imposition of government from powerful outside powers (and saw London as a locus of such) and above all, it is an interesting coincidence that she began her rebellion while Rome was off attacking Ynys Mon, an important cultural site in Wales.
What a brilliant video. Thank you for taking the time
Homework: Boudica would have supported the Tories' actions on levelling up. They've been cutting back on funds left right and centre, making it difficult to actually level up any northern towns, but Boudica had an ingenious way of doing the levelling on the cheap: instead of levelling up the north, she levelled down the most important southern towns.
VERY COOL video! I'm American but have been interested in England, etc. most of my life and I never heard of Boudica until I was in my mid-forties. I love that you presented the myth/the legend first then presented factual research. Beautifully evenhanded explanation of how history becomes slanted to push an agenda!
For my homework assignment: I can make a pretty good argument for Boudicca being Pro-choice by the story of her daughters. Do YOU think she would have wanted her darling daughters to be forced to carry the invader’s children to term if there was a different safe option?!?!? Of course not!
I was thinking about this as well. Our rights being taken away here in the USA makes me so angry.
The assignment was to stretch the story of Boudica to fit your own world view. And congratulations, that you did…
@@av_oid Yes. What's your point?
@@rainydaylady6596 They seem to have won a victory in Ohio today, so the fight isn't over, even if the rights have to be clawed back, state by state.
Maybe she would have thought it wasn’t the grandchildren’s fault who their father was?
Its 50 years since my high school history teacher taught me, I teach what i have to, if you want to understand history, read it for yourself, from as many different sources as you can, work out who is writing it and why, remove the propaganda, then assemble an opinion based on what's left over. History is there, but read between the lines to find the truth. This was a nice reminder of a great teacher, who taught me an important lesson in a few sentences, thankyou
This was an excellent presentation, and a good summary of the ways bias is fundamental to all our readings of history! I think the best way to teach “unbiased” history is like this-to look at the variations, analyze each one, and see how much we truly know and how much we only think we know. When you can’t know the actual truth (and what is truth?), the next best thing is to approach from as many different directions as you can.
Boudicca would agree with this, which is why she attacked three cities instead of just one.