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At the beginning of the Christian era, Britannia—the Roman name for England, Wales, and southern Scotland—had an Iron Age culture. Before the sixth century b.c.e., Celtic language and culture had crossed the English Channel from the Continent and, by the time of Julius Caesar, predominated throughout the island. Little is known of the Celts’ history because they were preliterate, and Greek and Roman writers only wrote about them to the extent that they interacted with classical culture. Archaeology allows an estimate of their development. Tribal kingdoms dominated by warrior aristocracies fought incessantly. Possessing rich farmland, engaging in frequent trade with their Celtic kin of Gaul and the Rhineland, and sharing their La Tène culture, the tribes of the southeast were developing rapidly. Their villages approximated true towns and their kings struck coins, proof of emerging royal power. The tribes of the north and west were isolated and poorer, still relying on hill forts for defense.

Queen Boudicca of the Iceni, one of the larger tribes in Britain, led a revolt against Roman rule in 60 c.e. There is greater agreement regarding the meaning of this warrior queen’s name than regarding its spelling; it contains the Celtic root word for “victory.” Many linguists translate Boudicca as meaning “Victory” or “the Victorious.” There is little consensus regarding its proper spelling. Variations include Boudicca, Boudica, Bodicca, Boadicea, Boudicea (the spelling preferred by Tacitus, the Roman historian who provides the most information on her), Bonducca, and Bunduica. The “Boadicea” spelling was preferred by Victorian historians, but most twenty-first century scholars have adopted the more linguistically correct spelling “Boudicca.”