Calling all armchair generals! Boudica's Last Stand.

[Renatus]

I feel that your translation shows that SP did have a plan which depended on giving up London as part of that plan. I can however agree with you that he may have had to bring that plan forward or indeed alter it because he was not able to forsee the Brythons actions after London.

I do not think that he had such a plan before reaching London and finding that he was unsupported. It was a course of action forced upon him by circumstances. You have said previously that he planned for all eventualities. I would hazard a guess that the one thing that he did not envisage was that the temporary commander of the Second Legion would disobey his orders.

I have great respect for Nathan’s work on this, much of which I agree with but I think that there are a couple of assumptions on the timeline which leads me to a different conclusion, which I will try to address here.

With the sources that we have giving such scant information about the timing of the events described, it is possible, with a little ingenuity, to construct a timeline to support almost any theory. Using Nathan’s timeline as a basis but adding a few embellishments and placing the start of the crisis a month later, I offer the following interpretation:

AD61 – April – After questioning the terms of Prasutagus's will, Procurator Catus sends men who flog Boudica and rape her daughters. Boudica vows revenge. Informed of this, Catus dismisses it as a local affair, not worthy of the Governor’s attention.

May 1st – Paulinus begins his campaign against the Ordovices, marching north and west from his campaign headquarters at Wroxeter.

May 1st to 20th – Iceni begin mobilisation, secretly uncovering caches of 'decommissioned' weapons.

May 20th – Boudica holds giant tribal assembly. Paulinus’s army reaches the Mona Strait opposite Anglesey.

May 21st – News of the tribal assembly reaches Colchester. Message sent to Catus informing him of this.

May 23rd – Catus receives the message from Colchester.

May 24th – Catus realises that the situation is serious. He sends 200 men from the Governor’s officium to reinforce Colchester and messages to Paulinus and Cerialis, legate of the Ninth Legion.

May 25th – Paulinus’ army crosses the strait and attacks Anglesey.

May 26th – Catus’ 200 men reach Colchester.

May 27th – Romans destroy the remaining enemy forces on Anglesey. Cerialis receives Catus’ message at the base of the Ninth Legion at Lincoln.

NOTE I am assuming that, at this time, the Ninth was divided between bases at Lincoln and Longthorpe.

May 28th – Romans burn sacred Druidic groves on Anglesey. Cerialis sets off from Lincoln for Longthorpe to be nearer the area of potential trouble. Boudica’s force moves south from Caistor-by-Norwich towards Trinovantian territory.

NOTE Nathan has Boudica setting off on 18th May and attacking Colchester on 3rd June. This period of 16 days seems too long, without explanation, to cover the 60-odd miles between Caistor and Colchester.

May 29th – Paulinus begins the process of establishing garrisons on Anglesey. Catus’ message (unrest amongst Iceni, gathering forces, threat to Colchester) reaches him at his camp on the Mona strait. Cerialis arrives at Longthorpe and awaits orders from Paulinus.

May 30th – Paulinus begins a rapid march back towards Wroxeter with the Fourteenth Legion and the veterans of the Twentieth. (Alternatively, he starts out with the Fourteenth alone and picks up the veterans of the Twentieth en route.) News of Boudica’s advance is received at Colchester and a message sent to Catus.

June 1st – Catus receives the message from Colchester.

June 2nd – Catus sends further messages to Paulinus and Cerialis. Paulinus arrives at Chester.

June 3rd – Iceni attack Colchester. Civilians barricade themselves inside the temple. Cerialis at Longthorpe receives Catus’ message.

June 4th – Paulinus arrives back at Wroxeter, where he receives Catus’ latest message. Cerialis, feeling that he must take action to reinforce Colchester, marches 22 miles from Longthorpe to Godmanchester.

June 5th – Last defenders of the Colchester temple die by fire. Message of destruction despatched to London. Paulinus on the march east down Watling Street. Cerialis marches 15 miles to Cambridge.

June 6th – Iceni looting and burning Colchester. Paulinus arrives at Mancetter. Message reaches the Second Legion base at Gloucester, but their Prefect does not give the order to move. Cerialis marches 20 miles on the Via Devana to Wixoe.

June 7th – Cerialis’s force ambushed and destroyed on the Via Devana between Wixoe and Colchester.

June 8th - Paulinus's advance reaches Towcester. Catus flees for Gaul by ship.

June 9th – Paulinus, still on Watling Street, meets Catus’ messenger coming north with news of the fall of Colchester. Catus arrives in Gaul and sends a message to Rome, reporting the imminent loss of the province. Iceni begin to muster outside Colchester and advance south-west towards London.

June 10th – Paulinus marches into St Albans and meets a second messenger with news of the defeat of Cerialis and flight of Catus.

June 11th – Paulinus marches on from St Albans and enters London. He learns that the Second Legion have not advanced to meet him. Iceni plundering in the area of Chelmsford.

June 12th – Paulinus sends out a unit of gallopers to locate the Second Legion and report back.

June 14th – A galloper returns and reports that the Second Legion is not within 50 miles of London. Paulinus considers that, even if it is on its way, it is unlikely to arrive in time to assist in resisting the Iceni. He orders preparations to be made for the evacuation of London. Iceni plundering in the area of Romford.

NOTE Nathan has the Iceni plundering around Romford 2-3 days after leaving Colchester. This is too short a time to cover the 40-odd miles between Colchester and Romford at a rate of 10 miles per day.

June 15th – A second galloper arrives reporting that the Second Legion has not been found within 75 miles of London. Paulinus orders the immediate evacuation of the town, destroys his supplies and retreats from London.

June 17th – Iceni sack and burn London.

I still doubt that the unification of all British tribes was an Icenian goal.

If by “unification” you mean the creation of a sort of united ‘Kingdom of the Britons’, I agree entirely. Deryk is right to suggest that, after the removal of the Romans, the fragile unity would degenerate into the usual tribal rivalries.