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History and Research :
Frequently Asked Questions |
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Q. |
I didn’t know until I read
your book that there were any queens so
early in British history. Is Boudica the
earliest? |
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A. |
To be absolutely accurate,
Boudica is the second-earliest British
tribal queen for whom we have historical
records. The honor of first place must go to
Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes, because
she is mentioned first by the Roman
historian Tacitus (see
Historical Notes)
and her reign appears to have begun before
Boudica’s. But of course, because of her
valor, it is Boudica, not Cartimandua, whom
the world remembers. |
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Q. |
I see a lot of references to
Boudica on the internet, but why is her name
sometimes spelled with two c’s rather than
one, and why is she sometimes called “Boadicea”?
Also, how should her name be pronounced? |
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A. |
I
hope
the Queen of the Iceni is not sensitive
about her name because it certainly has been
rendered in many different ways down through
the centuries, “Bonduca” and “Buddug” being
perhaps two of the least attractive
varieties. “Boadicea,” which has been in
use since the Victorian period and is deeply
ingrained in British consciousness, is no
longer accepted by historians and scholars,
although you will still see it quite often
in popular literature and on the internet.
The two approved forms of her name now are
“Boudicca” (the spelling Tacitus records)
and “Boudica” (the spelling favored by most
scholars), which is the one I’ve chosen for
the novel. As for the pronunciation,
British usage tends to put the accent on the
first syllable of the word: BOO-de-kuh.
I personally prefer the sound of Boo-Dee-kuh,
with the accent on the middle syllable. I
don’t believe either pronunciation can be
regarded as absolutely correct or absolutely
wrong, although I would probably shift the
accent back one syllable if I found myself
talking to a British audience. |
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Q. |
Were there really
elephants in Claudius’ procession at
Camulodunum? |
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A. |
Yes, indeed – at least that’s
what Tacitus reports, although he doesn’t
say how many they were and whether they were
African rather than Indian elephants. It’s
unlikely there were more than a few, given
the difficulties of transporting such huge
beasts, but even one would have had
tremendous shock value for the Britons. |
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Q. |
How long did it take you to
write Boudica,
Queen Of The Iceni? |
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A. |
As mentioned elsewhere on this site (see
Meet The Author), I’ve been
intrigued with her story since my
undergraduate years. But it wasn’t until
1996 or so that I began to do some serious
research on her and on Roman Britain at
large. That’s a huge field, and I probably
spent more time plowing it than I needed to,
but I found it fascinating. Something like
a first draft emerged about two years after
I had begun the research. That draft was
reviewed by a few experienced readers, whose
excellent suggestions led to still more
revisions before I began to look for a
publisher. Early in 2005, Robert Hale Ltd,
a prominent London house (www.halebooks.com),
accepted the book and brought it out in
January of 2006. So, all in all, the whole
process (though not the writing per se)
spanned nearly a decade. |
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Q. |
Where did you find all the
Roman and Celtic names you use in the book? |
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A. |
Roman names are easy enough
to come by in the numerous accounts left to
us by writers like Tacitus, Livy, Pliny,
Julius Caesar, Suetonius (the historian, not
the general in the novel) and from the whole
huge body of Roman literature. Authentic
Celtic names are not so readily available
except as recorded by Roman and Greek
writers. Some of the fictional Britons in
the novel have attested Celtic names; others
are my coinage: e.g., Alwen, Grannus, Drieda,
Vran, Brocan, Frent, Vedica.. The Frisian
names are my coinages except for Garulf,
whose name I borrowed from the Old English
fragmentary poem, The
Fight At Finnsburg. |
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Q. |
I’m writing an historical
novel and would really appreciate your
opinion of it. Would you be willing to read
it and give me some feedback? |
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A. |
I'm
flattered by the request and would like to
help you out, but I just don’t have enough
time to be both a writer and an editor. I
hope you can find willing readers among your
friends and personal acquaintances. There
are lots of professional readers available
on the internet. If you use a paid reader,
I’d recommend getting some references before
engaging him or her. One internet site that
you might find very helpful is:
http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/ |
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Q. |
Are you planning a sequel to
Boudica, Queen of
The Iceni? |
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A. |
Well, I’m certainly
entertaining the idea of a sequel. After
all, there are some things in the book that
seem to invite it, most notably the prophecy
of the coming of Arthur. Much depends on
the reception that Boudica, Queen of The
Iceni receives. So, please encourage
your friends to buy
the book. |
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Q. |
One of the interesting things
that your book brought home for me was the
extent of Roman power and control in early
Britain. For how long was Britain actually
under Roman rule? |
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A. |
For a surprisingly long time:
something like 350 years. It would have
been longer had Julius Caesar’s attempts to
conquer Britain in 55 BC been successful.
Roman rule in Britain actually begins with
the emperor Claudius’s invasion in AD 43.
For about 350 years thereafter, Britain was
a Roman province governed essentially the
same way as Rome’s other provinces, such as
Gaul, Spain, or Africa., and garrisoned by
the legions. The commonly accepted date for
the withdrawal of the last legion from
Britain is AD 410, when Rome needed all its
military resources to defend its northern
and eastern boundaries. Britain was left
essentially undefended, and pleas to Rome
for help against the invading Saxons went
unanswered. This is about the time that
King Arthur – if he was in fact historical –
is thought to have lived. But that of course
is another story for another day. |
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Q. |
On March 10,
shortly after reading your book, I saw a
made-for-TV film about Boudica on the
History Channel. The basic story line and
chronology were remarkably similar to your
book, minus your fascinating fictional
additions. Any connection between the film
and your book? |
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A. |
I wish I could
say there was a connection, but there
isn't. The similarity between the the film
and my book is due entirely to the fact that
both treatments of the Boudica saga adhere
very closely to the historical record. In a
commentary quoted elsewhere on this site,
Carla Nayland commends my book for its
historical accuracy (see
News and Guestbook
). I found the History Channel's docu-drama
equally commendable for the same reason, as
my review of it on IDMD attests (http://imdb.com/title/tt0437108/usercomments-2).
The History Channel will air the film again
at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, March 26. It's
well worth watching. |
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have a question for the author?
Link here. |
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