Boudicca's significant revolt against Roman Rule had a range of results and consequences for both the Celts and the Romans. Even though the fierce female warrior Boudicca tragically died, her courageous battle resulted in the Romans realizing that in order to govern a country effectively, they had to work with the inhabitants and show them how their lives would be improved by being part of the Roman empire. The fact that the Boudiccan Rebellion was the last of its kind in the south of England is also of significance. It was an important period where Briton and Roman learned to work alongside each other to build up the country once again, therefore, a powerful change of attitude was beginning to develop.
The outcome for the Celts against the experienced Roman military was defeat. Due to this terrible outcome, Boudicca poisoned herself, but it is her words of encouragement that echo through the ages, inspiring many generations to come and squaring responsibility for the battle for British freedom at Roman injustice.
"But now, she said, it is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as one of the people that I am avenging lost freedom, my scourged body, the outraged chastity of my daughters. Roman lust has gone so far that not our very persons, nor even age or virginity, are left unpolluted. But heaven is on the side of a righteous vengeance; a legion which dared to fight has perished; the rest are hiding themselves in their camp, or are thinking anxiously of flight. They will not sustain even the din and the shout of so many thousands, much less our charge and our blows. If you weigh well the strength of the armies, and the causes of the war, you will see that in this battle you must conquer or die" (Tacitus, Annals, 14.35).
Tacitus account on Boudicca's speech to her warriors above demonstrates how powerful she was through the words she used to influence her followers, "you must conquer or die". This speech also demonstrates bravery significantly due to the fact that it was unlikely that a female would lead a rebel against anyone, in particular a strong force like the Romans, hence, also portraying Boudicca as a character with immense courage and vision.
The short-term significance of the rebellion mainly comes from the damage and shock it caused to the Romans. Roman cities were undefended, lacking enough men and defensive walls, hence leading to losses in three cities for the Romans due to being hit. The Romans were surprised by the attacks. Many Roman forces in Britain were alongside general Suetonius Paulinus. fighting the Druids on the Isle of Anglesey. where they had learned of the revolt. This suggests that the Britons were becoming more serene towards Roman rule as Suetonius could afford to take his soldiers elsewhere. It was because the soldiers were too far away to be of any assistance for a while that the Briton rebels managed to attack the cities with ease, and purportedly with great savagery.
Dio, an ancient historian, writes that "They hung up naked...women and then cut of their breasts and sewed them to their mouths...afterwards they impaled the women on sharp skewers". It can be argued that Dio's interpretation is most likely exaggerated for the added literary effect. Tacitus, another historian, states that the Britons were more interested in liberating.
The revolt had a massive significance on the Romans which can be seen in their effective response to it. An ancient historian named Tacitus examines the aftermath, stating that the number of military personnel in Britain was greatly increased, as Nero "strengthened the forces by sending from Germany two thousand legionnaires, eight cohorts of auxiliaries, and a thousand cavalry", which were then used to carry out stern reprisals against the Britons, especially the Iceni. This was something he viewed as arrogant on the part of Suetonius. The construction of defensive walls and ditches around their cities, something the Roman's had not done until the revolt, is arguably the only major change in Roman security policy to come out of the rebellion. Historians argue that one specific area that the rebellion impacted was the policy of 'Romanisation'; which is the implementation and assimilation of Roman ideals and culture into new territories. It is claimed that the rebellion 'sped up' the policy.
Therefore, the revolt of Boudicca had an significant impact on both Romans and Britain's and its people for many years to come. It was an important period of time where these two civilizations worked together to effectively recreate a better place of living from ash.
The above YouTube clip, Boudicca, Warrior Queen, is a movie which effectively interprets the events leading up to the revolt, as well as the aftermath.