WI Boadicca wins a victory against Rome?

Was Boudicca interested in forming some kind of political hegemony? I don't know if that could even actually happen in the first place.
 
Was Boudicca interested in forming some kind of political hegemony? I don't know if that could even actually happen in the first place.

Not so much a hegemony as a probable triumvate (or rule of 4 or whatever) probably involving the Iceni, Brigantes, Trinovantes Confrederation and the Druids of Mona (Angelsy).
 
It worked with Ireland and that's the same situation.

In fact it worked so well with Ireland that the nation became the reciprocal of learned thought in NW Europe until 1100.

The advantage of the Celtic system was that not only could priests marry, but the traditions of the Prince-Druid and the hereditary druid could and would be carried on into the new era. It was very well adapted.

Anglesy probably ends up being the Celtic version of Rome, though not as centeralised.

I was kind of hoping that Britain retains its old native religion in a ATL of an abortive Roman occupation. I'm personally inclined to concieve of a TL where as little of Europe as possible becomes Christianized before and after Rome's decline in the west. I imagine any surviving indigenous "Paganism" that adapts in structure would probably become as expansionistic as Christianity, and either eradicate or absorb other Paganisms wherever it goes.

In the wake of Caesar's conquest of Gaul, I think it was implied that some Druids, persecuted by the Roman authorities, may have fled to Britain. Taking with them any lore and knowledge with them, probably even literacy in both Latin and Greek alphabets, among other things. For the most part, Gallic culture just took on a low profile. One example was a Romano-Gaulish rhetorician named Attius Patera, whose second name apparently meant "initiate" in the Gaulish tongue.

If the Imperial Legate Suetonius Paulinus were to abort the attack on Anglesey and head for the Iceni Coalition, the Druids there might just drum up enough support across the island to wage guerilla warfare against the occupiers. Even if this works out in their lifetimes, there is no complete guarantee that the Romans won't invade Britain again. Under Marcus Aurelius, the Romans did actually occupy Marcomanni territory for a time, until Commodus withdrew from the area. Plus in the meantime, Britons that serve as Auxilliaries in the Roman Army years after an ATL withdrawal from Britain would take back knowledge of Roman military organization back home with them (probably part of the reason how some Germanic confederations were successful).

If Britain were to remain outside Roman rule for one or two hundred years after Boudicca's time, changes would be wrought on native British society. Some tribal kingdoms would get larger, partly through trade with Rome, and partly through mild imitation of Roman civilization, urbanization and the professionalization of military forces. Ideological shifts in Druidic tradtion could take place: such as changing from oral tradition to a literary one.
 
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I'd argue from the evidence of Ireland that we'd still see Christianity in Britain eventually. It wouldn't be the Catholic Chruch though.
 
I'd argue from the evidence of Ireland that we'd still see Christianity in Britain eventually. It wouldn't be the Catholic Chruch though.

Ireland was a smaller and poorer place than Britain. Smaller in terms of land area, in population, and in resources. At least if Celtic Civilization remained intact and independent across Britain and Ireland together, there may have been a chance that both secular society and religion may have changed. The Romans may have incorporated British Gods, but they hated the Druidic clergy, viewing them as a disruptive element. Christianity itself wouldn't have made a lasting impact without its proto-clergy before the reign of Constantine. And after the collapse of Rome in the west, clergy of the Church was the only Roman institution that would survive down the years. The Celts, having the closest thing to a coherent and universal clerical force in northern Europe, may have retained their religion in its entirety if the cult-centre at Anglesey wasn't destroyed.
 
A few thoughts...

Legions XIV Gemina, XX Valeria Victrix, IX Hispana/Iberia, II Augusta, took part in the invasion and conquest. XIV was withdrawn to continental Europe and that left XX re-sited from Inchtuthil to Deva (Chester), IX in Eboracum (York) and II at Isca (Caerleon). Interestingly, Deva's huge fortress may have been intended to support a two-legion invasion of the Dublin area of Ireland. My old friend Simon Ward seems to think so.

But...
At the date of Boudicca's revolt, the main Legionary forts were at Gloucester (XIV), Lincoln (IX), Exeter (II Augusta) and Wroxeter (XX Valeria, although with vexillations elsewhere).

British lead and silver certainly were known about before the Roman Invasion, but were only seriously developed much later. Given that the border to Suetonius Paulinus's Roman Britain was northwest of the Fosse Way, you can't claim to be lead-mining anywhere but the Mendips north west of Aquae Sulis (Bath). Mining by Rome in Fflint, Powys, Derbyshire and Cumbria, postdates the Boudiccan Revolt. Britain's main exports were poor-quality slaves (Britunculi), good grain and finer oysters and hunting dogs.
 
I didn't mean to sound nasty, although "poor quality" could just as well imply that the ancient Brits were poor physical specimens, despite their agriculture-based economy and their universally acknowledged top quality grain and wheat produce. And "Britunculi" was little more than a Roman slur, the actual positive and negative qualities of the native British culture not withstanding.

It seems that the British kings in the south, being in full contact with the Roman Empire in the years leading up to the conquest, would have emulated their Roman neighbours in respect to civil admin structure and engineering works.

Britain could have been alternately viewed as a land of Celtic vassals whom they would simply trade with for certain goods. Celtic civilization in such a scenario could thrive better without being confined to the western-most peninsulas.

With the more fertile lands in the English part of Britain being able to support a respectably large population, and an evolving culture moving from rural tribal society to urbanized statehood, a renewed Celtic power could contend for parts of western Europe with the Franks and Visigoths during the collapse of the western Empire by the Fifth Century.

With each of the developing kingdoms in southern Britain retaining their independent militaristic edge, forceful incursions by Angles and Saxons could be abily challenged and countered.
 
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