She was surrounded by enemies. She was wounded by spears and arrows. She was losing blood and strength. She knew that she had only one choice. You won't believe what she did after that.
This is the story of Boudica, the warrior queen who challenged Rome. She was a leader of the Iceni tribe, who lived in what is now eastern England. But her life changed when the Romans invaded Britain. When Boudica's husband died, he left his kingdom to his two daughters and the Roman emperor Nero. But the Romans did not respect his will. They seized his lands, and whipped Boudica.
This sparked a furious rebellion. Boudica rallied other British tribes and attacked three Roman towns: Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium. They sacked them, burned them, and killed tens of thousands of Romans and their allies.
But the Romans were not defeated yet. The Roman governor, Suetonius Paulinus, gathered his forces and faced Boudica in a final battle. The battle was a massacre. Boudica fought bravely until the end. She killed many Romans with her sword and her chariot wheels.
She took a poison that she had prepared before the battle. She drank it in front of her daughters and her enemies. She said her last words: "I die as a queen, not as a slave. She fell to the ground and closed her eyes. She was Boudica, the warrior queen who challenged Rome.