Catus Decianus

The debt came with the full weight of the empire behind it.

At the same time, Dio says, the Roman finance official in Britain, a procurator named Decianus Catus, announced that the money Claudius had handed out wasn't a gift after all.

It was a loan and it was due.

So put yourself in the shoes of a British noble around the year 59 or 60.

Tacitus says she took poison.

Dio says she fell ill.

And Decianus Catus, the procurator who decided that Claudius' gifts were loans, this man brave as he is, had already run away to Gaul to make sure he wasn't affected by all this.

So, was Seneca responsible? I promised you a trial of sorts, so let's do it properly.

Instead, they opted to annex the kingdom and begin recalling their loans made to the Britons.

The Roman treasurer in Britain, Catus Decianus, was particularly at fault, according to Tacitus and Dio.

The Emperor Claudius had given him money to bribe the local rulers and keep them happy.

However, the corrupt Decianus gave them out as loans instead and demanded that they be repaid with interest.

Having already paid tribute and unable to pay more, resentment quickly grew among the Iceni.

The Roman treasurer's actions were unjust and greedy and demonstrated an attitude of contempt towards the Britons.

And there was worse to come, according to Tacitus.

He describes how the Romans ransacked the king's household, assaulted Boudica's daughters, and had the queen flogged.