London was founded by the Romans in the 1st century AD. Prior to that the area was simply woodland and marshes along the banks of the River Thames. But the first Roman settlement of Londinium only lasted 13 years before it was burnt to the ground and the residents slaughtered by the native tribal leader Queen Boudicea and her army. The powerful Roman army soon prevailed, Boudicea was defeated, and Londinium rebuilt. The statue at the end of Westminster Bridge was erected in 1902, depicting the warrior Boudicea and her two daughters.