Aemilia Lepida (fiancee of Claudius)
Encyclopedia
For other women with this name, see Aemilia Lepida
.
Aemilia Lepida (5 BC-?) was a noble Roman woman and matron. She was the eldest daughter and first born child of Julia the Younger
(the first granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus
) and consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus. Her father was of a distinguished and ancient patrician family. She was the first great-grandchild of Emperor Augustus, noble woman Scribonia
and a great-grandchild of consul Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus (brother of the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
). Aemilia Lepida had a younger brother named Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (6-39)
who was married to Caligula's favorite sister Drusilla and who died in Caligula's reign.
In her younger years, Lepida was betrothed to Claudius
, but her parents fell out of favour with Augustus so the emperor broke off the engagement. In 8, her mother Julia the Younger
(otherwise called Vipsania Julia) was exiled for adultery, like her mother Julia. Her father Lucius was executed in 14 for participating in a conspiracy against Augustus.
By AD 13, Lepida had married Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus
, a member of the patrician branch
of the ancient gens Junia. Their children were:
The time of her death is not known. She is sometimes said to have been poisoned on the orders of Agrippina the Younger
during the reign of Nero
, but this Lepida was evidently Domitia Lepida
, the mother of Valeria Messalina and the second wife of Appius Junius Silanus.
Aemilia Lepida
Aemilia Lepida is a Roman woman belonging to the gens Aemilia. All but the first Aemilia Lepida lived in the imperial era. The name was given to daughters of men belonging to the Lepidus branch of the gens Aemilia. The first Aemilia Lepida to be mentioned by Roman historians was the former fiancee...
.
Aemilia Lepida (5 BC-?) was a noble Roman woman and matron. She was the eldest daughter and first born child of Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger or Julilla , Vipsania Julia Agrippina, Iulilla, Julia, Augustus' granddaughter, or Julia Caesaris Minor, was a Roman noblewoman of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the first daughter and second child of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder...
(the first granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
) and consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus. Her father was of a distinguished and ancient patrician family. She was the first great-grandchild of Emperor Augustus, noble woman Scribonia
Scribonia
Scribonia was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Augustus and the mother of his only natural child, Julia the Elder. She was the mother-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, great-grandmother of the Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger, grandmother-in-law of the Emperor Claudius, and...
and a great-grandchild of consul Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus (brother of the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , was a Roman patrician who rose to become a member of the Second Triumvirate and Pontifex Maximus. His father, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, had been involved in a rebellion against the Roman Republic.Lepidus was among Julius Caesar's greatest supporters...
). Aemilia Lepida had a younger brother named Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (6-39)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (executed 39)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, was the son of consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus. He and his sister Aemilia Lepida were both married to siblings of the Emperor Caligula...
who was married to Caligula's favorite sister Drusilla and who died in Caligula's reign.
In her younger years, Lepida was betrothed to Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, but her parents fell out of favour with Augustus so the emperor broke off the engagement. In 8, her mother Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger or Julilla , Vipsania Julia Agrippina, Iulilla, Julia, Augustus' granddaughter, or Julia Caesaris Minor, was a Roman noblewoman of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the first daughter and second child of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder...
(otherwise called Vipsania Julia) was exiled for adultery, like her mother Julia. Her father Lucius was executed in 14 for participating in a conspiracy against Augustus.
By AD 13, Lepida had married Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus
Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus (consul AD 19)
Marcus Junius M. f. M. n. Silanus Torquatus was consul in AD 19 with Lucius Norbanus Balbus.-Biography:Silanus was a descendant of the noble Roman house of the Junii Silani. His grandfather was Marcus Junius Silanus, consul with the emperor Augustus in 25 BC...
, a member of the patrician branch
Silanus
Silanus is the cognomen of a patrician branch of the gens Junia, a noble family of ancient Rome which came to prominence during the Empire. Important members of this family included three brothers who lived in the reigns of Claudius and Nero. They were descended via their mother, Aemilia Lepida,...
of the ancient gens Junia. Their children were:
- Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus (AD 14-54), consul in 46, put to death in order to ensure the succession of NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, and to prevent him from avenging the death of his brother, Lucius. - Junia CalvinaJunia CalvinaJunia Calvina was a noble Roman woman. She was the first born daughter and among the children of Aemilia Lepida and Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus, a member of the Junii Silani, a family of Ancient Rome. Her maternal grandparents were the princess Julia the Younger and consul Lucius Aemilius...
(fl.FloruitFloruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
AD 79), married Lucius VitelliusLucius Vitellius the youngerLucius Vitellius was a Roman who lived in the 1st century. He was the second son of Lucius Vitellius the elder and Sextilia and younger brother of emperor Aulus Vitellius....
, a brother of the future emperor VitelliusVitelliusVitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
. Accused of incest with her youngest brother, she was exiled by ClaudiusClaudiusClaudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, only to be recalled ten years later by the emperor NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
. - Decimus Junius Silanus TorquatusDecimus Junius Silanus TorquatusDecimus Junius Silanus Torquatus was a Roman noble who lived in the Roman Empire during the 1st century. He served as a consul in 53...
(d. AD 64), consul in 53, forced by Nero to commit suicide after being accused of boasting of his descent from Augustus. - Lucius Junius Silanus TorquatusLucius Junius Silanus TorquatusIn the 1st century, lived two noblemen uncle and nephew, that shared the name Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus who were two descendants of Roman Emperor Augustus....
(d. AD 49), praetor in 48, he was engaged to OctaviaClaudia OctaviaClaudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
, daughter of ClaudiusClaudiusClaudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
. AgrippinaAgrippina the YoungerJulia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
spread a rumor that he had committed incest with his sister, as a result of which he was expelled from the Senate and deprived of his office. He committed suicide on the day that Claudius and Agrippina were married. - Junia LepidaJunia LepidaJunia Lepida was a Roman noble woman that lived during the Roman Empire in the 1st century. Lepida was the second born daughter and was among the children born of Aemilia Lepida and Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus, a member of the Junii Silani, a family of Ancient Rome...
who married Gaius Cassius Longinus, and raised her nephew Lucius Junius Silanus TorquatusLucius Junius Silanus TorquatusIn the 1st century, lived two noblemen uncle and nephew, that shared the name Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus who were two descendants of Roman Emperor Augustus....
the younger (50-66) after his father, Marcus, was murdered.
The time of her death is not known. She is sometimes said to have been poisoned on the orders of Agrippina the Younger
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
during the reign of Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
, but this Lepida was evidently Domitia Lepida
Domitia Lepida
Domitia Lepida, also known as Domitia Lepida the Younger, Domitia Lepida Minor, or simply Lepida ; was the younger daughter of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and Antonia Major. Her elder siblings were Domitia and Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, father of the emperor Nero...
, the mother of Valeria Messalina and the second wife of Appius Junius Silanus.
Sources
- Gaius Suetonius TranquillusSuetoniusGaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, De Vita Caesarum, Claudius, 26. - Publius Cornelius TacitusTacitusPublius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, Annales.