Claudia Marcella
Encyclopedia
Claudia Marcella was the name of the two daughters of Octavia Minor
, the sister of Emperor Augustus
, by her first husband, the consul
Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor
. According to Suetonius, they were known as The Marcellae sisters. The sisters were born in Rome
. Between 40 BC - 36 BC, they lived with their mother and their stepfather Triumvir Mark Antony
in Athens
, Greece
. After 36 BC, they accompanied their mother, when she returned to Rome
with their siblings. They were raised and educated by their mother, their maternal uncle, Augustus
, and their maternal aunt-in-marriage Empress Livia
Drusilla. Very little is known on these two daughters of Octavia Minor.
Her first marriage took place in 28 BC, and it was to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
, the close friend and loyal lieutenant of her maternal uncle, Augustus
. Although Suetonius
states they had children, it is uncertain whether any of them survived to adulthood. However, it is generally believed that Marcella bore him a daughter, retrospectively called Vipsania Marcella
, in order to differentiate her from her three half-sisters). The existence of this daughter is attested by the oration delivered by Augustus
for Agrippa at the latter man's funeral in 12 BC. It is also in that oration that Vipsania Marcella's marriage to the general Publius Quinctilius Varus
is implied.
In 21 BC, Agrippa divorced Marcella to marry Augustus
' daughter, Julia
, who had recently become widowed after the death of her first husband and Marcella's brother, Marcus Claudius Marcellus
. Marcella then married consul Iullus Antonius
, the second son of Mark Antony from his third wife Fulvia
.
According to Plutarch
, Octavia received Marcella (after divorcing Agrippa) back to her house and made her marry Iullus Antonius
, who was held in high regard by Augustus. According to Tacitus
, Iullus and Marcella had children. It is generally believed they had had two sons and possibly a daughter. Of the sons, one was the Lucius Antonius
who went into exile after the disgrace of his father. The name of the other son is uncertain, though he is often referred to as Gaius Antonius. The existence of a daughter (Iulla Antonia
) is postulated, but uncertain. In 2 BC, Iullus Antonius
was forced to commit suicide after being found guilty of adultery
with Marcella's cousin, Julia
. However, it is uncertain whether Marcella was still alive at this point, as she is not mentioned.
Her first marriage was to a Claudius Pulcher, by adoption Marcus Valerius Messalla Appianus
(Consul in 13 BC), who died in the early months of his consulship. Marcella had one child by Appianus, a son named Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus
. This son died prior to achieving a consulship, but not before marrying his half-cousin Domitia Lepida
, by whom he had his only child, the later Roman Empress, Valeria Messalina.
At some point after Appianus' death, Marcella entered into a second marriage, this time to the former consul and censor, Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus
. Paullus, like Marcella, had also already been married and lost a spouse (Cornelia, the maternal half-sister of Julia the Elder
), by whom he had had three children. Marcella and Paullus may have had a son together, named Paullus Aemilius Regillus, who was a quaestor
of Tiberius Caesar
.
Other sources, however, make her only daughter by her first marriage Claudia Pulchra
, born around 13 BC, who became the second wife of her distant cousin, Publius Quinctilius Varus
after the death of his first wife, Vipsania Marcella
, and following the death of her second husband she married Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus
, by whom he had a son born in 12 BC named Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus
- who was the father of Empress Messalina
- and a daughter Valeria, who married Lucius Vipstanus Gallus
, Praetor
in 17, who died during his office, and by whom she had issue.
Octavia Minor
Octavia the Younger , also known as Octavia Minor or simply Octavia, was the sister of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus , half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and fourth wife of Mark Antony...
, the sister of 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...
, by her first husband, the consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor
Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor
:See Gaius Claudius Marcellus for other men of this name, or Gaius Claudius Marcellus Maior for his cousin, consul of 49 BC.Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor was a Roman senator and consul. He was a member of the distinguished Claudius family...
. According to Suetonius, they were known as The Marcellae sisters. The sisters were born in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Between 40 BC - 36 BC, they lived with their mother and their stepfather Triumvir Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. After 36 BC, they accompanied their mother, when she returned to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
with their siblings. They were raised and educated by their mother, their maternal uncle, 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 their maternal aunt-in-marriage Empress Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
Drusilla. Very little is known on these two daughters of Octavia Minor.
Claudia Marcella Major
The birth year of the elder daughter, Claudia Marcella Major (PIR2 C 1102; Major Latin for the elder) is unknown, as is much of her life. However, it is known that she was married twice.Her first marriage took place in 28 BC, and it was to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus...
, the close friend and loyal lieutenant of her maternal uncle, 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...
. Although Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
states they had children, it is uncertain whether any of them survived to adulthood. However, it is generally believed that Marcella bore him a daughter, retrospectively called Vipsania Marcella
Vipsania Marcella
Vipsania Marcella Agrippina or Marcellina was the only daughter to Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa from his second wife Claudia Marcella Major. She was the first grandchild to Octavia Minor and first great-niece to Roman Emperor Augustus.About 14 BC, she married the Roman general and...
, in order to differentiate her from her three half-sisters). The existence of this daughter is attested by the oration delivered by 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...
for Agrippa at the latter man's funeral in 12 BC. It is also in that oration that Vipsania Marcella's marriage to the general Publius Quinctilius Varus
Publius Quinctilius Varus
Publius Quinctilius Varus was a Roman politician and general under Emperor Augustus, mainly remembered for having lost three Roman legions and his own life when attacked by Germanic leader Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.-Life:His paternal grandfather was senator Sextus Quinctilius...
is implied.
In 21 BC, Agrippa divorced Marcella to marry 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...
' daughter, Julia
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
, who had recently become widowed after the death of her first husband and Marcella's brother, Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (Julio-Claudian dynasty)
Marcus Claudius Marcellus was the eldest son of Octavia Minor, sister of Augustus, and Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor, a former consul...
. Marcella then married consul Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius , also known as Iulus, Julus or Jullus, was the second son of Mark Antony and his third wife Fulvia. He is best known for being the famous lover of Julia the Elder...
, the second son of Mark Antony from his third wife Fulvia
Fulvia
Fulvia Flacca Bambula , commonly referred to as simply Fulvia, was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Through her marriage to three of the most promising Roman men of her generation, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius Curio and Mark Antony, she gained...
.
According to Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
, Octavia received Marcella (after divorcing Agrippa) back to her house and made her marry Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius , also known as Iulus, Julus or Jullus, was the second son of Mark Antony and his third wife Fulvia. He is best known for being the famous lover of Julia the Elder...
, who was held in high regard by Augustus. According to Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius 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...
, Iullus and Marcella had children. It is generally believed they had had two sons and possibly a daughter. Of the sons, one was the Lucius Antonius
Lucius Antonius (grandson of Mark Antony)
Lucius Antonius was the eldest son of Iullus Antonius and Claudia Marcella Major. He was the grandson of triumvir Mark Antony and Octavia . Lucius' younger siblings were Gaius Antonius and Iulla Antonia...
who went into exile after the disgrace of his father. The name of the other son is uncertain, though he is often referred to as Gaius Antonius. The existence of a daughter (Iulla Antonia
Iulla Antonia
Iulla Antonia or Julia Antonia, was a daughter of Roman consul Iullus Antonius and Claudia Marcella Major. Her elder brothers were Lucius Antonius and Gaius Antonius...
) is postulated, but uncertain. In 2 BC, Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius
Iullus Antonius , also known as Iulus, Julus or Jullus, was the second son of Mark Antony and his third wife Fulvia. He is best known for being the famous lover of Julia the Elder...
was forced to commit suicide after being found guilty of adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
with Marcella's cousin, Julia
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
. However, it is uncertain whether Marcella was still alive at this point, as she is not mentioned.
Claudia Marcella Minor
The younger daughter, Claudia Marcella Minor (PIR2 C 1103, Minor Latin for the younger, born 40 BC or 39 BC), was born after her father's death. She is generally believed to have been married twice but her marriages are not directly mentioned in any Roman texts, and are assumed on the basis of other sources.Her first marriage was to a Claudius Pulcher, by adoption Marcus Valerius Messalla Appianus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Appianus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Appianus is believed to have been born a son of Appius Claudius Pulcher by an unknown wife. This son is then believed to have been adopted by a Marcus Valerius Messalla - possibly Marcus Valerius Messalla Rufus or else a son of that man, specifically Marcus Valerius...
(Consul in 13 BC), who died in the early months of his consulship. Marcella had one child by Appianus, a son named Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus was a consul of ancient Rome. He was the father of the Roman Empress Valeria Messalina, great-nephew of the Emperor Augustus, and father-in-law to the Emperor Claudius....
. This son died prior to achieving a consulship, but not before marrying his half-cousin 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...
, by whom he had his only child, the later Roman Empress, Valeria Messalina.
At some point after Appianus' death, Marcella entered into a second marriage, this time to the former consul and censor, Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus
Aemilius Lepidus Paullus
Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus or Paullus Aemilius Lepidus was a member of the Roman Senate. Paullus was a member of the gens Aemilia....
. Paullus, like Marcella, had also already been married and lost a spouse (Cornelia, the maternal half-sister of Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
), by whom he had had three children. Marcella and Paullus may have had a son together, named Paullus Aemilius Regillus, who was a quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
of Tiberius Caesar
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
.
Other sources, however, make her only daughter by her first marriage Claudia Pulchra
Claudia Pulchra
Claudia Pulchra was the name of several women of Roman gens of Claudii during the 1st century BC and 1st century AD. The Latin pulchra is the root of the English word pulchritude .-Wife of Tiberius Gracchus:...
, born around 13 BC, who became the second wife of her distant cousin, Publius Quinctilius Varus
Publius Quinctilius Varus
Publius Quinctilius Varus was a Roman politician and general under Emperor Augustus, mainly remembered for having lost three Roman legions and his own life when attacked by Germanic leader Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.-Life:His paternal grandfather was senator Sextus Quinctilius...
after the death of his first wife, Vipsania Marcella
Vipsania Marcella
Vipsania Marcella Agrippina or Marcellina was the only daughter to Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa from his second wife Claudia Marcella Major. She was the first grandchild to Octavia Minor and first great-niece to Roman Emperor Augustus.About 14 BC, she married the Roman general and...
, and following the death of her second husband she married Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus was the son of the Roman famous orator Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus, whom he resembled in character, and wife Calpurnia.He was a senator and consul in 3 BC and AD 3...
, by whom he had a son born in 12 BC named Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus
Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus was a consul of ancient Rome. He was the father of the Roman Empress Valeria Messalina, great-nephew of the Emperor Augustus, and father-in-law to the Emperor Claudius....
- who was the father of Empress Messalina
Messalina
Valeria Messalina, sometimes spelled Messallina, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Claudius. She was also a paternal cousin of the Emperor Nero, second cousin of the Emperor Caligula, and great-grandniece of the Emperor Augustus...
- and a daughter Valeria, who married Lucius Vipstanus Gallus
Lucius Vipstanus Gallus
Lucius Vipstanus Gallus was a Praetor in 17, the year of his death.He married Valeria, born c. 10 BC, daughter of Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus and wife Claudia Marcella Minor and sister of Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus, and had two sons, Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola and Gaius Vipstanus...
, Praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 17, who died during his office, and by whom she had issue.