Claudia Seferius
Encyclopedia
Claudia Seferius is a fictional heroine created by author Marilyn Todd. The heiress to a wine
merchant
's business, she is also an amateur sleuth
, living in Ancient Rome
during the reign of Augustus Caesar.
of Rome in about 35 BC
(as of the first novel, taking place in 13 BC
, she is twenty-two years old). Her father was a camp follower with the Roman Army, who died under mysterious circumstances in Gaul
when Claudia was only ten. A short time later, her mother committed suicide
.
Forced to make her own way in the world, Claudia earned a meager living as a striptease
dancer in a tavern (and occasional prostitute). Eventually, she married wealthy wine merchant Gaius Seferius, a businesslike arrangement through which she gained security, in exchange for allowing Gaius to gain a young, beautiful, and lively trophy wife
.
A few years after their marriage, Gaius died unexpectedly, leaving his entire estate to Claudia. Unwilling to admit a woman, the Winemakers' Guild offered to buy her out, but she was too proud to accept. Thereafter, the Guild has tried, in all manner of ways, to drive her out of business.
Unwilling to give up, Claudia has fought a never-ending battle to keep the business afloat, including engaging in a host of semi-legal or illegal schemes to cut costs and raise capital.
In the course of her life, she also takes a keen interest in several mysteries, both in Rome and throughout the Empire, applying her quick wit and investigative skills.
Claudia lives in a state of denial about her own attraction to Orbilio, instead viewing him as her nemesis, angling to win election to the Senate
by catching her in her illegal activities. This fear of exposure often comes between them, though they do manage to collaborate on several bigger cases.
Claudia also inherited Gaius's family as her in-laws, including his shrewish sister, Julia, Julia's lecherous husband, Marcellus, and Gaius's daughter by his first wife, a sullen teenager named Flavia.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
's business, she is also an amateur sleuth
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
, living in Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
during the reign of Augustus Caesar.
Character history
Claudia was born in the Subura, a slumSlum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
of Rome in about 35 BC
35 BC
Year 35 BC was either a common year starting on Thursday or Friday or a leap year starting on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Thursday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
(as of the first novel, taking place in 13 BC
13 BC
Year 13 BC was either a common year starting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday or a leap year starting on Friday or Saturday of the Julian calendar and a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, she is twenty-two years old). Her father was a camp follower with the Roman Army, who died under mysterious circumstances in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
when Claudia was only ten. A short time later, her mother committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Forced to make her own way in the world, Claudia earned a meager living as a striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
dancer in a tavern (and occasional prostitute). Eventually, she married wealthy wine merchant Gaius Seferius, a businesslike arrangement through which she gained security, in exchange for allowing Gaius to gain a young, beautiful, and lively trophy wife
Trophy wife
Trophy wife is an expression used to describe a wife, usually young and attractive, who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband, who is often older and affluent.-History:The term's etymological origins are disputed...
.
A few years after their marriage, Gaius died unexpectedly, leaving his entire estate to Claudia. Unwilling to admit a woman, the Winemakers' Guild offered to buy her out, but she was too proud to accept. Thereafter, the Guild has tried, in all manner of ways, to drive her out of business.
Unwilling to give up, Claudia has fought a never-ending battle to keep the business afloat, including engaging in a host of semi-legal or illegal schemes to cut costs and raise capital.
In the course of her life, she also takes a keen interest in several mysteries, both in Rome and throughout the Empire, applying her quick wit and investigative skills.
Family and Friends
Claudia's greatest admirer is Marcus Cornelius Orbilio, an investigator with the Imperial Security Police, of patrician rank. A dogged and clever detective, Orbilio is aware of most, if not all, of the crooked dealings she engages in to survive, but refrains from turning her in because he is so deeply in love with her - and because, despite what she might think, her dealings are often petty crimes compared with the murders, rapes, and conspiracies against the state he is usually investigating.Claudia lives in a state of denial about her own attraction to Orbilio, instead viewing him as her nemesis, angling to win election to the Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
by catching her in her illegal activities. This fear of exposure often comes between them, though they do manage to collaborate on several bigger cases.
Claudia also inherited Gaius's family as her in-laws, including his shrewish sister, Julia, Julia's lecherous husband, Marcellus, and Gaius's daughter by his first wife, a sullen teenager named Flavia.
Books
- I, Claudia. 1995. ISBN 0-333-65022-0
- Virgin Territory: A Roman Mystery. 1998. ISBN 0-330-34477-3
- Man Eater. 1998. ISBN 0-330-35407-8
- Jail Bait. 2000. ISBN 0-330-37737-X
- Black Salamander. 2000.
- Wolf Whistle. 2002. ISBN 0-330-37199-1
- Dream Boat. 2002.
- Dark Horse. 2002.
- Second Act. 2003.
- Widow's Pique. 2004.
- Stone Cold. 2005.
- Sour Grapes. 2005.
- Scorpion Rising. 2006. ISBN 0-7278-6375-4