Gaius Sallustius Passienus Crispus was a prominent figure in the Roman Empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

 during the 1st century. He was the adopted grandson and biological great, great nephew of the historian Sallust

Sallust

Gaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...

.

He was known for his power, wealth, influence and was married twice. He was consul in 27 and 44. His first marriage was to Roman 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...

’ great niece Domitia

Domitia (aunt of Nero)

Domitia , more commonly referred to as Domitia Lepida the Elder was the oldest child of Antonia Major and Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus , and the oldest granddaughter to Triumvir Mark Antony and Octavia Minor, a great-niece of the Roman Emperor Augustus, second cousin and sister-in-law to the...

 in 33. In February/March 41, he was asked by the Emperor 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...

 to divorce his cousin and marry his niece 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...

. Agrippina had recently lost her husband to illness, had returned from exile and had a young son to care for.

Passienus agreed and married later that year to Agrippina the Younger. His stepson was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, who later became the Roman Emperor 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....

. Passienus died in 47, possibly from poisoning by his wife.

Passienus was an intelligent, humble and witty person, famous for his epigram that there had never been a better slave or a worse master, referring to the Emperor Tiberius

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...

 and his heir, Caligula

Caligula

Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...

. His words survive in the works of 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...

.