Cornelia Africana
Cornelia Africana was a well educated and humble person. She thought as her own sons as jewels whenever someone asked of her jewels. She was married to Tiberius Gracchus Major. The two bore twelve children but only 3 of them survived onto adulthood; one of her daughters and their two beloved sons Tiberius and Gaius. She was always a supporter of her sons political ambitions. She helped Gaius undermine the consul of Opimus and deeply influenced his rhetoric. After her death a statue was dedicated to her but today only the base of it survives.
Epicharis
Epicharis was a freed Roman slave who was a part of the conspiracy against emperor Nero. She was allegedly involved in the conspiracy when she met her lover. She was trying to gain sailors but was quickly betrayed by Volusius Proculus. When she was brought before the emperor she refused to tell him about the conspiracy and because of this was tortured. After all the torturing she still didn’t tell and a few days into the torturing she was carried in a sedan chair due to her limbs being broken. She used the girdle holding her to the chair to strangle herself. Many considered her noble as she didn’t give in to the torture unlike everybody else.
Valeria Messalina
Valeria Messalina was the wife of the emperor Claudius and promiscuous to legendary proportions Valeria Messalina was at one time one of the most powerful women in Rome. They had two children called Claudia and Britannicus. Claudius was quite a bit older than his wife so he fought to make sure his son was next in line to be emperor. Problems arose When Agrippina the younger was allowed to return from her exile Messalina immediately recognized her and her son the future emperor Nero as a threat. She attempted to have him assassinated. When Claudius was warned of the plot to assassinate him he executed Messalina and her accomplice Silius in 48AD. One year later Claudius remarried to Agrippina the Younger.
Women in ancient Rome had to work hard to gain good jobs or leadership. Five Roman women in particular were very powerful.
Cornelia Africana was a well educated and humble person. She thought as her own sons as jewels whenever someone asked of her jewels. She was married to Tiberius Gracchus Major. The two bore twelve children but only 3 of them survived onto adulthood; one of her daughters and their two beloved sons Tiberius and Gaius. She was always a supporter of her sons political ambitions. She helped Gaius undermine the consul of Opimus and deeply influenced his rhetoric. After her death a statue was dedicated to her but today only the base of it survives.
Epicharis was a freed Roman slave who was a part of the conspiracy against emperor Nero. She was allegedly involved in the conspiracy when she met her lover. She was trying to gain sailors but was quickly betrayed by Volusius Proculus. When she was brought before the emperor she refused to tell him about the conspiracy and because of this was tortured. After all the torturing she still didn’t tell and a few days into the torturing she was carried in a sedan chair due to her limbs being broken. She used the girdle holding her to the chair to strangle herself. Many considered her noble as she didn’t give in to the torture unlike everybody else.
Valeria Messalina was the wife of the emperor Claudius and promiscuous to legendary proportions Valeria Messalina was at one time one of the most powerful women in Rome. They had two children called Claudia and Britannicus. Claudius was quite a bit older than his wife so he fought to make sure his son was next in line to be emperor. Problems arose When Agrippina the younger was allowed to return from her exile Messalina immediately recognized her and her son the future emperor Nero as a threat. She attempted to have him assassinated. When Claudius was warned of the plot to assassinate him he executed Messalina and her accomplice Silius in 48AD. One year later Claudius remarried to Agrippina the Younger.
Livia Drusilla was the third wife and an advisor of the emperor Augustus Caesar. It is said that he fell in love with her at first sight and divorced his old wife quickly just to be with her. She experienced a great amount of power in Rome and unlike most wives she was an advisor of the emperor. Like Cornelia Africana she was the perfect Roman woman. She managed their household, always stayed faithful to her husband and did not wear fancy clothes. She although had powers that most women did not have. She was able to control her own finances, had a statue built in her honor and was always politically active. Following the death of her husband she still remained quite powerful. There was many disagreements between her son and herself due to her ambitious nature. Livia Drusilla eventually passed away in 29 AD.
Agrippina the Younger was the wife of emperor Claudius and the mother of Nero. She was a women who was known for murdering two husbands, displaced a rightful heir and had an affair with her son. She was known for her beauty and for being ruthless, domineering and bloodthirsty. After murdering her second husband she married emperor Claudius. She was a very clever woman as she convinced the emperor to make her son the heir of the thrown instead of Claudius’s son. Following this the emperor mysteriously died after eating a poisoned mushroom. His son was then assassinated at the age of 13. Agrippina ruled alongside her son as his regent. Her last words before she died were “stab here” as this indicated the location where her son Nero was carried in her womb.
Cornelia Africana was a well educated and humble person. She thought as her own sons as jewels whenever someone asked of her jewels. She was married to Tiberius Gracchus Major. The two bore twelve children but only 3 of them survived onto adulthood; one of her daughters and their two beloved sons Tiberius and Gaius. She was always a supporter of her sons political ambitions. She helped Gaius undermine the consul of Opimus and deeply influenced his rhetoric. After her death a statue was dedicated to her but today only the base of it survives.
Epicharis was a freed Roman slave who was a part of the conspiracy against emperor Nero. She was allegedly involved in the conspiracy when she met her lover. She was trying to gain sailors but was quickly betrayed by Volusius Proculus. When she was brought before the emperor she refused to tell him about the conspiracy and because of this was tortured. After all the torturing she still didn’t tell and a few days into the torturing she was carried in a sedan chair due to her limbs being broken. She used the girdle holding her to the chair to strangle herself. Many considered her noble as she didn’t give in to the torture unlike everybody else.
Valeria Messalina was the wife of the emperor Claudius and promiscuous to legendary proportions Valeria Messalina was at one time one of the most powerful women in Rome. They had two children called Claudia and Britannicus. Claudius was quite a bit older than his wife so he fought to make sure his son was next in line to be emperor. Problems arose When Agrippina the younger was allowed to return from her exile Messalina immediately recognized her and her son the future emperor Nero as a threat. She attempted to have him assassinated. When Claudius was warned of the plot to assassinate him he executed Messalina and her accomplice Silius in 48AD. One year later Claudius remarried to Agrippina the Younger.
Livia Drusilla was the third wife and an advisor of the emperor Augustus Caesar. It is said that he fell in love with her at first sight and divorced his old wife quickly just to be with her. She experienced a great amount of power in Rome and unlike most wives she was an advisor of the emperor. Like Cornelia Africana she was the perfect Roman woman. She managed their household, always stayed faithful to her husband and did not wear fancy clothes. She although had powers that most women did not have. She was able to control her own finances, had a statue built in her honor and was always politically active. Following the death of her husband she still remained quite powerful. There was many disagreements between her son and herself due to her ambitious nature. Livia Drusilla eventually passed away in 29 AD.
Agrippina the Younger was the wife of emperor Claudius and the mother of Nero. She was a women who was known for murdering two husbands, displaced a rightful heir and had an affair with her son. She was known for her beauty and for being ruthless, domineering and bloodthirsty. After murdering her second husband she married emperor Claudius. She was a very clever woman as she convinced the emperor to make her son the heir of the thrown instead of Claudius’s son. Following this the emperor mysteriously died after eating a poisoned mushroom. His son was then assassinated at the age of 13. Agrippina ruled alongside her son as his regent. Her last words before she died were “stab here” as this indicated the location where her son Nero was carried in her womb.