The significance of women in the Imperial family

The significance of women in the Imperial family: By Kurt Attard

During the time of the Roman Empire women were not allowed to play any part in the political life of the empire. However women were still able to influence powerful men and manipulate them to use there power for the wants of woman. The most powerful woman in the roman society was either the wife of a principate or the mother of one. Examples of influential woman in the imperial family include Livia Drusilla, Julia Agrippina and Octivia.

The only woman that seemed to have a stable position with both power and security was the wife of the emperor. For example the Livia Drusilla (58 BC-29 AD), an influential consort of Augustus, who was depicted in imperial propaganda as the embodiment of womanliness and dedication, while her enemies believed her to be a ruthless seeker of power. Through the example of Livia it can be seen how influential a wife of a powerful man can be. Augustus married her when she was very young taking her away from her first husband Tiberius Nero. From then on, Augustus’ affection was fixed on her. They stayed together till the end, despite certain insecurity from not giving Augustus an heir. Livia was the most powerful woman of her time and Augustus appeared to have taken most of her advice.

She sometimes accompanied him from Rome and always served as a trusted confidante and advisor. When a beloved great grandson of Augustus’ died (a son of Germanicus’), she saw to it that the child’s statue was placed in his private quarters, demonstrating power she did contain.

However modestly she presented herself, Livia's life was showcased by Augustus from the first for political purposes in a way no earlier Roman woman's had ever been. In 35 BC, he persuaded the Senate to permit statues of Livia and to his sister, Octavia, to be set up in Rome and granted them sacrosanct honors. This freed both women from many legal restrictions, including management of their own property. Livia was, or became, an extraordinarily wealthy woman and disposed of it with care. For the first time in Rome, civic buildings were funded in a woman's name. Honors such as special seating rights with the Vestal Virgins (the preeminent women of Rome) were mixed with diplomatic duties such as meeting with Augustus' clients and provincial ambassadors, promoting colonial interests, and serving as Augustus' proxy during his frequent absences abroad.

Tacitus, as most Senators, did not like Livia. In his Annals of the Imperial Rome, he accuses her of causing the deaths of, Lucius Caesar and Gaius Caesar - the sons of Julia the Elder, persuading Augustus to banish Agrippa Postumus, and later ordering his execution. He portrays her as a manipulative and controlling wife of an aging husband, at the same time calling her “feminine bully”, “catastrophe, to the nation and to the house of the Caesars”. Tacitus suspected Livia of causing the death of Augustus himself. This accusation, however, has no foundation.

In the will of Augustus, he left one-third of his property to Livia, and the other two-thirds to the successor Tiberius. In the will, he also adopted her into the Julian family, thus turning her into a patrician, and granted her the . These dispositions permitted her to maintain her status and power after his death, under the name of Julia Augusta.

Livia had lost most of her power as soon as her husband died. She was still able to influence her son in certain issues. For some time, Livia and her son Tiberius, the new Emperor, got along ...

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Livia had lost most of her power as soon as her husband died. She was still able to influence her son in certain issues. For some time, Livia and her son Tiberius, the new Emperor, got along with each other. Speaking against her became in 20 and, in 24 he granted his mother a theatre seat among the . Eventually, Tiberius became resentful of his mother's political status, particularly against the idea that it was she who had given him the throne. He forbade the senate to call her Augusta and removed most of the privileges granted by Augustus.

When Claudius became emperor in 41 A.D. Julia Vipsania Agrippina (his niece) was recalled from exile and allowed to return to Rome, and her estate was returned to her. In 49 A.D. following the fall and execution of Empress Messallina, Claudius and then Claudius married Agrippina.

This was Julia Agrippina’s third marriage, she was 34 years old and Claudius was 59 years old at the time of their marriage. This marriage proved to play a big part in the diabolical planning of Agrippina. Claudius was a strong leader and a very influential man, and throughout his life he suffered from some form of sickness, and this is probably why historians mentioned Claudius as a man with many strange behaviors. Agrippina knew that she could have an influence over the affairs in Rome through Claudius, and his life expectancy played a big factor in her plotting.

After gaining power, by marrying Claudius, Agrippina used her influence to bring down some of her female rivals. But Barrett thinks there were fewer executions than under Messallina.

Wood: "As the wife of Claudius, she had received more open acknowledgments of a formal role in government than any woman before her: she was the first wife of a living princeps to bear the title Augusta, and the first living woman to appear on gold and silver coins, in a portrait profile identified by name, during her lifetime."

She then convinced Claudius to adopt her son and in 50 A.D. Nero became the probable heir to the throne, even over Claudius's real son Britannicus. This futher highlights the significance of woman in the imperial family. Seneca became Nero’s tutor, and in 53 A.D. Nero married Claudius's daughter Octavia. Claudius then became dispensible and when Agrippina had all the succession arrangements she wanted in place (or before Claudius could make arrangements against what she wanted). Agrippina supposedly poisoned him with a plate of mushrooms and then concealed news of his death until arrangements were made for Nero's succession.

She later became priestess of Divus Claudius, and remained loyal to his memory. It was actually good politics, and gave her a position a important significance comparable to Livia's.

Agrippina controlled affairs of state for the first year of Nero's rule. More open acknowledgment of her role as almost-co-ruler than any other imperial woman before or after. She listened to senate meetings from behind a curtain and even had an escort of lictors like a magistrate. She had her portrait on coins, sometimes more prominent than Nero's. This demonstrates the level of importance she had in Rome at that time.

Agrippina used the existing system of promotions and rotations to ensure that at Rome, not only the highest ranks but the middle levels of command as well would be held by men loyal to herself and her son, while those less sympathetic to her cause would receive honorable promotions that removed them from the city. “She therefore got rid of potential opponents without making unnecessary enemies." (Wood )

"When she asked astrologers about Nero, they had answered that he would become emperor but kill his mother. Her reply was, "Let him kill me - provided he becomes emperor !" Damnatio memoriae.

For some time, Agrippina influenced Nero, her son, as she had controlled her deceased husband. But soon Nero was fed up with her constant criticizing. He deprived her of her honours and exiled her from the palace, but that was not enough. Three times he tried to poison her, but she had been raised in the Imperial family and was accustomed to take antidotes. Then he built a machine attached to the roof of her bedroom, destined to make the ceiling collapse however this plot failed. According to the historians Tacitus and , Nero then plotted her death by sending for her in a boat designed to collapse, her. However, only some of the crew was in on the plot and their efforts were hampered by the rest of the crew trying to save the ship. As it went down one of her handmaidens thought to save herself by crying that she was Agrippina, thinking they would take special care of her. Instead the maid was instantly beaten to death with oars and chains. The real Agrippina realised then what was happening and in the confusion managed to swim away where a passing fisherman picked her up. Terrified that his cover had been blown, Nero instantly sent men to charge her with treason and summarily execute her. Legend states that when the Emperor's soldiers came to kill her, Agrippina pulled back her clothes and ordered them to stab her in the belly that had housed such a monstrous son.

Another example of the significance of women in the imperial family can be seen with the sister of Octavian (Augustus), Octavia.

Octavian and Marc Antony, the winners at Philippi, reached a new agreement in October 40 BC in the Treaty of Brundisium. The Roman empire was to be divided between them, Antony taking the east, Octavian the west. To further strengthen their agreeement, Antony married Octavians' sister Octavia. But it was not to be long, before Antony abandoned her to return to Cleopatra. However this does demonstrate how women in the imperial family were used as political tools to strengthen agreements and increase friendship between powerful men.

Octavia lived with Marc Antony in his mansion. She raised her children by Marcellus; Antony's two sons and their two daughters: Julia and Julia , who were born there. She had travelled with him to various provinces.

After 36 BC, Octavia returned to Rome with the children. On several occassions she acted as a political adviser and negotiator between her husband and brother. A significant role of the time.

When Antony divorced Octavia, Octavian lashed out by reading out in public Antony's will, which had quite illegally come into his possession.
This will promised not only large inheritances to his children by Cleopatra, but it also demanded that, should he die in Italy, his body should be returned to Cleopatra in Egypt. Antony's will was the final straw. For in all Rome's eyes, this could never be the will of a true Roman. The senate declared war.

Despite Antony's rejection, divorce in and suicide in , Octavia was the sole caretaker of the children. She became guardian to , and , her ex-husband's remaining children. Octavia never remarried.

Augustus had adopted her son Marcus as his heir, but Marcus died of illness in . Octavia had opened the Library of Marcellus in his memory, while her brother built a threatre in Rome in his honor. This demonstrates that woman could play an important role as this added to the imperial buildings of the time. She never recovered from his death and retired from public life. Her final years were spent hiding in the dark and dressing in mourning.

She had woven clothes for her brother. Augustus built two monuments for his public works program, the Colonnades of Octavia and the Paragon of Virtue in her honor. She was one of the first Roman women to have coins minted in her image.

She died in , sometime after her niece married . Her beloved brother gave her the highest posthumous honours, built the Gate of Octavia in her memory, declared her as a goddess and built temples for her. This once again highlights the significance of some women.

All in all, it can be seen that women in the imperial family had a very significant and influential role and could exercise their power through the relationship of blood. Although each individual woman looked at was significant in a different way all were women living in a context of male superiority where women were not to have any political power at all.

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