Science  People  Locations  Timeline
Index: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Home > Fulvia


 

Fulvia (died 40 BC) was a Roman matrona remembered by her ambition and political activity, in a time when women were expected to stay home and live with virtue and modesty, according to Roman morals. She was the first non mythological woman represented in Roman coins.

Fulvia was born in the 1st century BC in an uncertain date. She was daughter of Fulvius Flaccus Bambulus and Sempronia, daughter of Gaius Gracchus. Her maternal great-grandmother was Cornelia Africana, who lived her life according to all the traditions that Fulvia was about to break. As heiress to the Gracchi estate, after the death of her grandfather and Tiberius Gracchus, Fulvia was a very wealthy woman. Her family was not patrician but highly respected by Roman elite.

Her first husband was Publius Clodius Pulcher, a demagogue politician famous for causing instability in Rome's internal affairs, often involved in conspiracies and known to resort to violence. It is said that Fulvia financially supported her husband's career and inspired most of his actions. Clodius was (killed by Milo in a battle that erupted between these sworn enemies and their retainers in a chance encounter at Bovillae outside Rome) in 52 BC, leaving Fulvia a widow. Not for long. Afterwards, she married Scribonius Curio, an influential and talented tribune whose defection to Caesar in exchange for an enormous bribe swung the balance in Caesar's favor in his struggle with the Senate in 50 BC. At the outbreak of the Civil War Caesar entrusted Curio with an expedition to conquer Africa, but through overconfidence he allowed himself to be outmaneuvered by King Juba and he and his troops were annihilated--the only serious serious defeat suffered by Caesar's forces during the Civil War.

Fulvia's own political career started with her third marriage, to Marcus Antonius. Plutarch said that she needed husbands with an active political profile and the ambitious Antonius was highly qualified. As Clodius had done previously, Antonius was happy to accept her money to boost his career.

Following Julius Caesar's assassination in March 15 44 BCCenturies: 2nd century BC 1st century BC 1st century Decades: 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC 0s Years: 49 BC 48 BC 47 BC 46 BC 45 BC 44 BC 43 BC 42 BC 41 BC 40 BC 39 BC Events End of Roman Republic period and establis, Antonius formed the second triumvirateThe term triumvirate ( Latin for "rule by three men") or troika in Russian, is commonly used to describe an alliance between three equally powerful political or military leaders. These alliances seldom hold very long. The term can also be used to describe with Octavian and Lepidus and embarked on a savage proscription. To solidify the political alliance, Fulvia offered her daughter, Clodia, to young Octavian as wife. Antonius pursued his political enemies, chief among them being Marcus Tullius Cicero, who had criticized him openly for abusing his powers as consul after Caesar's assassination. In the proscription, Antonius dispatched search parties to Cicero's country homes to track him down. He was found and beheaded by a Roman centurion, Herennius, whom Cicero had previously defended successfully in a murder trial, after his whereabouts were revealed by a young slave to whom Cicero had shown special favor. Antonius exhibited his head and hands at the rostra in the ForumThe Roman Forum Forum Romanum was a central area of ancient Rome in which commerce, business, trading and the administration of justice took place. It is now famous for the remains, which eloquently show the use of urban spaces during the Roman Age. The t.

Fulvia was happy to take revenge against Cicero for Antonius' sake, but also in revenge for Publius Clodius Pulcher, her first husband, also an earlier victim of Cicero's sharp rhetoric. Plutarch and other sources describe the joy with which she pierced the tongue of the dead Cicero with her golden hairpins.

Shortly afterwards, triumvirs then distributed the provinces among them. Lepidus took the west and Antonius went to the province of Egypt, where he met CleopatraCleopatra VII Philopator ( December, 70 BC or January, 69 BC August 12?, 30 BC) was queen of ancient Egypt. She was the last member of the Macedonian Ptolemaic dynasty to rule Egypt. Her father was Ptolemy XII Auletes, and her mother was probably Auletes'. Octavian remained in Italy, where he was busy taking lands from Italians and giving them to the triumvirate veterans.

These actions caused political and social unrest, but when Octavian asked for a divorce from Clodia, Fulvia herself decided to take action. Together with Lucius Antonius, her brother-in-law, she raised eight legions in Italy to fight for Antonius' rights against Octavian. The army occupied Rome for a short time, but eventually retreated to Perusia (modern PerugiaPerugia (population 150,000) is a city in the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river, and the capital of the province of Perugia. Perugia gave its nickname to the famous painter Perugino (Pietro Vannucci), who lived and worked there.). Octavian besieged Fulvia and Lucius Antonius in the winter of 41 - 40 BC, starving them into surrender. Fulvia was exiled to Sicyon, where she died of a sudden illness, while Antonius was en route to meet her.

Her death opened a space for Octavian and Antonius to make a reconciliation. Now a widower, Antonius married Octavian's sister Octavia. Later it would be Octavia who took care of Fulvia's children.



Read more »

Non User