Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor
Encyclopedia
Annia Cornificia Faustina Minor (Minor Latin for the younger, 160–212) was a Roman princess and daughter of Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger
. She was sister to Roman Empress Lucilla
and Roman Emperor Commodus
. Her maternal grandparents were Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius
and Roman Empress Faustina the Elder
and her paternal grandparents were Domitia Lucilla
and praetor Marcus Annius Verus
. She was named in honor of her late paternal aunt Annia Cornificia Faustina
. She was born and raised in Rome
.
Cornificia Faustina had married the African Roman politician Marcus Petronius Sura Mamertinus
who served as consul in 182. After 173, Cornificia Faustina bore Mamertinus a son called Petronius Antoninus. Cornificia Faustina with her family could have been at the winter camp of Marcus Aurelius in early 180.
In 180 Marcus Aurelius had died and her brother Commodus succeeded her father as Roman Emperor. Sometime in 190-192, Commodus ordered the deaths of her husband, her son, her brother-in-law and her sister-in-law’s family.
Cornificia Faustina survived the political executions of Commodus and later married Lucius Didius Marinus. Didius Marinus was a powerful Roman noble of Equestrian order who served as Procurator
in various provinces throughout the Roman Empire, who later became a tax collector and Tribune
of the first Praetorian cohort
.
During the brief reign of Pertinax
(193), she was involved in an affair with the Roman Emperor. In 212, when she was in her fifties, Roman Emperor Caracalla
ordered her death. With her death, she was the last surviving child of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger. Historian Cassius Dio recorded the manner of her death:
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger
Faustina the Younger
Annia Galeria Faustina Minor , Faustina Minor or Faustina the Younger was a daughter of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius and Roman Empress Faustina the Elder. She was a Roman Empress and wife to her maternal cousin Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius...
. She was sister to Roman Empress Lucilla
Lucilla
Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla or Lucilla was the second daughter and third child of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Roman Empress Faustina the Younger and an elder sister to future Roman Emperor Commodus....
and Roman Emperor Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
. Her maternal grandparents were Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
and Roman Empress Faustina the Elder
Faustina the Elder
Annia Galeria Faustina, more familiarly referred to as Faustina I , was a Roman Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.-Early life:...
and her paternal grandparents were Domitia Lucilla
Domitia Lucilla
Domitia Lucilla Minor sometimes known as Domitia Calvilla or Lucilla , was a noble Roman woman who lived in the 2nd century....
and praetor Marcus Annius Verus
Marcus Annius Verus (praetor)
Marcus Annius Verus was a distinguished Roman politician who lived in the 2nd century, served as a praetor and was the biological father of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius....
. She was named in honor of her late paternal aunt Annia Cornificia Faustina
Annia Cornificia Faustina
Annia Cornificia Faustina was the youngest child and only daughter to Praetor Marcus Annius Verus and Domitia Lucilla. The parents of Cornificia came from wealthy senatorial families who were of consular rank. She was born and raised in Rome. The brother of Cornificia was the future Roman Emperor...
. She was born and raised in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Cornificia Faustina had married the African Roman politician Marcus Petronius Sura Mamertinus
Marcus Petronius Sura Mamertinus
Marcus Petronius Sura Mamertinus was a Roman consul that lived in the 2nd century and was one of the sons-in-law of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius....
who served as consul in 182. After 173, Cornificia Faustina bore Mamertinus a son called Petronius Antoninus. Cornificia Faustina with her family could have been at the winter camp of Marcus Aurelius in early 180.
In 180 Marcus Aurelius had died and her brother Commodus succeeded her father as Roman Emperor. Sometime in 190-192, Commodus ordered the deaths of her husband, her son, her brother-in-law and her sister-in-law’s family.
Cornificia Faustina survived the political executions of Commodus and later married Lucius Didius Marinus. Didius Marinus was a powerful Roman noble of Equestrian order who served as Procurator
Procurator
Procurator may refer to:*Procurator , the title of various officials of the Roman Empire...
in various provinces throughout the Roman Empire, who later became a tax collector and Tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
of the first Praetorian cohort
Cohort
Cohort may refer to:* Cohort , a taxonomic term in biology* Cohort , a group of students working together through the same academic curriculum* Cohort , the basic tactical unit of a Roman legion...
.
During the brief reign of Pertinax
Pertinax
Pertinax , was Roman Emperor for three months in 193. He is known as the first emperor of the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. A high ranking military and Senatorial figure, he tried to restore discipline in the Praetorian Guards, whereupon they rebelled and killed him...
(193), she was involved in an affair with the Roman Emperor. In 212, when she was in her fifties, Roman Emperor Caracalla
Caracalla
Caracalla , was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. The eldest son of Septimius Severus, he ruled jointly with his younger brother Geta until he murdered the latter in 211...
ordered her death. With her death, she was the last surviving child of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger. Historian Cassius Dio recorded the manner of her death:
- "Her last words were 'My poor, unhappy soul, trapped in an unworthy body, go forth, be free, show them that you are the daughter of Marcus Aurelius!' Then she took off her ornaments, composed herself, opened her veins, and died."
Sources
- http://jasperburns.com/gasfaust.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0866.html
- http://www.livius.org/fa-fn/faustina/faustina_ii.html
- Septimius Severus: the African emperor, By Anthony Richard Birley Edition: 2 – 1999
- Roman social history: a sourcebook By Tim G. Parkin, Arthur John Pomeroy 2007
- A commentary on the Letters of M. Cornelius Fronto, By Michael Petrus Josephus van den Hout, Marcus Cornelius Fronto 1999
- From Tiberius to the Antonines: a history of the Roman Empire AD 14-192, by Albino Garzetti, 1974.
- Stefan Priwitzer, Faustina minor - Ehefrau eines Idealkaisers und Mutter eines Tyrannen quellenkritische Untersuchungen zum dynastischen Potential, zur Darstellung und zu Handlungsspielraeumen von Kaiserfrauen im Prinzipat (Bonn: Dr. Rudolf Habelt, 2008) (Tuebinger althistorische Studien, 6).