Lucilla
Encyclopedia
Annia Aurelia
Galeria Lucilla or Lucilla (March 7, 148 or 150-182) 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
.
Lucilla was the younger twin. Her elder brother Gemellus Lucillae died around 150. She was born and raised in Rome
. Lucilla’s 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
.
Lucilla in 161, was betrothed to her father’s co-ruler Lucius Verus
and they married in 164, in Ephesus
. At that time, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus were fighting a Parthia
n war in Syria
. She received the title of Augusta and became a Roman Empress.
Lucilla bore Lucius three children: two daughters and a son. The first daughter was born in 165 in Antioch
. The elder daughter Aurelia Lucilla and son Lucius Verus died young. Lucilla was an influential and respectable woman and she enjoyed her status. She spent much time in Rome, while Lucius was away from Rome much of the time, fulfilling his duties as a co-ruler. Lucius died around 168/169.
Sometime in 169, Marcus Aurelius forced her to marry Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus
Quintianus, a Syrian Roman who was twice consul and a political ally to her father. Lucilla and her mother were against this marriage, because Quintianus was an older man and Lucilla preferred to marry a younger man. Lucilla around 170, bore Quintianus a son called Pompeianus
.
Lucilla and Quintianus accompanied Marcus Aurelius in 172, to Vienna
in support of the Danube military campaign. They were with him until March 17 180, when her father died and Commodus became the new emperor. They returned to Rome and any hope of Lucilla becoming empress again was now lost.
Lucilla was not happy living as a quiet, private citizen in Rome and became jealous of her brother and her sister-in-law because of all the attention that they received. Also she became very concerned due to the unstable behaviour of her brother.
In 182 Lucilla, her daughter from her first marriage Plautia, her nephew-in-marriage and with help from her paternal cousins the former consul Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus
and his sister Ummidia Cornificia Faustina
, had planned to assassinate Commodus
and replace him with her husband and herself as the new rulers of Rome.
Quintianus’ nephew of the same name burst from his place of hiding with a dagger, trying to stab Commodus. He said to him "Here is the dagger the senate sends to you", giving away his intentions before he had the chance to act. The guards were faster than he was. He was overpowered and disarmed without doing the emperor any harm.
Commodus had ordered the deaths of her nephew-in-marriage and Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus. Lucilla, her daughter and Ummidia Cornificia Faustina were banished to the Italian island of Capri
. The Emperor then sent a centurion to Capri to execute the three women later that year.
, Lucilla is played by Sophia Loren
; in the 2000 film Gladiator
, she was played by Connie Nielsen.
Aurelia
Aurelia is a feminine given name. It was the name given to women of the gens Aurelia in ancient Rome. Aurelia may refer to:-Ancient:* A woman of the gens Aurelia of ancient Rome...
Galeria Lucilla or Lucilla (March 7, 148 or 150-182) was the second daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
and third child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
of Roman Emperor
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...
and an elder sister to future 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...
.
Lucilla was the younger twin. Her elder brother Gemellus Lucillae died around 150. She was born and raised in Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. Lucilla’s 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....
.
Lucilla in 161, was betrothed to her father’s co-ruler Lucius Verus
Lucius Verus
Lucius Verus , was Roman co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius, from 161 until his death.-Early life and career:Lucius Verus was the first born son to Avidia Plautia and Lucius Aelius Verus Caesar, the first adopted son and heir of Roman Emperor Hadrian . He was born and raised in Rome...
and they married in 164, in Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
. At that time, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus were fighting a Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n war in Syria
Syria (Roman province)
Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...
. She received the title of Augusta and became a Roman Empress.
Lucilla bore Lucius three children: two daughters and a son. The first daughter was born in 165 in Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
. The elder daughter Aurelia Lucilla and son Lucius Verus died young. Lucilla was an influential and respectable woman and she enjoyed her status. She spent much time in Rome, while Lucius was away from Rome much of the time, fulfilling his duties as a co-ruler. Lucius died around 168/169.
Sometime in 169, Marcus Aurelius forced her to marry Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus
Claudius Pompeianus
Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus was a Roman general of emperor Marcus Aurelius. He married Aurelius' daughter Lucilla and rose to the rank of senior senator in Rome before twice refusing emperorship for himself....
Quintianus, a Syrian Roman who was twice consul and a political ally to her father. Lucilla and her mother were against this marriage, because Quintianus was an older man and Lucilla preferred to marry a younger man. Lucilla around 170, bore Quintianus a son called Pompeianus
Pompeianus
Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus Quintianus was the son of Syrian Roman Consul Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus Quintianus and Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla...
.
Lucilla and Quintianus accompanied Marcus Aurelius in 172, to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in support of the Danube military campaign. They were with him until March 17 180, when her father died and Commodus became the new emperor. They returned to Rome and any hope of Lucilla becoming empress again was now lost.
Lucilla was not happy living as a quiet, private citizen in Rome and became jealous of her brother and her sister-in-law because of all the attention that they received. Also she became very concerned due to the unstable behaviour of her brother.
In 182 Lucilla, her daughter from her first marriage Plautia, her nephew-in-marriage and with help from her paternal cousins the former consul Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus
Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus
Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus was a wealthy Roman Politician and the nephew of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.Quadratus was the son of Marcus Aurelius’ sister, Annia Cornificia Faustina and the Roman Senator who served as a suffect consul in 146, Gaius Ummidius Quadratus Annianus Verus....
and his sister Ummidia Cornificia Faustina
Ummidia Cornificia Faustina
Ummidia Cornificia Faustina was a wealthy Roman noblewoman, an heiress and the niece of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.Cornificia Faustina was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius’ sister, Annia Cornificia Faustina and the Roman Senator who served as a suffect consul in 146, Gaius Ummidius Quadratus...
, had planned to assassinate 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...
and replace him with her husband and herself as the new rulers of Rome.
Quintianus’ nephew of the same name burst from his place of hiding with a dagger, trying to stab Commodus. He said to him "Here is the dagger the senate sends to you", giving away his intentions before he had the chance to act. The guards were faster than he was. He was overpowered and disarmed without doing the emperor any harm.
Commodus had ordered the deaths of her nephew-in-marriage and Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus. Lucilla, her daughter and Ummidia Cornificia Faustina were banished to the Italian island of Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
. The Emperor then sent a centurion to Capri to execute the three women later that year.
In popular culture
In the 1964 film The Fall of the Roman EmpireThe Fall of the Roman Empire (film)
The Fall of the Roman Empire is a 1964 English-language epic film produced by Samuel Bronston Productions and the Rank Organisation, and released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Anthony Mann and produced by Samuel Bronston with Jaime Prades and Michal Waszynski as associate producers. The...
, Lucilla is played by Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
; in the 2000 film Gladiator
Gladiator (2000 film)
Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed...
, she was played by Connie Nielsen.