Marcia Furnilla
Encyclopedia
Marcia Furnilla was a Roman noble woman that lived in the 1st century. Furnilla was the second and last wife of the future Roman Emperor
Titus
.
status , which claimed descent from Roman King Ancus Marcius
. She was a daughter of Roman Senator Quintus Marcius Barea Sura and Antonia Furnilla. Her sister was Marcia
, the mother of Ulpia Marciana
and of future Roman Emperor
Trajan
. Her father was a friend to future Roman Emperor Vespasian
(who was Titus’ father) and her paternal uncle was the Roman Senator
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus
, while her paternal cousin was the noble woman Marcia Servilia Sorana
. Furnilla’s paternal grandfather was Quintus Marcius Barea, who was Suffect Consul in 26 and was twice Proconsul
of the Africa Province
, while her maternal grandfather could have been Aulus Antonius Rufus, a Suffect Consul either in 44 or 45.
. She married Titus, widowed from his first marriage, in 63. The marriage between Titus and Furnilla was an arranged one.
This marriage for Titus was an influential one and promoted his political career. Suetonius describes Furnilla as a ‘very well-connected’ woman. On September 17, 64, Furnilla bore Titus a daughter, Flavia Julia Titi or Julia Flavia
in Rome.
Like Titus’ first marriage, this marriage was short. Furnilla’s family was connected to the opponents of Roman Emperor Nero
. In 65 after the failure of the Pisonian conspiracy
, Furnilla’s family was disfavored by Nero. Titus considered he didn’t want to be connected with any potential plotters and ended his marriage to Furnilla. Titus and Furnilla divorced and Titus raised their daughter. The fate afterwards of Furnilla is unknown.
When Furnilla died, she was placed along with her mother in the mausoleum
of Gaius Sulpicius Platorinus and his sister Sulpicia Platorina in Rome. Gaius Sulpicius Platorinus was a magistrate at the time of the first Roman Emperor Augustus
.
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...
Titus
Titus
Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
.
Family
Marcia Furnilla came from a noble and distinguished family. She was from the gens Marcius gens who were of plebsPlebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
status , which claimed descent from Roman King Ancus Marcius
Ancus Marcius
Ancus Marcius was the legendary fourth of the Kings of Rome.He was the son of Marcius and Pompilia...
. She was a daughter of Roman Senator Quintus Marcius Barea Sura and Antonia Furnilla. Her sister was Marcia
Marcia (mother of Trajan)
Marcia was an ancient Roman noblewoman and the mother of the emperor Trajan.-Family:Marcia came from a noble and politically influential family, the plebs gens Marcia , which claimed to be descended from the Roman King Ancus Marcius. Marcia was a daughter of the Roman Senator Quintus Marcius Barea...
, the mother of Ulpia Marciana
Ulpia Marciana
Ulpia Marciana was the beloved elder sister of Roman Emperor Trajan. She was the eldest child born to Roman woman Marcia and the Spanish Roman senator Marcus Ulpius Traianus. Her second name Marciana she inherited from her mother’s paternal ancestors. Her birthplace is unknown.Marciana married...
and of future 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...
Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
. Her father was a friend to future Roman Emperor Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
(who was Titus’ father) and her paternal uncle was the Roman Senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus
Barea Soranus
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus was a Roman Senator in the 1st century. Soranus was from the gens Marcius. He was the son of Quintus Marcius Barea, who was Suffect Consul in 26 and was twice Proconsul of the Africa Province. Barea during his time in Africa was based in Leptis Magna...
, while her paternal cousin was the noble woman Marcia Servilia Sorana
Servilia (1st century)
Marcia Servilia Sorana or commonly known as Servilia was the daughter of Roman Senator Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus and her mother may have been from the gens Servilia. Servilia's paternal uncle was the Roman Senator Quintus Marcius Barea Sura, who was a friend to the future Roman Emperor Vespasian...
. Furnilla’s paternal grandfather was Quintus Marcius Barea, who was Suffect Consul in 26 and was twice Proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
of the Africa Province
Africa Province
The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, and the small Mediterranean coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor...
, while her maternal grandfather could have been Aulus Antonius Rufus, a Suffect Consul either in 44 or 45.
Life
Marcia Furnilla was born and raised in RomeRome
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...
. She married Titus, widowed from his first marriage, in 63. The marriage between Titus and Furnilla was an arranged one.
This marriage for Titus was an influential one and promoted his political career. Suetonius describes Furnilla as a ‘very well-connected’ woman. On September 17, 64, Furnilla bore Titus a daughter, Flavia Julia Titi or Julia Flavia
Julia Flavia
Flavia Julia Titi was the daughter and only child to Emperor Titus from his second marriage to the well-connected Marcia Furnilla. Her parents divorced when Julia was an infant, due to her mother's family being connected to the opponents of Roman Emperor Nero...
in Rome.
Like Titus’ first marriage, this marriage was short. Furnilla’s family was connected to the opponents of Roman Emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
. In 65 after the failure of the Pisonian conspiracy
Pisonian conspiracy
The conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso in AD 65 represented one of the major turning points in the reign of the Roman emperor Nero...
, Furnilla’s family was disfavored by Nero. Titus considered he didn’t want to be connected with any potential plotters and ended his marriage to Furnilla. Titus and Furnilla divorced and Titus raised their daughter. The fate afterwards of Furnilla is unknown.
When Furnilla died, she was placed along with her mother in the mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
of Gaius Sulpicius Platorinus and his sister Sulpicia Platorina in Rome. Gaius Sulpicius Platorinus was a magistrate at the time of the first Roman Emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
.
External links
Sources
- SuetoniusSuetoniusGaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, The Twelve Caesars, Titus - http://www.jstor.org/pss/298836
- http://www.roman-emperors.org/titus.htm
- http://dcodriscoll.pbworks.com/Marcius_Barea
- www.livius.org/le-lh/lepcis_magna/lepcis02.html
- www.livius.org/le-lh/lepcis_magna/theater2.html
- http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/titus.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0472.html
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/athens/parthenon/7094/titus1.html&date=2009-10-25+12:55:21
- http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/Lanciani/LANPAC/6*.html