Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (executed 39)
Encyclopedia
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, (6-39) was the son of consul
Lucius Aemilius Paullus. He and his sister Aemilia Lepida
were both married to siblings of the Emperor Caligula
(Aemilia married Caligula's elder brother Drusus Caesar; Lepidus married to Caligula's younger sister Julia Drusilla). He was also great-grandson of Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus (consul of 50 BC and brother of the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
). Some areas of his lineage are unclear. However, through his mother Julia the Younger
, Lepidus was the great grandson of Emperor
Augustus Caesar.
Lepidus married Caligula's sister Drusilla sometime in November or December of 37. Little is known about him prior to this. Drusilla had been married to Lucius Cassius Longinus
since 33 but Caligula forced his brother-in-law to divorce Drusilla so that she could marry Lepidus. The marriage lasted until Drusilla's death in June of 38. They had no children. Because of this marriage, Lepidus had become a close friend to Caligula and his family. After the death of Gemellus
in 37, Lepidus was publicly marked by Caligula as his heir. In late 38, when the governor of Egypt Aulus Avilius Flaccus
was arrested, Lepidus successfully persuaded Caligula to exile Flaccus to Andros
rather than Gyarus.
However, this good-standing did not last. Sometime in 39, Caligula made public letters by his sisters Agrippina the Younger
and Julia Livilla
that detailed an adulterous affair with Lepidus and a plot against the emperor. Lepidus was executed and Caligula's sisters were exiled. Agrippina was given the bones of Lepidus in an urn, and she carried them to Rome. Caligula sent three daggers to the Temple of Mars the Avenger
to celebrate the death. In the Senate
, Vespasian
made a motion that the remains of Lepidus be thrown away instead of buried. The motion was carried and Lepidus was not given a proper burial.
, "Lepidus and the Power Clique", available online. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
, "Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. The Crimes and Times of Caligula". Retrieved 14 May 2007.
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
Lucius Aemilius Paullus. He and his sister Aemilia Lepida
Aemilia Lepida
Aemilia Lepida is a Roman woman belonging to the gens Aemilia. All but the first Aemilia Lepida lived in the imperial era. The name was given to daughters of men belonging to the Lepidus branch of the gens Aemilia. The first Aemilia Lepida to be mentioned by Roman historians was the former fiancee...
were both married to siblings of the Emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
(Aemilia married Caligula's elder brother Drusus Caesar; Lepidus married to Caligula's younger sister Julia Drusilla). He was also great-grandson of Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus (consul of 50 BC and brother of the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , was a Roman patrician who rose to become a member of the Second Triumvirate and Pontifex Maximus. His father, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, had been involved in a rebellion against the Roman Republic.Lepidus was among Julius Caesar's greatest supporters...
). Some areas of his lineage are unclear. However, through his mother Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger or Julilla , Vipsania Julia Agrippina, Iulilla, Julia, Augustus' granddaughter, or Julia Caesaris Minor, was a Roman noblewoman of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the first daughter and second child of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder...
, Lepidus was the great grandson of 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...
Augustus Caesar.
Lepidus married Caligula's sister Drusilla sometime in November or December of 37. Little is known about him prior to this. Drusilla had been married to Lucius Cassius Longinus
Lucius Cassius Longinus (husband of Drusilla)
Lucius Cassius Longinus was the first husband of the Emperor Caligula's sister Julia Drusilla in 33 AD. Cassius came from an ancient and noble gens, the Cassii. In early 37, he was appointed by Tiberius as a commissioner. When Tiberius died later that year, Caligula became Caesar. Caligula...
since 33 but Caligula forced his brother-in-law to divorce Drusilla so that she could marry Lepidus. The marriage lasted until Drusilla's death in June of 38. They had no children. Because of this marriage, Lepidus had become a close friend to Caligula and his family. After the death of Gemellus
Tiberius Gemellus
Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero Gemellus, known as Tiberius Gemellus was the son of Drusus and Livilla, the grandson of the Emperor Tiberius, and the cousin of the Emperor Caligula. Gemellus is a nickname meaning "the twin"...
in 37, Lepidus was publicly marked by Caligula as his heir. In late 38, when the governor of Egypt Aulus Avilius Flaccus
Aulus Avilius Flaccus
Aulus Avilius Flaccus was the Egyptian prefect appointed by Tiberius in 32 C.E. His rule coincided with the Jewish massacre in Alexandria in 38 C.E. According to some accounts, he may have encouraged the outbreak of violence. According to the Jewish philosopher Philo, Flaccus was later arrested...
was arrested, Lepidus successfully persuaded Caligula to exile Flaccus to Andros
Andros
Andros, or Andro is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, approximately south east of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . Its surface is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and well-watered valleys. The area is...
rather than Gyarus.
However, this good-standing did not last. Sometime in 39, Caligula made public letters by his sisters Agrippina the Younger
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Julia Livilla
Julia Livilla
Julia Livilla was the youngest child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder and the youngest sister of the Emperor Caligula.-Life:Livilla was the youngest great granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, great-niece and adoptive granddaughter...
that detailed an adulterous affair with Lepidus and a plot against the emperor. Lepidus was executed and Caligula's sisters were exiled. Agrippina was given the bones of Lepidus in an urn, and she carried them to Rome. Caligula sent three daggers to the Temple of Mars the Avenger
Forum of Augustus
The Forum of Augustus is one of the Imperial forums of Rome, Italy, built by Augustus. It includes the Temple of Mars Ultor.-History:The triumvir Octavian vowed to build a temple honoring Mars, the Roman God of War, during the battle of Philippi in 42 BC...
to celebrate the death. In the Senate
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...
, 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...
made a motion that the remains of Lepidus be thrown away instead of buried. The motion was carried and Lepidus was not given a proper burial.
External links
, "Lepidus and the Power Clique", available online. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
, "Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. The Crimes and Times of Caligula". Retrieved 14 May 2007.
- Susan Wood. "Diva Drusilla Panthea and the Sisters of Caligula." American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 99, No. 3 (Jul., 1995), pp. 457–482 The article is available online (subscription required) from the JSTOR database. Lepidus's date of death is given as 39 AD in the article.