Sextilia
Encyclopedia
Sextilia was the mother of Lucius Vitellius the Younger
Lucius Vitellius the younger
Lucius Vitellius was a Roman who lived in the 1st century. He was the second son of Lucius Vitellius the elder and Sextilia and younger brother of emperor Aulus Vitellius....

 and Aulus Vitellius
Vitellius
Vitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...

. Sextilia came from a distinguished family and lived intimately with imperial intrigue. Sextilia married the successful politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 and friend of the emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...

, Lucius Vitellius
Lucius Vitellius
Lucius Vitellius the Elder was the youngest of four sons of quaestor Publius Vitellius and the only one that did not die through politics. Under Emperor Tiberius, he was Consul in 34 and Governor of Syria in 35. He deposed Pontius Pilate in 36 after complaints from the people in Samaria...

. Placed in charge of 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....

 while Claudius traveled to Britain, Vitellius died in 52 CE leaving Sextilia with two sons, Aulus Vitellius
Vitellius
Vitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...

 and the younger Lucius Vitellius.

Aulus becomes Emperor

Sextilia and Galeria Fundana
Galeria Fundana
Galeria Fundana was a Roman Empress, the second wife of Emperor Vitellius.-Life:Galeria was the daughter of an ex-praetor. She bore two children to her husband, a son and a daughter...

 remained in Rome after Aulus Vitellius went to Germany. Although he left Galeria in straitened financial circumstances with creditors at her door, Sextilia retained a firm control over her own wealth and distanced herself from her son's financial debacle. After the death of Galba, on January 2, 69 CE the troops in Lower Germany declared Vitellius emperor.

More in response to Vitellius's loose regard for discipline than as a measure of his leadership qualities, the troops hailed him a second Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...

, in reference to the able soldier and son of the younger Antonia who was Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...

's probable heir. When Sextilia first learned of her son's rise to power, she was said to have responded that she had borne a libertine Vitellius, not a Germanicus.

Death

In Rome, Sextilia and Galeria Fundana
Galeria Fundana
Galeria Fundana was a Roman Empress, the second wife of Emperor Vitellius.-Life:Galeria was the daughter of an ex-praetor. She bore two children to her husband, a son and a daughter...

 were in some danger as Marcus Salvius Otho challenged Vitellius. Vitellius wrote Otho
Otho
Otho , was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors.- Birth and lineage :...

's brother and threatened to kill him and his family if the women were harmed. As it turned out, Sextilia may have had her own avenues of access to the camp of Otho, and neither of them were injured.

Vitellius defeated Otho, and on his arrival in Rome, he embraced Sextilia and declared her Augusta. He also spent huge sums of money on food, drink, and entertainment. Troops in other parts of the empire deserted to Titus Flavius 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...

. Vitellius was defeated in battle. Sextilia died shortly before both her sons were killed in December 69.

Sources

  • Continuité gentilice et continuité sénatoriale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque impériale, 2000
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK