Julia the Elder – The Disgrace of the Roman Imperial Court (Part 1)

Julia Caesaris Filia (AKA Julia the Elder)

Arguably the first and greatest Roman Emperor, a clever politician, and a master propagandist, Octavian (later known as the Emperor Augustus), is the adoptive son of Julius Caesar (our famous dictator, assassinated on the Ides of March by the Senate including the famous Brutus). Picking up his adoptive father’s name after the latter’s death, he quickly  came to be in control of his adoptive father’s legions and rapidly ascended the ladder of the Roman political world. Mark Antony was later heard to remark that ‘You, boy, owe everything to a name’. The irony is that this is probably true…without the word ‘Caesar’ attached to his name, Octavian could never have access to his adoptive father’s invaluable legacy and bring Rome under his knee.

Octavian (later known as the Emperor Augustus),
the father of Julia

Nonetheless, this blog is not about Octavian! It’s about his daughter…his only biological child from his second marriage to Scribonia. Why? Women weren’t that important in the Roman society. They couldn’t vote. They couldn’t pursue careers in politics and military. They couldn’t step inside the Senate House. They weren’t even considered citizens, for god’s sake! Since politics and military are the only two career paths through which a person can actually achieve a real ‘Roman Glory’, the women are effectively barred from having their share in that glory. Instead, they are to be docile, obedient, submissive and busily producing the next generations. It is a natural consequence then that Julia Caesaris Filia (AKA Julia the Elder, to distinguish her from her daughter, Julia the Younger), Octavian’s daughter, is expected to be just like any other Roman women; obedient, submissive and virtuous.

Livia Drusilla, Augustus's third wife and his

Empress; their marriage was however childless

At the time of Octavian’s accession roughly in 27 BC and took the name of Augustus, the Roman world was undergoing a radical transformation. While people were still clinging to their beloved Republic, Augustus was playing on the feeling of the mass, giving them the false hope of restoring the former regime and social order while secretly amassing political influence and power behind the scene. It would be his first few policies which saw the rise of women (especially Imperial women of course) in the Roman power play and their increased prominence in the society over the next few centuries. This inevitably made Julia an extremely important and interesting character, having lived and played her part at this crucial historical juncture. However, as we have learnt throughout this blog, history always has a funny way of messing things up, and those expected to conform to a certain societal expectation and norm might end up being less malleable and even antagonistic to the cause.   

Julia was born in 39 BC. On the day of her birth, her father divorced her mother, Scribonia, to take a new wife, Livia Drusilla, a lady of noble lineage whose family connection would prove immeasurably beneficial to Octavian’s cause. By the time her father reached the pinnacle of power, she was already ten. Her life was molded by Octavian’s desire to promote the happy family tableau his family was meant to represent. She lived on the Palatine where she was frequently surrounded by playmates, cousins and step-siblings, as well as her aunt, Octavia, and step-mother, Livia, the latter two being a symbol of good Roman virtue a woman should strive to possess.

Octavia, Augustus' sister and mother of
Marcellus

Octavian’s (now, Augustus) political agenda started from ‘his home’. His aim was to promote his own image as ‘first among equals. For this he needed to maintain an austere living, free from extravagance and luxury. His home on the Palatine was modest, the furniture inexpensive, the mosaic ordinary. In effect, he was a model of virtue and restraint. To keep this image of himself and his family alive, the women also ought to act properly and behave decently in accordance with the examples set by virtuous women in ages past such as Lucretia (who was raped by King Tarquin’s son and later committed suicide to avoid bringing shame to her family). So set in motion another of Augustus‘ masterpiece propaganda where his female relatives were to set a domestic example to the nation through their prowess in performing the various household tasks such as loom and needle works. This naturally catapulted women into the forefront of politics, with Livia being in the limelight. She was so influential that she even received guests and held parties of her own. Nonetheless, her marriage with Augustus was childless, a single fatal weakness which would drive Augustus to pay much attention to his only daughter’s offspring as his potential successors.

Claudius Marcellus, Augustus' nephew and Julia's
first husband

Julia’s first husband was her cousin, Marcellus, the son of Augustus’ sister, Octavia (whose second husband was Mark Antony, a triumvir). Their marriage lasted for two years from 25 BC till 23 BC when Marcellus died suddenly of a mysterious illness. Some speculated foul play by Livia who was thought to have poisoned Marcellus who was seriously considered by Augustus as a potential successor. Livia indeed had two biological sons (the future Emperor Tiberius, and Drusus) from her previous marriage, and Roman mothers were known to nurse ambitions for their offspring. Whether the poison charge is true remains unknown, but some historians remain skeptical. Whatever the truth, the fact is that Julia now found herself widowed at the age of 16.

Augustus was now forced to rethink his plan, his potential heir having perished and his daughter widowed. His next choice of son-in-law was his most trusted friend and greatest general, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who gladly divorced Marcellus’ sister, Claudia Marcella, to marry Julia. The marriage proved to be fertile, and with the next few years, Augustus found his choice of potential heirs considerably widened. It seemed now that Augustus would have settled on Julia and Agrippa as the guardians of his dynastic legacy. Their union produced five offspring; three boys and two girls. However, Augustus’ plan was once again cruelly thwarted when two of Julia’s older sons died while on campaign, while third son was considered rather unfit to rule. How cruel and funny indeed Fortune could be!

In the next blog, we will see how Augustus will be forced to replan his dynastic ambitions, as well as discovering a shocking scandal which will forever affect Julia’s fate and create a far-reaching repercussion for the descendants of the Imperial family over the next few decades.

To be continued in the next blog