Isita's Senior Project
Leading Ladies
The Esteemed Subjects of My Research and Art
Each of my empresses has their own unique story and contribution to Roman History. Before exploring how they look, I first wished to understand them as people and appreciate their lives.
Julia Domna
The 21st Empress of Rome
Julia Domna was the daughter of a Syrian priest family that was extremely rich. Allegedly, she had a horoscope that told her she would marry a king. When that knowledge reached Emperor Septimius Severus, he decided to marry her. Julia Domna was an extremely powerful empress who was often seen as a “Mother of the [Army] Camps”, and generally supported artisans and intellectuals in her court. She was extremely well-read and politically savvy. When her husband was off on military campaigns, she would handle the empire. However, when her two sons Caracalla and Geta inherited their empire from their dead father, things started to go wrong. Caracalla assasinated Geta for full power, and soon enough he was killed as well. Julia Domna could not bear the loss of power that would come from no longer being mother of the emperor and starved herself to death.
Livia Drusilla
The 1st Empress of Rome
Livia Drusilla was a traditional Roman woman, born in the city of Rome itself. She had already married once before meeting Augustus, and was actually Augustus’ third wife. She was well-respected by the court and considered a paragon of Roman female excellence. She kept a somewhat low profile compared to her husband, acting as an advisor and remaining loyal to him even when he was unfaithful. However, she also had a goal of making sure that one of her sons would be emperor. And eventually, Tiberius, her son by Augustus, did become the next emperor of Rome. However, Tiberius exiled his mother after he grew tired of her trying to control the empire with him. She would die in 29 CE of unknown causes.
Agrippina Minor
The 4th Empress of Rome
Agrippina Minor was an extremely powerful, but notorious, woman. When Agrippina was but a young girl, her parents and two eldest brothers were killed by Emperor Tiberius for political security. She was married off to a rich, well-ranked man and put aside. However, Emperor Tiberius decided to adopt her brother, Caligula, after learning that Sejanus, the head of the Praetorian Guard who told the emperor to kill the family, committed treason. Eventually, Caligula would become emperor and as the emperor’s sister, she enjoyed great power. There was however rumor that she and her other sisters routinely committed incest with her brother. Eventually, and I will gloss over some of the more unsavory details, she married her uncle Emperor Claudius and had the future emperor Nero. When Claudius died and Nero was not yet of age to be emperor, Agrippina became empress. This was absolutely unprecedented and she had more power than any woman before. However, eventually, Nero began to resent her and she was murdered by his guards in 59 CE.