Claudia (born 57 BC/56 BC) was the daughter of

Fulvia Fulvia (; c. 83 BC – 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gai ...

by her first husband

Publius Clodius Pulcher Publius Clodius Pulcher (93–52 BC) was a populist Roman politician and street agitator during the time of the First Triumvirate. One of the most colourful personalities of his era, Clodius was descended from the aristocratic Claudia gens, one ...

. She was the stepdaughter of

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

and half-sister of his sons Marcus Antonius Antyllus and Iullus Antonius.

Biography

She had one full sibling from her parents;

, and three half-brothers from her mother Fulvia; Gaius Scribonius Curio, Marcus Antonius Antyllus and Iullus Antonius.

was her mother's third husband. As Clodius had done previously, Antony was happy to accept Fulvia's money to boost his career. Following

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...

's assassination in 44 BC, Antony formed the second triumvirate with

Octavian Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

and Lepidus and embarked on a savage proscription. To solidify the political alliance, Fulvia offered Claudia to young Octavian as wife, while Lepidus offered his wife's niece Servilia (daughter of Junia Prima and

Publius Servilius Isauricus Publius Servilius Isauricus was a Roman senator who served as consul in 48 BC together with Julius Caesar. He is generally regarded as a puppet of Caesar, having a long friendship with the Dictator. Biography Early life He was the son of Publius S ...

). Subsequently, Octavian chose Claudia. Not much is known about their marriage and little information survives about Claudia. These actions caused political and social unrest, but when Octavian asked for a divorce from Claudia, Fulvia herself decided to take action. Together with Lucius Antonius, her brother-in-law, she raised eight legions in Italy to fight for Antonius' rights against Octavian, in what became the Perusine War. The army occupied Rome for a short time, but eventually retreated to

Perusia The ancient Perusia, now Perugia, first appears in history as one of the 12 confederate cities of Etruria. It is first mentioned in the account of the war of 310 or 309 BC between the Etruscans and the Romans. It took, however, an important p ...

(modern

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part ...

). Octavian besieged Fulvia and Lucius Antonius in the winter of 41-40 BC, starving them into surrender. Fulvia was exiled to Sicyon, where she died of a sudden illness. Octavian divorced Claudia to marry Scribonia, with whom he would have his only child,

Julia the Elder Julia the Elder (30 October 39 BC – AD 14), known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia (Classical Latin: IVLIA•CAESARIS•FILIA or IVLIA•AVGVSTI•FILIA), was the daughter and only biological child of August ...

. His marriage with Claudia was never consummated and when he divorced her, he stated that she was still a virgin. It is unknown what became of Claudia after her divorce from Octavian. A theory is that she may have married a Gnaeus Lartius and become the maternal grandmother of Publius Plautius Pulcher and his siblings Plautia Urgulanilla, Marcus Plautius Silvanus and Aulus Plautius Urgulanius.

References

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Biography

See also

References

Further reading