Prisca (died 315) was the Empress of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

(286–305) and wife of Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

. Nothing is known of her family background. According to the Latin writer

Lactantius Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (c. 250 – c. 325) was an early Christian author who became an advisor to Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his Christian religious policy in its initial stages of emergence, and a tutor to his son Cr ...

, Prisca and her daughter Valeria were "forced to be polluted" by sacrificing to the Roman gods during the Great Persecution of 303. Lactantius is, perhaps, implying that Prisca and Valeria were Christian or favorably disposed to Christianity.Roman Emperors – DIR Diocletian
/ref> When Diocletian retired to

Spalatum )'' , settlement_type = City , anthem = '' Marjane, Marjane'' , image_skyline = , imagesize = 267px , image_caption = Top: Nighttime view of Split from Mosor; 2nd row: Cathedra ...

in 305, Prisca stayed with her daughter,

Galeria Valeria Galeria Valeria (died 315) was the daughter of Roman Emperor Diocletian and wife of his co-emperor Galerius. Biography Born as Valeria to Diocletian and Prisca, she married Galerius in 293, when her father elevated him to the position of Caesar ...

and son-in-law,

Galerius Gaius Galerius Valerius Maximianus (; 258 – May 311) was Roman emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sasanian Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the D ...

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. When Galerius died in 311,

Licinius Valerius Licinianus Licinius (c. 265 – 325) was Roman emperor from 308 to 324. For most of his reign he was the colleague and rival of Constantine I, with whom he co-authored the Edict of Milan, AD 313, that granted official toleration to C ...

was entrusted with the care of Prisca and her daughter Valeria. The two women, however, fled from Licinius to

Maximinus Daia Galerius Valerius Maximinus, born as Daza (20 November 270 – July 313), was Roman emperor from 310 to 313 CE. He became embroiled in the Civil wars of the Tetrarchy between rival claimants for control of the empire, in which he was defeated ...

. After a short time, Valeria refused the marriage proposal of Maximinus, who arrested and confined her in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and confiscated her properties. At the death of Maximinus, Licinius had Prisca and her daughter killed.

References

3rd-century Roman empresses 4th-century Roman empresses People executed by the Roman Empire Executed Roman empresses Year of birth unknown 315 deaths Diocletian 247 births {{europe-royal-stub

See also

References