Manlia Scantilla (''

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

'' 193) was a Roman woman who lived in the second century. She was very briefly Roman Empress as wife to the Roman Emperor

Didius Julianus Marcus Didius Julianus (; 29 January 133 or 137 – 2 June 193) was Roman emperor for nine weeks from March to June 193, during the Year of the Five Emperors. Julianus had a promising political career, governing several provinces, including Da ...

. Her name indicates that she was born into the ''

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (plural: ''stirpes''). The ''gen ...

Manlia'', which if correct, indicates an illustrious patrician ancestry. Manlia Scantilla married the general

before his succession. Around 153, she bore Julianus a daughter and only child,

Didia Clara Didia Clara was a daughter and the only recorded child to the Roman Emperor Didius Julianus and Empress Manlia Scantilla. She was born and raised in Rome. Little is known about her personality or life. After Didius Julianus purchased the throne ...

, who was known for her beauty. Her husband became emperor on 28 March 193 (known as "

Year of the Five Emperors The Year of the Five Emperors was AD 193, in which five men claimed the title of Roman emperor: Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus, and Septimius Severus. This year started a period of civil war when multiple rulers vi ...

"). On that day, Scantilla and her daughter were awarded the title of '' Augusta'' by a decree of the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

. Scantilla enjoyed her title and status for less than three months because Julianus was killed on 1 June 193. The new emperor,

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succ ...

, removed her status and title as Augusta, but gave Scantilla and her daughter the former emperor's body for burial. The two women buried Julianus in a tomb alongside his great-grandfather, outside of Rome. Within a month of Severus' accession to the throne, Scantilla died in obscurity. The fate of Didia Clara is unknown.

References

Forum Ancient Coins – Manlia Scantilla
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scantilla, Manlia 193 deaths Manlii 2nd-century Roman empresses Year of birth unknown Augustae