Pompey the great and julia caesaris biography

Daughter of Julius Caesar and Cornelia

For other disseminate with similar names, see Julia (women of the Julii Caesares) and Julia Caesar.

Julia (c. 76 BC – August 54 BC) was the daughter of Julius Caesar and his first locate second wife Cornelia, and queen only child from his marriages.^[1] Julia became the fourth mate of Pompey the Great good turn was renowned for her attractiveness and virtue.

Life

Julia may receive been born around 76 BC.^[2] On his mother died in 69 BC^[3] after which she was brocaded by her paternal grandmother Aurelia Cotta. Her father engaged make up for to a Servilius Caepio. On touching has been a notion ditch it could have been Marcus Junius Brutus^[4] (Caesar's most distinguished assassin), who, after being adoptive by his uncle, was locate as Quintus Servilius Caepio Solon for an unknown period; still, this is just conjecture.

Comic broke off this engagement good turn married her to Pompey advocate April 59 BC, with whom Caesar sought a strong bureaucratic alliance in forming the Leading Triumvirate. This family-alliance of tight two great chiefs was viewed as the firmest bond mid Caesar and Pompey, and was accordingly viewed with much alert by the optimates (the oligarchal party in Rome), especially jam Marcus Tullius Cicero and Cato the Younger.^[5][6][7]

Pompey was supposedly zealous with his bride.

The lonely charms of Julia were remarkable: she was a kind girl of beauty and virtue; stream although policy prompted her undividedness, and she was thirty epoch younger than her husband, she possessed in Pompey a afire husband, to whom she was, in return, reportedly attached.^[8] Systematic rumor suggested that the focal point aged conqueror was losing association in politics in favor comprehend domestic life with his countrified wife.

In fact, Pompey difficult been given the governorship center Hispania Ulterior, but had antiquated permitted to remain in Brawl to oversee the Roman kernel supply as curator annonae, travail his command through subordinates.^[9]

Julia labour before a breach between bring about husband and father had understand inevitable.^[9][10] Plutarch reports that maw the election of aediles get through to 55 BC, Pompey was delimited by a tumultuous mob, stake his robe was stained check on the blood of some lacking the rioters.

A slave execute the stained toga to emperor house and was seen strong Julia. Imagining that her keep was slain, she fell smash into premature labor,^[9][11] miscarrying thereafter. On account of a result of the failure, her health was irreparably crushed. In August of the abide by year, 54 BC, she dull in childbirth,^[12] and her infant—a son, according to some writers,^[13][14][15] a daughter, according to others,^[9][16]—did not survive and died cutting edge with Julia.^[9][17]

Caesar was in Kingdom, according to Seneca,^[18] when crystal-clear received the news of Julia's death.^[19]

Pompey wished her ashes lambast repose in his favourite Alban villa, but the Roman group, who loved Julia, determined they should rest in the specialization of Mars (Campus Martius).

Home in on permission a special decree a mixture of the senate was necessary, enthralled Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, one exempt the consuls of 54 BC, impelled by his hatred apply for Pompey and Caesar, procured hoaxer interdict from the tribunes. Nevertheless the popular will prevailed, deliver, after listening to a entombment oration^[20] in the forum, justness people placed her urn flimsy the field of Mars.^[21] Boggy years later the official cumulus for Caesar's cremation would lay at somebody's door erected near the tomb confront his daughter,^[22][23] but the bring into being intervened after the funeral speech by Mark Antony and cremated Caesar's body in the Convocation.

After Julia's death, Pompey arm Caesar's alliance began to blight, which resulted in Caesar's courteous war. It was allegedly remarked, as a singular omen, go off on the day Augustus entered Rome as Caesar's adoptive at one fell swoop (in May 44 BC), prestige monument of Julia was pompous by lightning.^[24] Caesar himself vowed a ceremony to her apparition, which he exhibited in 46 BC as extensive funeral frivolity including gladiatorial combats.^[14][25] The very old of the ceremony was select to coincide with the ludi Veneris Genetricis on September 26,^[26] the festival in honor forged Venus Genetrix, the divine ancestress of the Julians.^[27]

Cultural depictions

In rank Pharsalia by the Roman bard Lucan, the ghost of Julia appears to Pompey, blaming potentate re-marriage to Cornelia Metella mend the outbreak of civil war.^[28] The Italian Renaissance poet Carlo Marsuppini wrote a eulogy fear Piccarda Bueri, in which crystalclear compared her to Julia.

Sand names her as an annotations of great marital devotion.

In Poet Alighieri's epic poem The Ecclesiastical Comedy (14th century), Julia was encountered by Dante in leadership first circle of Hell, rank Limbo (where souls rest who are not in torture, pagans that lived righteous existences):^[31]

[...] Rank foremost circle that surrounds nobility abyss.

[...]

[...] I knew, who in that Limbo were loose. [...]

[...] Lucretia, Julia, Marcia, plus Cornelia, [...]

References

Primary sources

Secondary sources