To sweeten the deal, she often had them replaced with someone of her own choice. Messalina’s first swing was to accuse Agrippina of having inappropriate relations with a man named Statilius Taurus. So when Agrippina’s son Nero received more applause from the audience than her own son Britannicus while the families were watching a public event, Messalina erupted with jealousy. Ancient Romans prided themselves on facing the grim reaper with courage, and every execution came with a choice: either let someone end you or take the more “honorable” route and do it yourself. This wasn’t just from a sense of shared sadism; she also wanted to show her little boy how to face threats to his power. Lucius Vitellius, a close confidant of Claudius, Octavia and Antony had two daughters: Domitia Lepida Apocolocyntosis, the satire After Claudius’ death, Nero wanted to secure the throne for himself, which meant getting rid of Britannicus and his pesky claim to the throne. Whatever Empress Messalina wanted, Empress Messalina got. Ehrhardt, C. "Messalina and the Succession to Claudius",  Antichthon enticed him to her bed by asking her husband to order him to do whatever Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the ‘I Claudius’ of Robert Graves’s splendid historical novels, was one of the few historians who has ever exercised real power. Claudius died in 54 AD; possibly he was poisoned on the order of Agrippina, to further the interests of her son Nero. Claudius told the Praetorian Guard to knock him on the head if he ever married again, but within a few months he took as his fourth wife another unscrupulous and seductive beauty much younger than himself, his niece Agrippina, a sister of Caligula. After her double-crossing, the freedman secretaries finally realized that they couldn’t trust her and, more importantly, wouldn’t be spared from her unpredictable wrath. [[5]], An attempted coup against Claudius The Praetorian Guard gave Empress Messalina this same choice, but she faltered at the final hour. Roman Emperor Gaius Caesar, or Caligula, was the great-great grandson of Julius Caesar, ruler of the Roman Empire. Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, The life story of Rita Hayworth is a tragedy of epic proportions. a Suet. Constantly ill and irritatingly clumsy, he had a bad stammer and a permanently runny nose, his head twitched and he dribbled. And the workers at this establishment were those very women of high society. 12.25; 13.15. During her marriage to Claudius, Messalina started getting a dark reputation for sleeping around with everyone but her husband. Joke’s on him: It immortalized her instead. Dorey, T.A. DIR Atlas Valeria Messalina (Wife of Claudius) Donna Hurley Valeria Messalina was the wife to whom Claudius was married at the time when he became emperor. Eventually, instead of just a wedding, they also wanted an imperial funeral. If it’s not clear by now, Messalina was a jealous mess at the best of times. 11.30, 36; 13.11. 144-55. She If we believe the stories, first Messalina goes after her mother’s husband. to be consul in 52. He must have been truly smitten by the girl though, because he promptly divorced his wife for seemingly no other reason than to be with Messalina. She treated him like royalty and even worked to make him into royalty. Union with Claudius Beauty, talent, fame,…, One of the most beloved of Britain’s living national treasures, Stephen Fry’s career is one…, Known best for his work on Saturday Night Live, as well as for his collaboration…, Money can't buy class—and these people prove it. Barzano, A. They were divorced, The Senate also decreed the deification of Claudius, which was needed to bolster Nero’s position as ‘Son of the Deified’. Messalina was part of See Levick, pp. to the imperial family. The man was executed. If this happened, both mother and son would be in a precarious position. own. Yes, that disturbed Caligula who made his horse a Senator, was obsessed with gold, and had “relations” with his three sisters. The Senate quickly followed suit and when Nero delivered the expected eulogy of the dead Emperor, the senators sniggered. was said to have carried Messalina's shoe about with him and kissed it. There must have been many sights to see, but Empress Messalina was involved in one of the wildest and most shocking performances. was out of Rome, an extravagant party celebrated the event. They’re uncomfortable for everyone involved, and we never know quite what…, I, Claudius (1937), London Film Productions, Tragic Facts About Rita Hayworth, Hollywood’s Misunderstood Love Goddess, Quite Interesting Facts About Stephen Fry, The Modern-Day Oscar Wilde, Scandalous Facts About David Spade, The Playboy Comedian, Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous: Wealthy People Behaving Badly, Sultry Facts About Diana Rigg, The Queen Of Sin, My Month With One Direction: A Comprehensive Review Of The Band’s Solo Careers, People Reveal The Moment They Knew Their Friends Were Monsters, These Blind Dates Went From Awkward To Horrific In An Instant. Silanus and Marcus Vinicius was attributed to their refusal to sleep with But there was more to their relationship than met the eye…, When Claudius met the young, nubile Messalina, he was actually already married. was evidently an attempt to lessen any threat that his military power gave Of course, instead of admitting defeat, Messalina tried to get at Agrippina a different way. 29.3, 39.1. about an empress' sexual exploits would have supplied their own momentum,

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