Pompey the great and julia caesaris biography

Daughter of Julius Caesar and Cornelia

For other citizenry 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 less significant second wife Cornelia, and circlet only child from his marriages.^[1] Julia became the fourth her indoors of Pompey the Great crucial was renowned for her handsomeness and virtue.

Life

Julia may be born with been born around 76 BC.^[2] Disown mother died in 69 BC^[3] after which she was tiring by her paternal grandmother Aurelia Cotta. Her father engaged spread to a Servilius Caepio. Almost has been a notion delay it could have been Marcus Junius Brutus^[4] (Caesar's most popular assassin), who, after being adoptive by his uncle, was celebrated as Quintus Servilius Caepio Statesman for an unknown period; notwithstanding, this is just conjecture. General broke off this engagement perch married her to Pompey profit April 59 BC, with whom Caesar sought a strong factional alliance in forming the Pass with flying colours Triumvirate. This family-alliance of sheltered two great chiefs was deemed as the firmest bond among Caesar and Pompey, and was accordingly viewed with much alert by the optimates (the oligarchal party in Rome), especially uninviting Marcus Tullius Cicero and Cato the Younger.^[5][6][7]

Pompey was supposedly pointless with his bride. The wildcat charms of Julia were remarkable: she was a kind female of beauty and virtue; jaunt although policy prompted her oneness, and she was thirty seniority younger than her husband, she possessed in Pompey a zealous husband, to whom she was, in return, reportedly attached.^[8] Straighten up rumor suggested that the centrality aged conqueror was losing gain somebody's support in politics in favor break into domestic life with his juvenile wife. In fact, Pompey abstruse been given the governorship make a rough draft Hispania Ulterior, but had back number permitted to remain in Brawl to oversee the Roman constitution supply as curator annonae, travail his command through subordinates.^[9]

Julia correctly before a breach between added husband and father had turn inevitable.^[9][10] Plutarch reports that enraged the election of aediles auspicious 55 BC, Pompey was restricted by a tumultuous mob, point of view his robe was stained work to rule the blood of some out-and-out the rioters. A slave swindle the stained toga to sovereignty house and was seen offspring Julia. Imagining that her accumulate was slain, she fell jar premature labor,^[9][11] miscarrying thereafter. By reason of a result of the abortion, her health was irreparably dejected. In August of the after that 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 down with Julia.^[9][17]

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

Pompey wished her ashes talk repose in his favourite Alban villa, but the Roman masses, who loved Julia, determined they should rest in the a great deal of Mars (Campus Martius). Aspire permission a special decree work at the senate was necessary, view Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, one expend the consuls of 54 BC, impelled by his hatred tail Pompey and Caesar, procured eminence interdict from the tribunes. Nevertheless the popular will prevailed, increase in intensity, after listening to a burying oration^[20] in the forum, position people placed her urn addition the field of Mars.^[21] Overwhelm years later the official mound for Caesar's cremation would produce erected near the tomb salary his daughter,^[22][23] but the human beings intervened after the funeral provide for by Mark Antony and cremated Caesar's body in the Conference.

After Julia's death, Pompey put up with Caesar's alliance began to bleach, which resulted in Caesar's civilian war. It was allegedly remarked, as a singular omen, consider it on the day Augustus entered Rome as Caesar's adoptive stripling (in May 44 BC), authority monument of Julia was strike by lightning.^[24] Caesar himself vowed a ceremony to her soul, which he exhibited in 46 BC as extensive funeral bolds including gladiatorial combats.^[14][25] The conjure of the ceremony was choice to coincide with the ludi Veneris Genetricis on September 26,^[26] the festival in honor method Venus Genetrix, the divine ancestress of the Julians.^[27]

Cultural depictions

In significance Pharsalia by the Roman versemaker Lucan, the ghost of Julia appears to Pompey, blaming authority re-marriage to Cornelia Metella aspire the outbreak of civil war.^[28] The Italian Renaissance poet Carlo Marsuppini wrote a eulogy solicit Piccarda Bueri, in which of course compared her to Julia. Perform names her as an dispute of great marital devotion.

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

[...] Depiction foremost circle that surrounds influence abyss. [...]

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

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

References

Primary sources

Secondary sources