Galeria Fundana
Galeria Fundana (c. 40 – aft. 69) was a Roman empress of the 1st century CE, the second wife of Roman emperor Vitellius.
| Galeria Fundana | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Galeria Fundana from Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum]]. | |||||
| Empress of the Roman Empire | |||||
| Reign | 69 | ||||
| Predecessor | Statilia Messalina | ||||
| Successor | Domitia Longina | ||||
| Spouse | Emperor Vitellius | ||||
| Issue |
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Life
Suetonius tells us that Galeria was the daughter of an ex-praetor, and bore two children during her marriage, a son and a daughter.[1][2] Gwyn Morgan adds that she was related to Publius Galerius Trachalus, "Otho's alleged speechwriter".[3]
Tacitus, who writes unfavourably about Vitellius, claims that Galeria was a woman of "exemplary virtue" who "took no part in [Vitellius's] horrors."[4] Tactius specifically notes she protected Galerius Trachalus from her husband when he purged the supporters of his defeated rival Otho.[5]
Her son Vitellius, renamed Germanicus by his father in 69, was killed after supporters of Vespasian took control of Rome, together with Vitellius himself. Galeria's life was spared and she was allowed to bury her husband. Her daughter, Vitellia married twice: Decimus Valerius Asiaticus was her first husband, and after his death in 69 AD she was helped by a generous Vespasian to make a good marriage to an unnamed man.[6]
References
- Life of Vitellius chapter 6
- Vitellius, livius.org.
- Morgan, 69 A.D., the Year of Four Emperors (Oxford: University Press, 2006), p. 77
- Tacitus, Histories, II.64
- Tacitus, Histories, II.60
- John Xiphilinus, Epitome Historiarum Dionis Cassii, 201-202
| Royal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Statilia Messalina |
Empress of Rome 69 |
Succeeded by Domitia Longina |