Servilia (wife of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus)

Servilia (sometimes called Servilia Vatia) was an ancient Roman woman who was at one time engaged to Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus). Octavian broke off the betrothal to marry Clodia Pulchra, so instead she married Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Minor, the son of Octavian's fellow triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.

Servilia
Born	Rome
Died	Rome
Known for	Wife of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Minor, fiancée of Octavian
Spouse(s)	Marcus Aemilius Lepidus Minor
Parents	Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus (father) Junia Prima (mother)

Biography

Early life

Servilia was the daughter of Caesarian consul Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus[1] and Junia Prima, the eldest daughter of Servilia Caepionis, a mistress of Julius Caesar and prominent woman of the late republic. This made her the niece of Junia Secunda, Junia Tertia, Marcus Junius Silanus and Marcus Junius Brutus, Caesar's assassin.[2]

Marriage plans

Servilia was engaged to Octavian. This was likely a politically-motivated betrothal, since her father was one of Octavian's supporters and her mother, Junia Prima, was a sister-in-law of the triumvir Lepidus (married to Junia Secunda), thus the marriage would have strengthened Octavian's bonds with the two. Nonetheless, he eventually rejected her and married Clodia Pulchra instead. She went on to marry Lepidus Minor instead. This union was possibly proposed by her mother and Lepidus in an attempt to soothe any ill feelings created by Octavian's rejection.[3]

Death

In 31 BC, her husband led a plot to assassinate Octavian, motivated by the banishment of his father (and possibly the scorning of his wife). He had tried to restore his exiled father to a position of authority but was caught and condemned to death.[3] When her husband was killed, she committed suicide, the method of which is stated in ancient sources to have been swallowing hot coals[4][5] or alternatively drinking to death, possibly due to coal-eating being regarded as too Gothic.[6] Suicide by a widow was considered a great sign of devotion in Rome at the time.[7] It has been propossed that her manner of death might have been misatributed to her cousin-once-removed Porcia historically.[8]

Research

In the past historians sometimes believed that she and Augustus had actually married, but it is widely agreed upon today that they were only ever engaged.[9][10]

It has been proposed that the character of Lavinia in The Aeneid was in part intended to represent Servilia.[11]

Cultural depictions

Servilia appears Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series, first in The October Horse where Octavian promises her father to marry to get him on his side, when this is decided she is still too young to marry so Octavian plans to wait out the engagement until he can find someone he is actually in love with.[12] In In the 2007 novel Antony and Cleopatra by Australian author Colleen McCullough, Servilia is mentioned several times. She is described as a virgin who Octavian has little interest in and knows she will marry Lepidus instead.[13]

See also

• Women in ancient Rome
• Category:Wives of Augustus

References

1. Galinsky, Karl (2012). Augustus: Introduction to the Life of an Emperor. Cambridge University Press. p. 40. ISBN 9780521744423.
2. Corrigan, Kirsty (2015). Brutus: Caesar's Assassin. Pen and Sword. p. 128. ISBN 9781848847767.
3. Weigel, Richard D. (2002). Lepidus: The Tarnished Triumvir. Routledge. p. 96. ISBN 9781134901647.
4. Carter, John Mackenzie (1970). The battle of Actium: the rise & triumph of Augustus Caesar. Turning points in History. University of Michigan: Hamilton. p. 228.
5. Rollin, Charles (1750). The Roman History, from the Foundation of Rome to the Battle of Actium. Translated from the French. R. Reilly.
6. Baldwin, Barry (1989). Roman and Byzantine Papers. London Studies in Classical Philology. 21. University of Michigan: Gieben. p. 527. ISBN 9789050630177.
7. Treggiari, Susan (2019-01-03). Servilia and her Family. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-256465-8.
8. https://books.google.se/books?id=3wJOAAAAcAAJ&pg=PT85&lpg=PT85&dq=%22augustus%22+%22servilia%22&source=bl&ots=zrPi9EhD4r&sig=ACfU3U3Te3rh_Kx6ntxsWiAGSIrDnAfKGw&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiP3pOPk-LnAhUqlYsKHYsFBo4Q6AEwB3oECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22augustus%22%20%22servilia%22&f=false
9. https://books.google.se/books?id=HrUWN58wTEkC&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=%22augustus%22+%22servilia%22&source=bl&ots=hGhh5-esPV&sig=ACfU3U0wmuEcPCnGS_9UsKxVisw0tHEVOA&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiP3pOPk-LnAhUqlYsKHYsFBo4Q6AEwBXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22augustus%22%20%22servilia%22&f=false
10. https://books.google.se/books?id=aZVpAAAAMAAJ&q=%22octavian%22+%22servilia%22+%22wife%22&dq=%22octavian%22+%22servilia%22+%22wife%22&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8qK3-leLnAhUEtosKHQacC2EQ6AEIXzAF
11. Proceedings of the Virgil Society. 10. Indiana University. 1970. p. 42.
12. https://books.google.se/books?id=bnTa22Mk38UC&pg=PT844&lpg=PT844&dq=Servilia+Vatia&source=bl&ots=civ8X307YK&sig=ACfU3U2bExEbQJm0kBiynKpBZbFihqDbtQ&hl=sv&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPiPXsidbmAhXkwcQBHc5bC20Q6AEwBHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=Servilia%20Vatia&f=false
13. McCullough, Colleen (2013-12-03). Antony and Cleopatra. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-6765-9.

Further reading

• L'Hoir, F. Santoro (2018). The Rhetoric of Gender Terms: 'Man', 'Woman', and the Portrayal of Character in Latin Prose. Mnemosyne, Supplements. BRILL. ISBN 9789004329164.