Arrecina Tertulla (died in 62 or 63) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

woman who lived in the 1st century. She was the first wife of

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

and mother of his daughter

Julia Flavia Julia Flavia or Flavia Julia and also nicknamed Julia Titi ( – 91) was the daughter of Roman Emperor Titus and his first wife Arrecina Tertulla. Biography Early life Julia was born in Rome to Titus and Arrecina Tertulla, she was named fo ...

Biography

Early life

Tertulla came from an

Equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

-rank family of obscure origin. Her mother was Julia Ursa and her father was Marcus Arrecinus Clemens, who served as Emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...

in 38 A.D. Tertulla's brother Marcus Arrecinus Clemens also served as a praetorian prefect in 70 under the Emperor

Vespasian Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...

. Her name "Tertulla", is a nickname for the female cognomen ''Tertia''.

Marriage

In 62 Tertulla married Vespasian's first son, the future Emperor

. This marriage could have been arranged by the fathers of Tertulla and Titus, to promote Titus' political and military career, and to provide financial relief from the debt incurred by Vespasian's

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

ship. She bore Titus his first child,

. The marriage did not last long, as Tertulla was either divorced or dead by 63, when Titus married for the second time to

Marcia Furnilla Marcia Furnilla was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century. Furnilla was the second and last wife of the future Roman Emperor Titus as well as the aunt of the future emperor Trajan. Family Marcia Furnilla came from a noble and distingu ...

References

Sources

Suetonius Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (), commonly referred to as Suetonius ( ; c. AD 69 – after AD 122), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies ...

, The Twelve Caesars - Titus * * * {{Authority control 60s deaths 1st-century Roman women Tertulla Flavian dynasty Titus Wives of Roman emperors