Annia Cornificia Faustina (122/123between 152 and 158) was the youngest child and only daughter of the

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...

Marcus Annius Verus and Domitia Lucilla. The parents of Cornificia came from wealthy senatorial families who were of consular rank. Her brother was the future Roman emperor

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good ...

, and both were born and raised in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

History

In 124, the father of Cornificia died and she and her brother were raised by their mother and their paternal grandfather, the

Roman Senator The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

Marcus Annius Verus, who died in 138. Relations between her and her brother appeared to be good. Before Cornificia had married, she had settled her paternal inheritance with her brother.

Ronald Syme Sir Ronald Syme, (11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a New Zealand-born historian and classicist. He was regarded as the greatest historian of ancient Rome since Theodor Mommsen and the most brilliant exponent of the history of the Roman ...

identifies her husband as one of the suffect consuls in 146, recorded in the ''Fasti Ostienses'' as Gaius Annianus Verus, but whom he claims had the full name of

Gaius Ummidius Quadratus Annianus Verus Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist * Gaius Acilius * Gaius Antonius * Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius ...

. He was descended from one of the leading aristocratic and politically influential families in Rome and was a direct descendant of the late

Gaius Ummidius Durmius Quadratus Gaius Ummidius Durmius Quadratus (c. 12 BC – c. 60 AD) was a Roman senator of the Principate. He was the first member of the Ummidii to reach the office of consul in his family, or a ''homo novus''. Quadratus is also known for his tenure as gov ...

, one time suffect consul.Syme
"The Ummidii"
''Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte'', 17 (1968), pp. 98f Cornificia bore Annianus Verus two children: *

Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus (138–182) was a Roman Senator and the nephew of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He was involved in an unsuccessful plot to assassinate his cousin the Emperor Commodus, which led to his execution afterwards. Offic ...

Ummidia Cornificia Faustina Ummidia Cornificia Faustina (AD 141–182) was a wealthy Roman noblewoman, an heiress and the niece of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Family Cornificia Faustina was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius’ sister, Annia Cornificia Faustina and a R ...

Sources

* Marcus Aurelius, by Anthony Richard Birley, Routledge, 2000 * From Tiberius to the Antonines: a history of the Roman Empire AD 14–192, by Albino Garzetti, 1974 *

Meditations ''Meditations'' () is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the ''Meditations'' in Koine ...

by Marcus Aurelius *

Augustan History The ''Historia Augusta'' (English: ''Augustan History'') is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman emperors, their junior colleagues, designated heirs and usurpers from 117 to 284. Supposedly modeled on the sim ...

– Marcus Aurelius

References

External links

Statue Bust of Annia Cornificia Faustina from a Portuguese Historical Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornificia Faustina, Annia 120s births 150s births Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 2nd-century Roman women Nerva–Antonine dynasty Cornificia Faustina Annia Faustina 2nd-century Romans