Faustus Cornelius Sulla Felix (22 – 62 AD) was one of the lesser known figures of the

Julio-Claudian dynasty , native_name_lang=Latin, coat of arms=Great_Cameo_of_France-removebg.png, image_size=260px, caption= The Great Cameo of France depicting emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius and Nero, type= Ancient Roman dynasty, country= Roman Empire, estates=* ...

of Ancient Rome.

Life

Felix was the son of

Domitia Lepida the Younger Domitia Lepida (c. 5 BC – AD 54) was a Roman aristocrat, related to the imperial family. She was mother of Valeria Messalina, wife of the Emperor Claudius. Lepida was a beautiful and influential figure. Like her sister, she was also very wealth ...

and the suffect consul of 31,

Faustus Cornelius Sulla Lucullus Faustus Cornelius Sulla was a Roman senator who lived during the reign of the emperor Tiberius. He was suffect consul in AD 31 with Sextus Tedius Valerius Catullus as his colleague. Faustus was the son of Sulla Felix, a member of the Arval Brethren ...

, a descendant of the Dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. His maternal grandparents were Antonia Major and Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. His maternal grandmother Antonia Major was a niece of the emperor Augustus and his mother, Domitia Lepida, was a great-niece of Augustus, being a granddaughter of Augustus’ sister Octavia the Younger and the triumvir Mark Antony. Felix was a maternal younger half-brother of the empress Valeria Messalina. In 47 the emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

, who was his mother's cousin, arranged for Felix to marry his daughter, Claudia Antonia. Antonia bore Felix a son, who was reportedly frail and died before his second birthday. The boy's first birthday was celebrated privately. Felix's attachment to the imperial family brought him an early consulship in 52. In 55, the year after the accession of the emperor Nero, the imperial freedman Pallas and the

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 ...

Sextus Afranius Burrus Sextus Afranius Burrus (born AD 1 in Vasio, Gallia Narbonensis; = ILS 1321. English translation died AD 62) was a prefect of the Praetorian Guard and was, together with Seneca the Younger, an advisor to the Roman emperor Nero, making him a ...

were accused of conspiring to have Felix declared emperor. The conspirators were put on trial, but Felix does not appear to have been implicated. Nero, however, began to watch his brother-in-law closely, afraid of his connection to the imperial family. In 58 another imperial freedman falsely accused Felix of plotting to attack Nero, possibly at the latter's instigation. Nero treated Felix as proven guilty, had him exiled in 59 and confined to Massilia (modern Marseille, France). Finally in 62, the palace guardsman Tigellinus sent assassins to kill Felix. Felix was murdered at dinner, five days after Tigellinus gave his orders, and his head transported to the palace. At times, Nero would tease his head, due to his baldness and greyness of his hair. The historian Tacitus described Felix's character as "timid and despicable" and also stated that Felix was incapable of plotting against Nero. Now a widow, Claudia Antonia was sought as a wife by Nero, after the death of his second wife, the Empress Poppaea Sabina. When Claudia Antonia refused, Nero had her charged with attempted rebellion and executed her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix, Faustus Cornelius Sulla 22 births 62 deaths Cornelius Sulla Felix Cornelius Sulla Felix Cornelii Sullae Sulla Felix Roman patricians