(; plural ''Augustae''; el, αὐγούστα) was a
Roman imperial
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
title given to
empresses and honoured women of the imperial families. It was the
feminine
Femininity (also called womanliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with women and girls. Femininity can be understood as socially constructed, and there is also some evidence that some behaviors considered fe ...
form of ''
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
''. In the third century, ''Augustae'' could also receive the titles of ''Mater Senatus'' ("Mother of the Senate") and ''Mater Castrorum'' ("Mother of the Camp") and ''Mater Patriae'' ("Mother of the Fatherland").
The title implied the greatest prestige. ''Augustae'' could issue their own coinage, wear imperial regalia, and rule their own
court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
s.
Wife of
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 ...
,
Agrippina was the first wife of the emperor in Roman history to receive the throne of Augusta, a position she held for the rest of her life, ruling with her husband and son.
In the third century,
Julia Domna
Julia Domna (; – 217 AD) was Roman empress from 193 to 211 as the wife of Emperor Septimius Severus. She was the first empress of the Severan dynasty. Domna was born in Emesa (present-day Homs) in Roman Syria to an Arab family of priests of ...
was the first empress to receive the title combination "''Pia Felix Augusta''" after the death of her husband
Septimius Severus
Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa (Roman province), Africa. As a young man he advanced thro ...
, which may have implied greater powers being vested in her than what was usual for a Roman empress mother and in this innumerable official position and honor, she accompanied his son on an extensive military campaign and provincial tour.
[; .]
Principate period
Julio-Claudian dynasty
Flavian dynasty
Nerva–Antonine dynasty
Year of the Five Emperors
Severan dynasty
Crisis of the Third Century
Dominate period
Tetrarchy
Constantinian dynasty
Valentinianic dynasty
Theodosian dynasty
Leonid dynasty
Byzantine period
Justinian dynasty
Heraclian dynasty
Isaurian dynasty
Nikephorian dynasty
Amorian dynasty
Macedonian dynasty
Komnenid dynasty
Doukid dynasty
Komnenid dynasty
See also
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List of Roman and Byzantine empresses
This is a list of Roman and Byzantine empresses. A Roman empress was a woman who was the wife of a Roman emperor, the ruler of the Roman Empire.
The Romans had no single term for the position: Latin and Greek titles such as '' augusta'' (Greek ...
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Augustus (title)
''Augustus'' (plural ''Augusti''; , ; "majestic", "great" or "venerable") was an ancient Roman title given as both name and title to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (often referred to simply as Augustus), Rome's first Emperor. On his death, it ...
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List of Christian women of the patristic age
This is a list of Christian women in the patristic age who contributed to the development of the early Christian churches and communities. The list is roughly in chronological order of year when they lived or died. The patristic era is considere ...
References
Citations
Sources
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External links
{{Commons category, Augustae
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Augustae
Byzantine Empire-related lists