(; plural ''Augustae''; el, αὐγούστα) was a
Roman imperial honorific title given to
empresses and honoured women of the imperial families. It was the
feminine 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 Pr ...
''. 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 acco ...
s.
Wife of
Claudius,
Agrippina
Agrippina is an ancient Roman cognomen and a feminine given name. People with either the cognomen or the given name include:
Cognomen
Relatives of the Roman general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa:
* Vipsania Agrippina (36 BC–20 AD), first wife of the ...
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 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. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...
, 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
*
List of Roman and Byzantine empresses
*
Augustus (title)
*
List of Christian women of the patristic age
References
Citations
Sources
*
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External links
{{Commons category, Augustae
*
Augustae
Byzantine Empire-related lists