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
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 ...
as well as the aunt of the future emperor
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
.
Family
Marcia Furnilla came from a noble and distinguished family. She was from the gens
Marcia who were of
plebeian
In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary.
Etymology
The precise origins of ...
status, claiming descent from the Roman king
Ancus Marcius
Ancus Marcius was the legendary fourth king of Rome, who traditionally reigned 24 years. Upon the death of the previous king, Tullus Hostilius, the Roman Senate appointed an interrex, who in turn called a session of the assembly of the people who ...
. She was a daughter of
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 ...
Quintus Marcius Barea Sura
Quintus Marcius Barea Sura was a Roman Senator of the first century AD.
Life
Sura was the son of the suffect consul Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus; his brother was the suffect consul Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus. He was the father of Marcia Fu ...
and
Antonia Furnilla. Her sister was
Marcia, the mother of
Ulpia Marciana
Ulpia Marciana (August 48 – 112) was the beloved elder sister of Roman Emperor Trajan and grandmother of empress Vibia Sabina the wife of Hadrian. Upon her death her brother had her deified.
Life
She was the eldest child born to Roman woman ...
and of future
Roman Emperor Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
. Her father was a friend to future Roman 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 ...
(who was Titus' father) and her paternal uncle was the senator
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus was a Roman senator who lived in the reign of Nero. He was suffect consul in 52, but later attracted the hatred of Nero, and upon being condemned to death committed suicide. He was associated with a group of Stoics ...
, while her paternal cousin was the noblewoman
Marcia Servilia Sorana
Marcia Servilia or commonly known as Servilia (40s-66) was the daughter of Roman Senator Barea Soranus. Her father was part of the Stoic Opposition who opposed Nero's tyrannical rule. When he was sentenced to death by Nero in 65 or 66, Servilia w ...
. Furnilla's paternal grandfather was
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus was a Roman senator who lived in the reign of Nero. He was suffect consul in 52, but later attracted the hatred of Nero, and upon being condemned to death committed suicide. He was associated with a group of Stoics ...
, who was
Suffect consul in 34 and
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 ' ...
of the
Africa Province
Africa Proconsularis was a Roman province on the northern African coast that was established in 146 BC following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of Algeria, ...
in 41–43, while her maternal grandfather could have been Aulus Antonius Rufus, a Suffect consul in 45.
Life
Marcia Furnilla was 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 ...
. She married Titus, widowed from his first marriage, in 63. The marriage between Titus and Furnilla was an arranged one.
This marriage for Titus was an influential one and promoted his political career.
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 ...
describes Furnilla as a "very well-connected" woman. Furnilla bore Titus a daughter named Flavia, previously assumed to have been
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 ...
, but it is now regarded that Julia's mother was Titus first wife
Arrecina Tertulla
Arrecina Tertulla (died in 62 or 63) was a Roman woman who lived in the 1st century. She was the first wife of Titus and mother of his daughter Julia Flavia.
Biography Early life
Tertulla came from an Equestrian-rank family of obscure origin. Her ...
. Furnilla's daughter likely died young.
Like Titus' first marriage, this one was short. Furnilla's family was connected to the opponents of Roman Emperor
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
and after the failure of the
Pisonian conspiracy
The conspiracy of Gaius Calpurnius Piso in AD 65 was a in the reign of the Roman emperor Nero (reign 54–68). The plot reflected the growing discontent among the ruling class of the Roman state with Nero's increasingly despotic leadership, a ...
in 65, they were disfavored by the Emperor. Titus didn't want to be connected with any potential plotters and ended his marriage to Furnilla, but continued raising their daughter.
The fate of Furnilla afterwards is unknown. After her death, she was placed along with her mother in the
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
of Gaius Sulpicius Platorinus - a magistrate at the time of the first Roman Emperor
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 ...
- and his sister Sulpicia Platorina in Rome.
References
External links
Statue of Marcia Furnilla, see section 6. Flavian Women, statue J.Jstor.orgDcodriscoll.pbworks.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Furnilla, Marcia
1st-century Roman women
Flavian dynasty
Marcii
Titus
Wives of Roman emperors