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 status, claiming descent from the Roman king Ancus Marcius. 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

. 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. Furnilla's paternal grandfather was

, 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 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 unti ...

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 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 Pr ...

- 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