Junia, called Junia Secunda by modern historians to distinguish her from her sisters, was an ancient Roman woman who lived in the 1st century BC. She was married to the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.

Biography

Early life

Junia Secunda was daughter of Servilia (who was the half-sister of

Cato the Younger Marcus Porcius Cato "Uticensis" ("of Utica"; ; 95 BC – April 46 BC), also known as Cato the Younger ( la, Cato Minor), was an influential conservative Roman senator during the late Republic. His conservative principles were focused on the ...

and mistress of Julius Caesar) and Decimus Junius Silanus. She was the half-sister of

Marcus Junius Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Ser ...

through her mother and full sister of Marcus Junius Silanus, Junia Prima and

Junia Tertia Junia Tertia, also called Tertulla, (c. 75 BC – 22 AD) was the third daughter of Servilia and her second husband Decimus Junius Silanus, and later the wife of Gaius Cassius Longinus. Biography Early life Through her mother she was the younger ...

Marriage

She married Lepidus, who later became a member of the

Second Triumvirate The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created for Mark Antony, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Octavian to give them practically absolute power. It was formally constituted by law on 27 November 43 BC with ...

, alongside

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the ...

and Octavian (later

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 ...

). Unlike his fellow triumvirs, Lepidus remained married to the same woman throughout his life, and seems to have been devoted to Junia. In his speeches,

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the est ...

praised Junia as the ideal wife.Smith, William, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Volume 2'', Little and Brown, 1846, p. 657. In a private letter to Atticus, however, Cicero claimed that Junia was unfaithful to Lepidus, on the grounds that her portrait was seen among the chattels of a debauchee called Publius Vedius (possibly Publius Vedius Pollio), and expresses surprise that her husband and brother took no notice of her conduct. However some have argued that it was Junia Prima, rather than Junia Secunda, who had the affair with Vedius.

Plot against Octavian

After her husband was forced from power by Octavian, Junia lost much of her status. After the

battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, ne ...

she became part of a plot to kill Octavian, formed by her son Lepidus the Younger. However it was foiled by

Gaius Maecenas Gaius Cilnius Maecenas ( – 8 BC) was a friend and political advisor to Octavian (who later reigned as emperor Augustus). He was also an important patron for the new generation of Augustan poets, including both Horace and Virgil. During the re ...

. Her son was executed after being sent to Octavian, who was still in the east at the time. She was summoned to follow him to appear before Octavian. Her husband had to plead with his former enemy Lucius Saenius Balbinus to grant her bail so that she could remain with him until Octavian returned.Weigel, Richard D. (1992), ''Lepidus: The Tarnished Triumvir'', p. 97.

Family

References

{{Authority control 1st-century BC Roman women 1st-century BC Romans Children of Servilia (mother of Brutus) Family of Marcus Junius Brutus Secunda