Marcia (also Marzia or Martia; born 80 BC) was the second wife of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis (Cato the Younger) and the daughter of Lucius Marcius Philippus.

Biography

Early life

Marcia is believed to have been born around 80 BC to Lucius Marcius Philippus and his first wife. She had two brothers named Lucius Marcius Philippus and Quintus Marcius Philippus.Sumner, "Lex Annalis", pp. 252–254. When her father married Atia, she became the step-sister of Octavia Minor and Gaius Octavius Thurinus (the future emperor

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

Marriages and children

After Cato divorced his first wife Atilia because of rumors about her infidelity, in 63 BC, he married Marcia whom

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

described as "a woman of excellent reputation, about whom there was the most abundant talk". Marcia and Cato had two or three children; however, there is controversy about whether or not she was pregnant with this third child at the time of her second marriage to Hortensius. There is no indication that their marriage was unhappy: Plutarch relates that Marcia was concerned for Cato's safety, and

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; ; ; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who prospered during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius. He was born c. 95 in Alexandria. After holding the senior offices in the pr ...

says that Cato was extremely fond of Marcia. Marcia's second marriage, in the year 56 BC, was to the renowned orator and advocate Quintus Hortalus, whom Cicero styled as "king of the courts". Hortensius was an admirer and friend of Cato's, and he was eager to be more closely related to Cato and his family. Hortensius' own wife, the daughter of

Quintus Lutatius Catulus Quintus Lutatius Catulus (149–87 BC) was a Roman consul, consul of the Roman Republic in 102 BC. His consular colleague was Gaius Marius. During their consulship the Cimbri and Teutons, Teutones marched south again and Cimbrian War, threatened ...

, had just died and an alliance with Cato seems to be the chief reason for Hortensius, nearing 60 years old, to request to be married to Cato's daughter Porcia, who was only about 20 years old at the time. However, because Porcia was already married to Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus and the age difference was so great, Cato refused to give his consent. Hortensius immediately suggested that he marry Marcia instead because she had already borne Cato his heirs. Due to Hortensius' ardor, Cato acquiesced, but only on the condition that Marcia's father, Lucius Marcius Philippus, approve as well. With Philippus' consent obtained, Cato divorced Marcia, thereby placing her under her father's charge. Hortensius promptly married Marcia, and they had a son. After Hortensius' death in 50 BC, she inherited "every last sesterce of his estate".''Rome's Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar'' by Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni, pg 225. At the outbreak of

Caesar's Civil War Caesar's civil war (49–45 BC) was a civil war during the late Roman Republic between two factions led by Julius Caesar and Pompey. The main cause of the war was political tensions relating to Caesar's place in the Republic on his expected ret ...

in 49 BC, Marcia and her children moved back into Cato's household.

asserts that Cato remarried Marcia after Hortensius's death, whereas

's histories relate that Cato merely reestablished her in his own household. Either way, this caused a minor scandal, as after Hortensius' death, her return made the household rich.

Effects of the marriage exchange

Many assumptions have been made regarding Cato's character based upon his endorsement of the marriage between Marcia and Hortensius.

said that "as a girl; atowas extremely fond of her, and she had borne him children. Nevertheless, he gave her to Hortensius, one of his friends,— who desired to have children but was married to a childless wife..." Appian's claim is not accurate however, as Hortensius had a son and heir from his marriage with Lutatia. The supposed sacrifice is used by Plutarch and other historians to illustrate Cato's honorability and his willingness to sacrifice a wife he liked in the name of friendship. This positive interpretation of Cato's character is reflected in Lucan's ''

Pharsalia ''De Bello Civili'' (; ''On the Civil War''), more commonly referred to as the ''Pharsalia'' (, neuter plural), is a Latin literature, Roman Epic poetry, epic poem written by the poet Lucan, detailing the Caesar's civil war, civil war between Ju ...

'' and how the Uticans mourned his death.

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

on the other hand accused Cato of wife trafficking and marrying Marcia off to Hortensius simply in order to gain his wealth. "For why," said Caesar, "should Cato give up his wife if he wanted her, or why, if he did not want her, should he take her back again? Unless it was true that the woman was at the first set as a bait for Hortensius, and lent by Cato when she was young that he might take her back when she was rich."

asserts that in the reason Cato took Marcia back in 49 BC was because he was fleeing

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

with

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

as a result of Caesar's approach and needed someone to look after his young daughters and household in his place, which Marcia did.

Cultural depictions

She is the subject of the painting '' Marcia''. In her '' Masters of Rome'' series of novels, Colleen McCullough suggests that Cato gave Marcia to Hortensius simply because he could not reconcile his passion for her with his Stoic ideals, that he never let her go emotionally, and that he took her back at the first opportunity.

References

Citations

Sources

• The Histories of Appian trans. by Horace White: Harvard University Press, 1912 and 1913; the Foreign Wars in Vols. I and II. Book 2, page 411
Appian's ''Roman History''
a
Livius.org
• ''Plutarch and the Family of Cato Minor''. Thomas Means; Sheila K. Dickison
The Classical Journal, Vol. 69, No. 3. (Feb. - Mar., 1974), pp. 210-215
at JSTOR. • ''The Parallel Lives'' by Plutarch published in Vol. VIII of the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1919

at LacusCurtius • ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology''. William Smith (1867). Ancient Library, Vol. 2, pp. 939–940. • ''The Eternal Triangle, First Century B.C.''. Hattie L. Gordon
The Classical Journal, Vol. 28, No. 8. (May, 1933), pp. 574-578
at LacusCurtius • Book II: The Flight of Pompeius in "Pharsalia (aka "The Civil War")"'' by Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus). Medieval and Classical Literature Library

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcia 80s BC births 1st-century BC deaths 1st-century BC Roman women 1st-century BC Romans Marcii Philippi Cato the Younger Family of Augustus