Messalina
| Valeria Messalina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Roman empress | |
| Tenure | 24 January 41 – 48 |
| Born | 25 January AD 17 or 20 Rome, Italy |
| Died | 48 (aged 28 or 31) Gardens of Lucullus, Rome, Italy |
| Spouse | Claudius |
| Issue | Claudia Octavia Britannicus |
| Father | Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus |
| Mother | Domitia Lepida |
Valeria Messalina (la; c. 17/20–48) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. She was a powerful and influential woman known for promiscuity, she allegedly conspired against her husband and was executed on the discovery of the plot.
Early life
[change | change source]Little is known about Messalina's life before her marriage in 38 to her cousin Claudius, who was then about 47 years old. They had two children: a daughter Claudia Octavia (born 39 or 40), a future empress, stepsister, and first wife to the emperor Nero; and a son, Britannicus. When the Emperor Caligula was murdered in 41, the Praetorian Guard made Claudius the new emperor and Messalina became empress.
Notes
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