Domina: The Women Who Made Imperial Rome

by Guy de la Bédoyère

Overview

A captivating popular history that shines a light on the notorious Julio-Claudian women who forged an empire​

Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—these are the names history associates with the early Roman Empire. Yet, not a single one of these emperors was the blood son of his predecessor. In this captivating history, a prominent scholar of the era documents the Julio-Claudian women whose bloodline, ambition, and ruthlessness made it possible for the emperors’ line to continue.
 
Eminent scholar Guy de la Bédoyère, author of Praetorian, asserts that the women behind the scenes—including Livia, Octavia, and the elder and younger Agrippina—were the true backbone of the dynasty. De la Bédoyère draws on the accounts of ancient Roman historians to revisit a familiar time from a completely fresh vantage point. Anyone who enjoys I, Claudius will be fascinated by this study of dynastic power and gender interplay in ancient Rome.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300254846
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	09/14/2021
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x (d)

About the Author

Guy de la Bédoyère is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and well known for his many books on the Roman world, including The Real Lives of Roman Britain and Praetorian.
 

Table of Contents

List of Plates and Maps viii

Foreword x

Introduction 1

1 Virtue, Honour and Chastity 17

2 Age of the Imperators: Cleopatra, Fulvia and Livia 44-31 BC 39

3 Women in the Augustan State: 31 BC-AD 14 58

4 Forging the Future: Livia, Octavia and Julia 27 BC-AD 14 78

5 The Dowager Empress and Matriarch: Livia 14-29 115

6 Impatient for Equality: Agrippina the Elder 29-41 156

7 Self-Destruction: Messalina 4l-8 174

8 The Reign of Agrippina the Younger: Part 1 49-54 204

9 The Reign of Agrippina the Younger: Part 2 54-9 226

10 Murder: Agrippina, Claudia Octavia and Poppaea 59-68 245

11 Epilogue: The Severan and Other Empresses 271

Appendix 1 Key Dates 299

Appendix 2 Family Trees 304

Appendix 3 Key Female Personalities 311

Glossary 318

Notes 325

Select Bibliography 363

Index of Women 369

Index of Emperors 372

General Index 373

Editorial Reviews

A vital contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the lives of imperial women. Domina presents a nuanced assessment of the various forms of power and agency which women could wield and the ways in which Roman historians drew on gender ideologies both to praise and censure them. Fascinating.”—Katherine J. Lewis, author of Kingship and Masculinity in Late Medieval England

Katherine J. Lewis

An illuminating and highly readable narrative about the role of women at the centre of imperial Rome – fascinating and important.”—Lesley Adkins, author of Handbook to Life In Ancient Rome

Lesley Adkins

In contrast to most histories of Rome which focus almost entirely on the exploits of its male emperors, Domina examines the women who partnered them in power, from the perfect Roman wives Livia and Octavia to Cleopatra, Agrippina the Younger and the trio of Severan Julias who all stepped far beyond tradition to dominate the Roman world.”—Joann Fletcher, The Story of Egypt

Joann Fletcher

B. has been successful in writing a narrative history with the emphasis on Julio-
Claudian emperors being sought through the female line owing to the failure of
the male line and, with reference to its title, these women certainly shaped the early
imperial period.”—Trudie E. Fraser, Gnomon

“An illuminating and highly readable narrative about the role of women at the centre of imperial Rome – fascinating and important.”—Lesley Adkins, author of Handbook to Life In Ancient Rome

“In contrast to most histories of Rome which focus almost entirely on the exploits of its male emperors, Domina examines the women who partnered them in power, from the perfect Roman wives Livia and Octavia to Cleopatra, Agrippina the Younger and the trio of Severan Julias who all stepped far beyond tradition to dominate the Roman world.”—Joann Fletcher, The Story of Egypt

“Enjoyable, fluently written and well-balanced in approach. De la Bédoyère leaves no stone unturned by way of evidence, which he carefully evaluates with regard to its context and reliability.”—Pat Southern, author of The Roman Army

“A vital contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the lives of imperial women. Domina presents a nuanced assessment of the various forms of power and agency which women could wield and the ways in which Roman historians drew on gender ideologies both to praise and censure them. Fascinating.”—Katherine J. Lewis, author of Kingship and Masculinity in Late Medieval England

From the Publisher

Enjoyable, fluently written and well-balanced in approach. De la Bédoyère leaves no stone unturned by way of evidence, which he carefully evaluates with regard to its context and reliability.”—Pat Southern, author of The Roman Army

Pat Southern