Claudia 390

vol. III p.2886-2887

390) Claudia

The first wife of Octavian, the later emperor Augustus. She was the daughter of Cicero’s enemy P. Clodius Pulcher from his marriage with Fulvia (Suet. Aug. 62. Plut. Ant. 20). This is probably why Plutarch calls her Κλωδία, although there is no reason to write her name using the form of the name chosen by her father; the name of her brother is also handed down to us in inscriptions (CIL VI 1282) as P. Claudius Pulcher. <50> The correct form of the name is in Suetonius. After the second triumvirate finished, on 27th November 711 = 43 (CIL I² 64), the army demanded that Octavian seal his relationship with Antony by marrying Claudia, since she had become his step-daughter through his marriage to Fulvia (Suet. loc. cit. Plut. loc. cit. Vell. II 65, 2. Dio XLVI 56, 3 = Zonar. X 16. Oros. VI 18, 8). Octavian agreed to this request, which was probably suggested by Antony (Dio loc. cit.), <60> even though he was already engaged to the daughter of P. Servilius Isauricus (Suet. loc. cit. Dio loc. cit.). However, two years later he broke up his marriage with Claudia himself, in 713 = 41, because animosity had arisen between him and his mother-in-law Fulvia, which lead to the outbreak of the Perusine war. Octavian swore on oath that her virginity had not been broken for the whole time (Suet. loc. cit. Dio XLVIII 5, 3 = Zonar. X 21). <page break 2886//2887> Regarding her age, it can be concluded from Suetonius’ words that she had been vixdum nubilis at the time of her marriage that she had been born between 54 and 52, since according to Roman ideas, the marriageable age of girls was 12 years old (cf. Marquardt-Mau Privatleben der Römer I² 29. 127f.) and her father died at the beginning of the year 52. Her later fate is unknown. <10>

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This person is on the following family trees: The patrician branch of the Claudii