Questioning the Dramatic Story of the Empress Messalina, Was She a Cruel Doxy or the Victim of a Smear Campaign?

In Ancient Rome, Valeria Messalina was a symbol of vanity and immorality. For centuries, people identified her as one of the most demoralized women in history, but how much of what we know about Messalina is true?

Valeria Messalina was born around 20 AD into a family with royal roots. She was a great granddaughter of Mark Anthony and his wife Octavia. Her mother, Domitia Lepida, was their granddaughter. Octavia and Antony had two daughters: Antonia Minor (mother of Claudius) and Antonia Major (mother of Domitia Lepida).

The known history of Messalina really starts in 38 AD when she married the future emperor of the Roman Empire, Tiberius Claudius. Their family roots made them cousins, and their marriage was more due to their families’ interests for the empire than directed by love.

Was Messalina a Murderess?

Messalina is known in history as a very devious, ambitious, and controlling woman. The first child of the royal couple, Octavia, was born in 40 AD. Their son Tiberius Claudius Germanicus, called Britannicus, was born three years later.