snnsastark:BADASS WOMEN OF THE ANCIENT WORLD: FULVIA (83 - 40 BC)Born into a traditional noble famil
snnsastark:BADASS WOMEN OF THE ANCIENT WORLD: FULVIA (83 - 40 BC)Born into a traditional noble family and heir to considerable wealth, Fulvia was, during a time, the most powerful woman in the Roman Republic, in great part thanks to her marriages to some of the important men of her time. Fulvia exercised power from behind the scenes for decades. First married to the radical populist Clodius Pulcher, Fulvia was his important partner and beloved wife, until Clodius was assassinated in 52 BC. Fulvia was essential in keeping Clodius’ politics alive, first by publicly grieving for him and dragging his body through the streets of Rome, inspiring revolt and loyalty from the population, and then by influencing her later husbands.After briefly marrying Clodius’ friend and political ally Curio, Fulvia married Mark Antony, the most famous of her three husbands. Married to him during his rise to power in the wake of Caesar’s assassination in 44, Fulvia’s star rose with his, and her marrige to Antony marked the peak of Fulvia’s power and influence in Roman politics.While Antony was in Egypt in 41, beginning his famous liaison with Cleopatra, Fulvia became involved in a power struggle with Caesar’s heir and Antony’s partner (and rival) Octavian (future Emperor Augustus), as she tried to defend Antony’s interests in her husband’s prolonged absence. Fulvia for the first time entered the front stage by, with the support of Antony’s brother, taking up arms herself to fight Octavian in what became known as the Perusine War.She died not much later, from an unknown sickness, and Antony married Octavian’s sister Octavia, sealing the (temporary) peace between the two, and the entire Perusine War was overlooked as an awkward occurrence. But, for better or for worse, the ghost of Fulvia continued to influence Roman politics for a long time, as the brief but shining example of a woman who exercised power indirectly and, in the end, directly: a true nightmare for the conservative forces in Rome. -- source link
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