List of Augustae explained

Latin: '''Augusta''' (pronounced as /la-x-classic/; plural ; el|αὐγούστα) was a Roman imperial honorific title given to empresses and women of the imperial families. It was the feminine form of Augustus. In the third century, could also receive the titles of ("Mother of the Senate"), ("Mother of the Camp"), and ("Mother of the Fatherland").

could issue their own coinage, wear imperial regalia, and rule their own courts.

Agrippina, the wife of Claudius, was the first wife of the emperor in Roman history to receive the title of, a position she held for the rest of her life, ruling with her husband and son.

In the third century, Julia Domna was the first empress to receive the combined title after the death of her husband Septimius Severus, which may have implied greater powers being vested in her than was usual for a Roman empress mother. In this official position and honor, she accompanied her son on an extensive military campaign and provincial tour.^[1]

Principate period

See main article: Principate.

Julio-Claudian dynasty

See main article: Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Livia	30 January 58 BC	AD 14	Wife of Emperor Augustus and mother of Emperor Tiberius.	28 September AD 29
	Antonia Minor	31 January 36 BC Athens	AD 41 (posthumous)	Mother of Emperor Claudius.	AD 37 Rome
	Agrippina the Younger	7 November AD 15 Oppidum Ubiorum	AD 50	Wife of Emperor Claudius and mother of Emperor Nero	23 March AD 59 Misenum
	Poppaea Sabina	AD 30 Pompeii	AD 63	Wife of Emperor Nero.	AD 65 Rome
	Claudia Augusta	21 January AD 63 Antium	AD 63	Daughter of Emperor Nero.	April AD 63

Flavian dynasty

See main article: Flavian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Domitilla the Younger	45	Before 80	Daughter of Emperor Vespasian.	66
	Domitia Longina	50	80	Wife of Emperor Domitian.	After 120

Nerva–Antonine dynasty

See main article: Nerva–Antonine dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Pompeia Plotina	54–68	105	Wife of Emperor Trajan.	123
	Ulpia Marciana	48	105	Sister of Emperor Trajan.	112–114
	Salonia Matidia	4 July 68	112	Niece of Emperor Trajan.	23 December 119
	Vibia Sabina	13 August 83	128	Wife of Emperor Hadrian.	136–137
	Faustina the Elder	21 September 100	138	Wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius.	140
	Faustina the Younger	125–130	1 December 147^[2]	Daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius; wife of Emperor Marcus Aurelius; mother of Emperor Commodus.	175
	Lucilla	148–150	164	Daughter of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and wife of Emperor Lucius Verus.	182
	Bruttia Crispina	164 Rome	177	Wife of Emperor Commodus.	191 Capri

Year of the Five Emperors

See main article: Year of the Five Emperors.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Manlia Scantilla		193	Wife of Emperor Didius Julianus.	193
	Didia Clara	153 Rome	193	Daughter of Emperor Didius Julianus.	Unknown

Severan dynasty

See main article: Severan dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Julia Domna			Wife of Emperor Septimius Severus.	217
	Fulvia Plautilla	185—189	210s	Wife of Emperor Caracalla.	212
	Julia Cornelia Paula		219	First wife of Emperor Elagabalus.
	Aquilia Severa		220	Second and fourth wife of Emperor Elagabalus. As a Vestal Virgin her marriage to the Emperor was very controversial.
	Julia Avita Mamaea	180	222	Mother of Emperor Alexander Severus and co-regent, in his name, during his adolescence.	235
	Sallustia Orbiana		225	Wife of Emperor Alexander Severus.

Crisis of the Third Century

See main article: Crisis of the Third Century.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Tranquillina	c. 225	241	Wife of Emperor Gordian III.	After 244
	Marcia Otacilia Severa		240s	Wife of the Emperor Philip the Arab.
	Herennia Etruscilla	Unknown	September 249	Wife of Emperor Trajan Decius; mother of Emperor Herennius Etruscus and Emperor Hostilian.	253
	Cornelia Supera		253	Wife of Aemilianus.
	Cornelia Salonina	Unknown	253	Wife of Emperor Gallienus.	268
	Sulpicia Dryantilla		c. 260	Wife of usurper Emperor Regalianus, who named her as part of legitimizing his claim.	260
	Victoria		271	Mother of Victorinus	271
	Zenobia	240	272	Queen of the Palmyrene Empire, a short lived splinter empire that revolted during the Crisis. She proclaimed herself and annexed the Eastern Mediterranean from Rome.	c. 275
	Ulpia Severina		274	Wife of Emperor Aurelian; possibly reigned in her own right after the death of her husband in 275.
	Magnia Urbica		283	Wife of Emperor Carinus.

Dominate period

See main article: Dominate.

Tetrarchy

See main article: Tetrarchy.

Constantinian dynasty

See main article: Constantinian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Fausta	289	324	Wife of Constantine I and daughter of Emperor Maximian. Mother of: Constantina, Constantine II, Constantius II, Constans I and Helena.	326
	Helena	246—250	c.324–325	Mother of Constantine I and ex-wife or mistress of Emperor Constantius Chlorus (separated before his accession as Caesar).	18 August 330
	Constantina	307—317	After 312, before 337.	Daughter of Emperor Constantine I. Wife of Hannibalianus, Rex Regum et Ponticarum Gentium, "King of Kings and of the Pontic People". Wife of Caesar Constantius Gallus.	354

Valentinianic dynasty

See main article: Valentinianic dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Domnica		364—378	Wife of Emperor Valens.	After 378
	Galla Placidia	392	c. 416	Daughter of Theodosius I, wife of Constantius III, regent for her son Valentinian III.	27 November 450
	Justa Grata Honoria		After 426	Sister of Valentinian III.

Theodosian dynasty

See main article: Theodosian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Aelia Flaccilla		Before 385	Wife of Emperor Theodosius I.	386
	Eudoxia		9 January 400	Wife of Emperor Arcadius.	6 October 404
	Pulcheria	19 January 398–399	414	Daughter of Arcadius, sister of Theodosius II, sole ruler for a month following the death of Theodosius, then co-ruler with her husband Marcian.	July 453
	Eudocia	401	2 January 423	Wife of Theodosius II	20 October 460
	Licinia Eudoxia	422	439	Daughter of Theodosius II, Wife of Valentinian III.	462

Leonid dynasty

See main article: Leonid dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Marcia Euphemia		c. 453	Daughter of Marcian by an unknown woman. Wife of Anthemius.	472
	Verina		457	Wife of Leo I, sister of Basiliscus, mother of Ariadne and Leontia.	484
	Ariadne	before 457	474	Daughter of Leo I. Wife of Zeno. Mother of Leo II. Wife of Anastasius I.	515
	Zenonis		475	Wife of Basiliscus.	476–477

Byzantine period

See main article: History of the Byzantine Empire.

Justinian dynasty

See main article: Justinian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Euphemia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Εὐφημία, Latin: Euphemia Augusta		518	Wife of Justin I. Originally named Lupicina, renamed Euphemia on her husband's accession.	c.523/4, before 527.
	Theodora I Greek, Modern (1453-);: Θεοδώρα, Latin: Theodora Augusta	c. 500	9 August 527	Wife of Justinian I.	28 June 548
	Sophia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Σοφία, Latin: Aelia Sophia Augusta		568	Wife of Justin II, intermittent regent.	c. 601
	Ino Anastasia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἰνὼ Ἀναστασία, Latin: Aelia Anastasia Augusta		578	Wife of Emperor Tiberius II.	593
	Constantina Greek, Modern (1453-);: Κωνσταντῖνα	c. 560	582	Wife of Emperor Maurice.	c. 605
	Leontia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Λεοντία		602	Wife of Emperor Phocas.

Heraclian dynasty

See main article: Heraclian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Augustina, Greek, Modern (1453-);: Αὐγουστίνα		639	Daughter of Heraclius.
	Martina Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μαρτίνα		639	Second wife of Heraclius, regent of Constantine III and Heraclonas
	Fausta Greek, Modern (1453-);: Φαύστα		642	Wife of Constans II.	After 668

Isaurian dynasty

See main article: Isaurian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Maria Greek, Modern (1453-);: Μαρία		25 August 718	Wife of Emperor Leo III the Isaurian.
	Anna Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἄννα		741–742	Wife of Artabasdos.
	Eudokia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ευδοκια		1 April 769	Third wife of Emperor Constantine V.
	Irene of Athens Greek, Modern (1453-);: Eἰρήνη η Ἀθηναία		17 December 769	Wife of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar, empress dowager and regent from 780 to 797.	9 August 803

Nikephorian dynasty

See main article: Nikephorian dynasty.

Amorian dynasty

See main article: Amorian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Theodora the Armenian Greek, Modern (1453-);: Θεοδώρα		830	Wife of Emperor Theophilos and regent of Michael III.	After 867
	Thekla Greek, Modern (1453-);: Θέκλα		830s	Daughter of Theophilos.
	Anna Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἄννα		830s	Daughter of Emperor Theophilos.
	Anastasia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἀναστασία		830s	Daughter of Emperor Theophilos.

Macedonian dynasty

See main article: Macedonian dynasty.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Zoe Zaoutzaina Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ζωή Ζαούτζαινα		898	Third wife of Leo VI the Wise	May 899
	Theodora Greek, Modern (1453-);: Θεοδώρα		921	Wife of Romanos I.	20 February 922
	Helena Lekapene Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἑλένη Λεκαπηνή		February 922	Wife of Constantine VII.	19 September 961
	Sophia Greek, Modern (1453-);: Σοφία		February 922	Wife of Christopher Lekapenos.
	Anna Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἄννα		933	Daughter of Gabalas and wife of Stephen Lekapenos.

Doukid dynasty

See main article: Doukid dynasty.

Palaiologos dynasty

See main article: Palaiologos.

Portrait	Name	Birth	Date of naming	Description	Death
	Anna of Savoy Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἄννα	1306		Wife of Andronikos III Palaiologos, mother and regent of John V Palaiologos.	1365
	Helena Dragaš Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἑλένη Δραγάση	1372		Wife of Manuel II Palaiologos.	1450

See also

• List of Roman and Byzantine empresses
• Augustus (title)
• List of Christian women of the patristic age

References

Sources

• Book: Bédoyère, Guy de la. Domina: The Women Who Made Imperial Rome. 2018. Yale University Press . 9780300230307.
• Book: Kazhdan . Alexander Petrovich . . New York, New York and Oxford, United Kingdom . Oxford University Press . 1991 . 0-19-504652-8 .
• Book: Langford, Julie. Maternal Megalomania: Julia Domna and the Imperial Politics of Motherhood. 2013. JHU Press . 9781421408484.
• Book: Société française de numismatique et d'archéologie. Comptes rendus de la Société française de numismatique et d'archéologie. IV. Paris. 1873. fr.

Notes and References

1. .

2. Book: Barbara Levick. Barbara Levick. Faustina I and II: Imperial Women of the Golden Age . 2014 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-537941-9 . 170.