Life of ancient Rome. The legal status of women in ancient Rome

Last modified: August 24, 2018

When the conversation turns to the history of Rome, its power and greatness, outstanding personalities and their achievements, the names of Roman emperors, famous generals, pontiffs, artists, etc. involuntarily pop up in memory. However, few people know that the most famous women of Rome played a rather significant role in the development and history of the Eternal City. It is about them that will be discussed in this article.

Rhea Silvia - the first woman whose name is associated with Rome

Mars and Rhea Sylvia. Rubens 1617-1620

One of the most important women in the history of Rome is Rhea Silvia, a Vestal Virgin from a noble family, who can rightly be called the progenitor of the Eternal City. According to legend, it was this woman who brought into the world, one of whom founded Rome and became it.

Lucrezia

Tarquinius and Lucretia. Rubens (1609-1611)

Another legendary woman who, by the will of fate, to a large extent influenced the course of history, was Lucretia, who lived in the 6th century BC. The daughter of the Roman consul and wife of the famous military leader Tarquinius Collatinus was distinguished by violent beauty and generosity. Once the son of the Roman king Sextus, threatening with a weapon, dishonored Lucretia. Having told about everything that happened to her husband and unable to bear the shame, she stabbed herself to death. This incident provoked a popular uprising, the result of which was the overthrow of the tsarist government and the birth of the republic.

Livia Drusilla - the most powerful woman in Rome

Among the most famous women of Rome is Livia, the first lady of the Roman Empire. Wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother of emperors. Her personality is highly ambiguous, however her influence is clear.

Livia Drusilla. ancient roman statue

At the age of 16, Livia was married to her cousin, Tiberius Claudius Nero, a politician and military leader, from whom she gave birth to two sons. Livia's husband, like her father, was a supporter of the Republicans, after the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar, he fought against Octavian. Shortly after the latter's victory at the Battle of Philippi, Livia and her husband were forced to leave Rome to avoid persecution, but returned after some time. It is said that Octavian fell in love with Livia the very moment he saw her. Following this, he took her as his wife. Throughout the career of Emperor Augustus, Livia remained his chief adviser, took an interest in state affairs, managed finances and brought the right people to the highest political circles. So the first lady of the empire brought her son Tiberius to power and ensured his unshakable position. By a strange coincidence, in a fairly short period of time, everyone who could inherit power passed into the better worlds: the nephew of Augustus and his own grandchildren. They say it was Livia who helped them, clearing the way for her sons.

Mary the Prophetess - the famous female alchemist

A woman who lived either in the first or third century AD is famous for her inventions, some of which are still used today. Mary the Prophetess, also known as Mary of Coptic and Mary Prophetissa, was the first female alchemist. She found a way to separate liquids into separate substances, invented an apparatus resembling the design of a water bath, etc.

Elena Augusta - a woman of Rome, whose name became a saint

Dream of Saint Helena. Paolo Veronese (c. 1580)

No less outstanding person in history was Flavia Julia Elena Augusta, who lived at the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries. As the mother of Constantine I, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, this woman became famous for spreading the Christian religion throughout the empire at the end of her life. She led the excavations in Jerusalem, which resulted in the discovery of the Life-Giving Cross and other important relics. In addition, thanks to Elena, numerous Christian churches were erected, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Rome, etc.

Popess Joanna - a female pope

Popess Joanna gives birth to a child during a church procession. Miniature (1450)

The only woman in the history of Rome to hold the papacy. Her existence still has no evidence, as well as reasonable denials that this is a fictional person. According to legend, Joanna was an Englishwoman born into a missionary family in the German city of Mainz. Being very young, she, dressed in men's clothes, fled with a monk from the Fulda abbey to Athos. After a long pilgrimage, she ended up in Rome, where, by coincidence, she received a position in the papal curia. She later became a cardinal and later head of the Holy See. The revelation happened during one of the processions, when the Popess suddenly gave birth to a son. Until the 15th century, no one denied the fact of the existence of the Popess, but later the reliability of information about this person began to be questioned.

Beatrice Cenci

Beatrice was very young when she was put to death. The life story of this girl, like the plot of a bloody drama, did not leave indifferent either contemporaries or subsequent generations. Exhausted by the hatred of her own father, which was expressed, among other things, in incestuous violence, Beatrice Cenci, having entered into a conspiracy with her brother and stepmother, ventured into a terrible sin - patricide. She was sentenced to death as well as her accomplices, but this caused a wave of indignation and protests in society.

Guido Reni, paints a portrait of Beatrice Cenci in the casemate. Achille Leonardi. 19th century

Despite the fact that modern historians suggest that the murder of Francesco Cenci was committed by Beatrice's beloved Olympio, wanting not only to take revenge on the monster, but also to protect his woman, this tragic story served as the foundation for many literary and artistic works.

Vannozza Cattanei - the most famous mistress of Rome

Not much is known about the origin of this woman, but her love affair with Pope Alexander VI Borgia, which revealed four children to the world, glorified Vanozza and made her one of the most influential representatives of the weaker sex of the second half of the 15th - early 16th centuries.

Vannozza Cattanei. Innocenzo Francusi, 16th century. Rome, Galleria Borghese

Vanozza Cattanei most likely met between 1465 and 1469, at the age of 23-27. Their relationship lasted a decade and a half and was almost official. This woman was formally considered the mistress of Cardinal Borgia, who later became the Roman pontiff, who ascended the throne of the Holy See under the name of Alexander VI. Their joint children - Giovanni, Cesare, Lucrezia and Gioffre - were officially recognized by the Pope and contributed to their proper position in society.

Julia Farnese

A beautiful, wise and prudent woman who went down in history as another mistress of Pope Alexander VI Borgia, who overshadowed Vannozza Cattanei with her charm.

Lady with a unicorn. Raphael Santi (c.1506)

Giulia Farnese became famous for her frantic desire to exalt the family and increase possessions through her love affair with the pontiff. In particular, she contributed to the career of her brother Alessandro, who, at the age of 25, became a cardinal and bishop of three (subsequently five) dioceses at the suggestion of the Pope. As a result, this brought Alessandro Franese to the papal throne. More about the Farnese dynasty:

Felice della Rovere

One of the most famous and influential women of the Renaissance. Felice was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Julius II, in the world of Giuliano della Rovere, born as a result of his love affair with Lucrezia Normanni. They say that this woman had an influence not only on Julius II, but also on his followers - Leo X and Clement VII, representatives of the Medici family.

"Mass in Bolsena" by Felice della Rovere, depicted by Raphael on one of the frescoes of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican (1540)

Fornarina - the legendary beloved of the roller maestro

The legendary woman, known as Fornarina (translated from the Italian “Baker”), became famous as the beloved and model of the famous. Margherita Luti - that was her real name - received a nickname from the profession of her father, who worked as a baker.

Fornarina. Rafael Santi. (1518-1519) Palazzo Barberini. Rome

The reliability of her existence is still a matter of controversy and requires research, but legend says that her house was located in the Trastevere area, or rather on Via Santa Dorotea 20. Raphaei's love for Fornarina flared up instantly and died out only with the last beat of the great genius's heart. It is generally accepted that she is depicted by the master on such canvases as "Fornarina", located today in the Palazzo Barberini, and "Donna Velata", stored in the Pitti Palace in Florence. In addition, Fornarina served as a prototype for many other works by Raphael relating to the Roman period of creativity.

Margaret of Savoy - The Queen Mother

The law is very strict for women. The Romans themselves were of this opinion ... “Our ancestors,” says Titus Livius, “forbade a woman to engage in private business without the support of her husband. They wanted her to always be under the headship of her father, or her brother, or her husband." When she is not busy with the slaves in plowing land or preparing food, she must spin and weave Etru wool with coarse and cracked hands, take care of the household, feed the children, she cannot go out on her own, only in the company of her husband, or maids; cannot dispose of her property herself, she is legally the daughter of her father, who, as a father, can impose any punishment on her. Her position, as we see, is not very different from that of a slave. At the same time, we notice how far reality is from theory. At the very beginning of the history of Rome, it turns out how great was the difference between the position of one and the other.

This woman, who is closed in the house and is the first of the servants, enjoys universal respect at home, even from the head of the family. She sits next to him at the table, and does not serve him, her birthday is celebrated and she receives gifts: on the street, passers-by make way for her, it is forbidden to touch her, even when she is brought to court. The man often instructs her to manage various cases and consults with her in matters relating to both of them.

Therefore, the woman plays an important role in Roman history. "On every page," says M. Gude, "she is mentioned." In vain does the law exclude her from participation in public affairs. Her incessant interference, overt or covert, has a decisive influence on the affairs of state. It seems that the Romans took a fancy in their chronicles and legends to associate the name of some heroine with every glorious historical event. According to traditional history, Rome owes its greatness no less to the virtue of its women than to the wisdom of its legislators and the bravery of its troops. Marital devotion and filial love, which united the Sabines and Latins, formed the Roman people. Twice enslaved by the Tarquins and Decemvirs, Rome owes its liberation to the virtue of Lucretia and the innocence of Virginia. The prayers of his wife and mother helped to persuade Coriolanus (an outstanding ancient Roman general) to save the republic. The instigations of an ambitious wife inspired Licinius with the glorious agrarian laws that completed the triumph of Roman democracy, the last heroes of the Roman Republic, both Gracchi brothers were brought up and led their councils by the glorious mother Cornelia.

Although all these stories may be semi-legendary, it does not matter, in them we see a manifestation of popular feeling, an unshakable evidence of the respect and honor that the Romans of old felt for their wives and mothers.

The ideal of a woman and a wife, which a Roman worked out for himself in the old days, is this: on the one hand, we see a disdain for a woman, as if for a senior servant sent to the kitchen, and on the other hand, high respect for a friend who is responsible for the household, for a mother his children, this is frankly shown in the gravestone inscriptions of the Republican era. Most often they remember this one: “Passer-by, I want to tell you just a few words. Stop and read. You see here the grave of a rather beautiful woman. Relatives named her Claudia. She loved her husband with her soul, had two sons, one she leaves on earth, the second she herself buried. Her language was pleasant, her move was honorable, she took care of the house, spun wool. I said. Continue on your way."

On the other we read: “Here lies Ammon, wife of Mark, very good and very beautiful, tireless spinning wheel, pious, chaste, savings, innocent, took care of the house.” Such praise became a custom and was used on tombstones even in the era of the empire, and in distant provinces that had not yet been Romanized. Of course, not everything that was written was true, because there were rarely men like Ulpiy Cerdo, who wrote on the grave of his wife: “... To Claudia. On the day of her death, I composed gratitude to the gods and people. Finally, the Romans developed a saying "De mortuis aut nihil aut bene" - "either remember nothing about the dead, or only good."

Thus, the Roman woman was forced to live in harsh conditions and material concerns, on the other hand, she was surrounded by respect and honor, but the Roman women developed a special character in advance: seriousness, which was based on determination. She did not know tenderness, affection, softness, therefore, we do not find dreaminess and sentimentality among Roman women, which are so characteristic especially of women of Slavic origin. The Roman woman, first of all, tried to fight hard with life's difficulties. And we see this not only in women, but also in young girls.

But it would be a mistake to think that the type of Roman matron has not undergone modification over time. Towards the end of the republic, various changes slowly began to take place in the conditions in which women found themselves. Customs, laws, beliefs have changed. We have seen that in ancient times, through marriage itself, women were subjected to the unlimited power of men. Subsequently, it was noted that great abuses arise from this. To fix this, appropriate combinations were invented. When giving a young girl in marriage, they take measures that would prevent a man from arbitrarily disposing of his wife's dowry. At the same time, legal forms are introduced, thanks to which a woman becomes almost the complete owner of her property.

With the easing of the conditions of marriage, the custom of divorce spreads. In the first five centuries of Roman history, divorce cases were very rare; since the sixth century, divorces have become more frequent and, most importantly, without serious reasons, simply because of the desire for change, more luxury, in order to gain more influence and support. Marriage becomes a short-lived bond that is tied and untied on a whim and profit. “... What woman,” writes Seneca, “is embarrassed now being divorced, when respected and glorious matrons count their years not by the name of the consuls, but by the name of their husbands? They get divorced to get married and they get married to get divorced.” The ambitious considered a series of successive marriages to be necessary steps in their political career.

So Sulla forced Emilia, the daughter of Scaurus, to marry, divorced Glabrion to marry Pompey, and Calpurnius Piso broke up with the widow of Cinna, he also wanted to separate Caesar from Cinna's daughter, but Caesar did not agree to this. Pompey, having a case in court, which he was afraid of losing, became engaged to the daughter of Antistius, the president of the court, but having won the case, he immediately left the bride and married Emilia, and then married successively, as political circumstances required, with Muzia, daughter of Scaevola, with Julia, daughter of Caesar, and finally with Cornelia, widow of Licinius Crassus. In general, he was married five times, Caesar and Antony four times, and Sulla, like Pompey, five times. During the empire, satirists recall women who married eight or even ten times.

Such examples of "noble" Roman patricians easily found followers among the simpler plebeians. The aristocracy taught ambitious democrats who wanted to compare with them that marriages can be as easily unleashed as tied up, which is why divorces are very common in the lower versts of Roman society.

Roman girls had their own version of Barbie

In ancient Rome, girls were married at about 12 years old. Even though their childhood was short, they still played with dolls. One of these toys was discovered at the end of the 19th century. This wooden doll is somewhat reminiscent of a modern Barbie. The archaeologists also found a small box containing clothes for the doll.

In ancient Egypt, women had an equal right to inherit the throne

Egypt was more democratic than other states in antiquity. The main proof of this is the right of a person of any gender to inherit the throne. So the rights of the ancient Egyptians and the Egyptians were almost equal. Moreover, kinship in the dynasty of the pharaohs was carried out precisely along the maternal line, as well as the inheritance of lands and even the throne.

Ancient Greek women had the right to divorce

In ancient Greece, women had the same right to divorce as men. The dissolution of a marriage could take place both by mutual agreement and by the will of one of the parties. At the same time, the entire dowry was returned to the woman. Of course, if the wife was not accused of infidelity and adultery. Otherwise, she could be kicked out of the house.

The women of ancient Rome were educated

Most girls in ancient Rome received their primary education: the basics of writing and reading, all of which they took in schools. However, some families sought to give their daughters a good education and hired teachers who taught them the Greek language, grammar, and the basics of art. This made the girl an interesting companion for a man and more influential in life.

Roman girls wore bikinis

The ancient Romans were very progressive. So, their women wore…bikinis! In Sicily, they found a mosaic of the 4th century AD, which depicts girls in bathing suits very similar to modern ones. Agree, it looks fashionable!

Women of ancient Rome were fond of sports

And here is another incredible evidence of the past - Roman women played sports. In the hands of the fair sex, a prototype of modern dumbbells. So the Romans had a rich social life.

A woman in ancient China could be abandoned by her husband if she talks too much

But in ancient China, a woman had practically no rights, and she was considered almost the property of her husband. The first time she saw her fiancé was at a wedding. Traditionally in China, weddings were held as follows: the groom's parents were sitting, and the bride, dressed in a red dress, brought them tea. There were many reasons for divorce: inability to give birth to a son, infidelity, theft, some kind of illness, jealousy, or even too much talking.

In ancient India, women could choose their own husband

Surprisingly, that's exactly what it is. Even today in India, marriages are usually arranged by parents, but in ancient times, Indian women were equal to men: they were allowed to marry when they wanted to, and also to choose their own husband. In addition, women were highly educated, they were even allowed to study the sacred Vedas.

Many people know a lot about the Roman Empire - and about its rulers, and about laws, and about wars, and about intrigues. But much less information about Roman women.

After all, not only the family, but also the foundations of society were kept on a woman at all times. And no exception.

7. Roman empresses - poisoners and intriguers?

The Empresses of Rome are portrayed in literature and cinema as poisoners and nymphomaniacs who stop at nothing in their path. Augustus' wife Livia was said to have killed him after 52 years of marriage by poisoning the green figs that the emperor liked to pick from the trees around their house. Agrippina is also said to have poisoned her elderly husband Claudius by adding a deadly toxin to his mushroom meal. The predecessor of Agrippina Messalina - the third wife of Claudius - was remembered primarily for the fact that she systematically killed her enemies, and also had a reputation for being insatiable in bed.

It is possible that all these stories were speculations that were dismissed by people who were worried about the proximity of women to power.

Status of women in ancient Rome

At the early stages of the development of society, a woman was not a subject, but an object of property transactions: fathers sold their daughters for marriage, husbands acquired wives for themselves by robbery or purchase; both disposed of the body of their daughter or wife as their own property; the adultery of a woman was prosecuted as a crime against her husband's property, but the husbands themselves willingly, as a sign of friendship, hospitality, or for a reward, or for the sake of producing offspring for themselves, gave up their wives for a while to other men.

The advent of marriage and the blood family entailed an increase in the legal status of women, especially as they moved from polygamy to monogamy; but the woman's right to property predates the formation of these institutions; it was a consequence of matriarchy.

In the period of the early Republic, the Roman woman, unlike the Greek woman, freely chose her husband; as the mother of the family mater families), a matron revered by slaves, clients and children, she was the mistress of her house.

Stola ( stolg- a long, spacious dress that was forbidden to be worn by prostitutes and women caught in adultery), as well as a special headband ( vittg).

In the DR, girls received primary education on a par with boys. The Romans did not keep their women in silence and solitude - she appeared with them in theaters, and in circuses, and at festivities, and at feasts. Roman women could have their own associations, a kind of clubs, as evidenced, in particular, by the surviving inscriptions. So, in Tusculum there was a special society, which included local women and girls, and in Mediolan (now Milan) young girls celebrated memorial celebrations in honor of their deceased friend, who belonged to their society ( Parental). In Rome itself, the society of married women was well known and legally recognized ( convention patronvrum). Members of this society attended meetings at which very important matters were sometimes discussed, even concerning the general situation in the state: for example, the decision of Roman women to give their gold jewelry and other jewelry to the state treasury during the war with the city of Veii (396 BC). e.) was apparently adopted at one of these meetings.

However, in a public place or at a public meeting, women could not be met often - ancient customs made a Roman woman a homebody, her usual place was at the hearth in the atria ( atrium). Atrium served as the central room in the Roman house, a common hall where the whole family gathered and where guests were received. Here, at the hearth, an altar to the household gods (laram) was raised, and around this sanctuary everything that was most valuable and revered in the family was placed: a marriage bed, sculptural images of ancestors ( imagines), canvas and spindle of the mother of the family, a chest with documents and a household cash register. All these things were under the supervision of the matron. Like the housekeeper himself ( Pater families), she made sacrifices to the gods-lares, supervised the household chores of slaves and the upbringing of children, who remained subordinate to her supervision until adolescence. Everyone in the house, not excluding her husband, respectfully called her mistress (dominance). Cato the Elder ( Cato Major) made a joking but essentially true remark: "Everywhere the husbands rule the husbands, and we, who rule all the husbands, are under the control of our wives."

The rights of all other Roman women were noticeably infringed. The ideological justification for such discrimination was the belief that a woman's legal capacity is limited due to "the unreliability of the female sex", as well as "because of frivolity and careless attitude to financial matters."

By the time of the Empire, women's powers begin to expand. The power of the father is limited by the state; it obliges him to give his daughter in marriage or, alternatively, to provide her with a dowry; in case of refusal, the daughter has the right to complain to the magistrate; the father no longer has the right to dissolve her marriage, as before, and the dowry no longer returns to his exclusive property. The husband's power is also limited: the prosecution of adultery and divorce become not his personal affairs, decided by self-government or domestic court, but cases of public prosecution. Guardianship of a woman begins to decrease as fathers appoint guardians for their daughters by will, that is, in addition to the legal guardian, kinsman and heir.