Julia
Julia was the only daughter of Julius Caesar, born from his first marriage to Cornelia. Her life was marked by political significance, as her marriage to Pompey the Great in 59 BCE was orchestrated by her father to strengthen alliances in Roman politics. Despite being criticized by moralists for such political arrangements, the marriage was reportedly a happy one and facilitated collaboration between Caesar and Pompey. Tragically, Julia died during childbirth five years later, and her infant child also did not survive. Her death deeply affected both Caesar and Pompey, leading to her funeral being held in a prominent location, despite opposition. Julia's life raises intriguing historical questions regarding the potential different outcomes in Roman politics had she lived longer, particularly concerning the stability of the First Triumvirate and the succession of power within the Roman Republic. Her story highlights the intertwining of personal and political dynamics in ancient Rome, reflecting the complex nature of family ties and their influence on broader historical events.
Julia
Related civilization: Republican Rome
Major role/position: Daughter of Julius Caesar
Life
History records a few sparse facts about Julius Caesar’s only daughter. Julia was born of his first marriage, to Cornelia (Lucius Cornelius Cinna’s daughter), when he was in his early twenties. During Lucius Cornelius Sulla’s reign of terror, Caesar at some risk had defied the dictator’s order to marry Cornelia, so presumably he loved her.
In 59 b.c.e., while Caesar was consul, he broke Julia’s previous betrothal and arranged for her to marry Pompey the Great. The moralist Cato the Censor had denounced such arrangements as “prostitution,” but matches made for political advantage were not new to Roman patricians, and the marriage seems to have been happy. It brought renewed collaboration between Caesar and Pompey, pulling away the latter from senatorial interests.
Julia died in childbirth five years later; her newborn child lived only a few days. Plutarch says both Caesar and Pompey were “much afflicted” by her death. Against the tribunes’ opposition, Julia’s funeral and burial were conducted on the field of Mars. Several years later, Caesar sponsored public games and festivals in her honor, celebrating his victories in Africa.
Influence
Julia’s life is significant because of its “what ifs.” Had she lived longer as Pompey’s wife, the First Triumvirate might have endured. If she had borne surviving children, Julius Caesar probably would not have made Octavian his heir. The Roman Republic’s transformation into empire would have occurred differently, with consequences for later Western history.
Bibliography
Plutarch. Plutarch’s Lives: The Dryden Translation, Edited with Notes by Arthur Hugh Clough. New York: Modern Library, 2001.
Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars. Translated by Robert Graves. London: Viking Press, 2000.