| Milonia Caesonia | |
|---|---|
 Milonia Caesonia from a coin minted byHerod Agrippa | |
| Roman empress | |
| Tenure | AD 39 – 24 January AD 41 |
| Died | 24 January AD 41 Palatine Hill,Rome,Italy |
| Spouse | Rufus (possibly) Caligula |
| Issue | 3 daughters from the first husband, Julia Drusilla |
| Dynasty | Julio-Claudian |
| Mother | Vistilia |
Milonia Caesonia (died AD 41) wasRoman empress as the fourth and last wife of theRoman emperorCaligula from their marriage in AD 39 until they were both assassinated in 41.
The daughter ofVistilia, Milonia was born toward the beginning of the first century, but the year is not certain. Her birthday was celebrated between 2 June and 4 June. Caesonius Maximus was believed by Marco Agosti to have been her father.[1] Thegens Caesonia was of modest origin, and had only recently come to prominence.David Wardle on the other hand argued that her father was likely aMilonius.[2] Milonia had six half-brothers, five of whom are known, Servius Cornelius Scipio Orfitus (whose son,Servius Cornelius Scipio Salvidienus Orfitus, wasconsul in AD 51),Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo (consul in 39, and a distinguished general under Claudius andNero, was the father of the empressDomitia Longina),Quintus Pomponius Secundus (consulsuffectus in 41),Publius Pomponius Secundus (consulsuffectus in 44) andPublius Suillius Rufus (consul in 43, and father ofMarcus Suillius Nerullinus, consul in 50).
Milonia was married first to a man of uncertain name, some historians have speculated that he was the Rufus mentioned to be married to a woman named Caesonia who was born on the same date asDomitian (24 October) in a poem byMartial.[3] Marco Agosti identified him as Instanius (sometimes corrected as Instantius, Insantius, Istantius or Istanius) Rufus, a patron of Martial.[1]
Suetonius says that when Caligula married her, she was neither beautiful nor young, and was already the mother of three daughters by her first marriage. He describes her as a woman of reckless extravagance and wantonness, whom Caligula nonetheless loved passionately and faithfully.[4] According toCassius Dio, the two entered into an affair some time before their marriage, either late in AD 39 or early in 40, and the emperor's choice of a bride was an unpopular one.[5] ThesatiristJuvenal suggests that Caligula's madness was the result of a love potion administered to him by Milonia.[6]
Milonia was pregnant at the time of the marriage, and gave birth to a daughter,Julia Drusilla, only one month later (or according to Suetonius, on her wedding day).[7][4]
In the account given bySuetonius, the emperor would parade Milonia in front of his troops, and sometimes displayed her naked in front of select friends.[4] In an odd demonstration of affection, he would jokingly threaten to have her tortured or killed.[8]
On 24 January, AD 41, Caligula was slain by an assassin. As part of the wider conspiracy, Milonia and her daughterJulia Drusilla were murdered just hours after Caligula's demise.Josephus reports that she died bravely: stricken with grief at her husband's death, she willingly offered her neck to the assassin, telling him to kill her without hesitation.[9]
Milonia has been portrayed several times on film and television:
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| National | |
| People | |
