Publius Quinctilius Varus the Younger | |
|---|---|
 Quinctilius Varus fromGuillaume Rouillé'sPromptuarii Iconum Insigniorum | |
| Born | 4 AD |
| Died | 27 AD (aged 22-23) |
| Other names | Publius Quinctilius Varus the Younger,[1] Varus the Younger,[1] Publius Quinctilius Varus filius[2] and Quinctilius Varus[3] |
| Spouse | Plautia Laterana |
| Children | Quinctilia |
| Father | Varus |
Publius Quinctilius Varus Minor (Minor inLatin means 'the younger') (AD 4 – AD 27) was aRomansenator.
Varus was a member of thegens Quinctilia. He was the only child born to the Roman general and politicianPublius Quinctilius Varus from his third wifeClaudia Pulchra.[1] Through his mother, Varus was a cousin to the future Roman empressValeria Messalina.[3] Claudia Pulchra was the sister of Messallina's father, the short-livedMarcus Valerius Messala Barbatus (died c. AD 20). Messallina had no brothers, but did have a younger half-brotherFaustus Cornelius Sulla. Varus the younger was a generation removed from the children of Messalina,Claudia Octavia andBritannicus.
Varus was born inRome in the year 4 and was raised in the city. In late AD 6 or 7, his father was appointed to govern and organize the newly conqueredGermania Inferior across the Rhine. But in September AD 9, due to his defeat at theBattle of the Teutoburg Forest Varus the Elder committed suicide.[4][5][6][1] After the death of his father, his mother never remarried and in AD 26, Pulchra died in exile as a victim of the treason trials ofSejanus.[7][1] Varus became wealthy through his parents' inheritance.[8]
In AD 27, Varus became another victim of the treason trials of the Palace GuardsmanSejanus.[1] It is not known what Varus was charged with nor to what degree it was provoked;[9] the charge may have beentreason ormaiestas.[10] His accusers were the celebrated oratorDomitius Afer and his cousinPublius Cornelius Dolabella.[9] The outcome of the case is unknown as there is no further mention in the sources. The absence of his family from history leads some experts to conclude he was later condemned or committed suicide.[11] However, a passage fromSeneca the Elder suggests that Varus may have been acquitted: Seneca writes that Varus had a somewhat successful legal career, despiteLucius Cestius Pius taunting Varus with his father's defeat in the Teutoburg Forest.[12]
He had a large villa atTivoli, Lazio.
Varus was betrothed to his distant maternal cousinJulia Livilla, one of the daughters ofAgrippina the Elder andGermanicus, although they did not marry.[13] Varus married a noblewoman called Plautia Laterana, by whom he had a daughter called Quinctilia.[14]