Verginia, orVirginia (c. 465 BC – 449 BC), was the subject of anancient Roman story recounted in Roman historianLivy's textAb Urbe Condita. Upon a threat to her virtue, Verginia was killed by her father Verginius. Livy directly links Verginia's death to the overthrow of thedecemviri and the re-establishment of theRoman Republic.[1][2]
In 451 BC, the decemvirAppius Claudius began to lust after Verginia, a beautifulplebeian girl who was the daughter of Lucius Verginius, a respectedcenturion. Verginia was betrothed toLucius Icilius, a formertribune of the plebs. When Verginia rejected Claudius' advances, he had one of hisclients, Marcus Claudius, claim that she was not the daughter of Verginius but instead the daughter of his slave, and therefore a slave herself. Marcus Claudius then abducted her while she was on her way to school in theForum, taking advantage of her father's absence from Rome. The crowd in the Forum objected to this, as both Verginius and Icilius were well-respected men, and they forced Marcus Claudius to bring the case before the decemvirs. However, the case was to be presided over by Appius Claudius himself. Verginius was recalled from the field to defend his daughter. Icilius, after threats of violence, succeeded in having Verginia returned to her house while the court waited for her father to appear. Claudius tried to have his own supporters intercept the messengers sent to summon Verginius, but they arrived too late to delay Verginius' arrival.[3][4]
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When Verginius arrived two days later, he gathered his supporters in the Forum. Claudius, unmoved by Verginius' widespread support, would not let him speak or defend himself, and declared that Verginia was indeed Marcus Claudius' slave. Additionally, Claudius had brought an armed escort with him and accused the citizens ofsedition, and the supporters of Verginius left the Forum rather than cause any violence. Verginius begged Claudius to question his daughter himself, which Claudius agreed to. However, Verginius grabbed a knife and, at theShrine of Venus Cloacina, he stabbed Verginia, the only way he felt he could uphold her freedom and virtue. Upon killing her, Livy claims that Verginius spoke to Claudius directly, yelling: "By this blood, Appius, I devote thy head to the infernal gods."[5] Verginius and Icilius were arrested, but their supporters, angered by Claudius' actions, returned to attack thelictors and destroy theirfasces. The pair was then released. Claudius was eventually jailed but he committed suicide before his trial. Marcus Claudius was tried, found guilty, and exiled to Tibur. This controversy led to the overthrow of thedecemviri and the re-establishment of theRoman Republic.[3][4]
Livy compared the story of Verginia's death to the rape ofLucretia, whose death led to the overthrow of the Roman monarchy in 509 BC. Modern historians view the stories of Roman women such as Verginia and Lucretia as supporting traditional Roman values through the women's displays of feminine virtue and symbolization of criticisms against the tyrannical Roman government.[6] The people ofRome were already angry with thedecemviri for not calling the proper elections, taking bribes, and other abuses after taking power within the Roman government and the story of Verginia attested to this discontent.[6]
The tale is retold, with varying fidelity, in several works of Western literature. Among these areGeoffrey Chaucer's "The Physician's Tale" in hisCanterbury Tales,Thomas Babington Macaulay'sLays of Ancient Rome,Jean de Meun's poemRoman de la Rose, and the playAppius and Virginia byJohn Webster andThomas Heywood. Verginia is additionally mentioned inWilliam Shakespeare'sTitus Andronicus and her story is retold inSteven Saylor'sRoma.
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