The legacy of Julia Maesa and her children.

[Mary The Quene]

I deceided to write another article and so here it is!

Julia Maesa and her daughters

Julia Maesa was Born in 165 AD and just like her younger sister Julia Domna she was born in Emesa (modern Homs in Syria). Her father Julius Bassianus served as the high priest of the sun god Elagabal, the Patron god of Emesa. Since Roman custom was that women would have to marry around the age of 15 years old it is assumed that she married at the year of 180 AD. Julia Maesa would marry with a Syrian nobleman named Gaius Julius Avitus who served as an equestrian officer in the Roman Military and served also as prefect and tribune. Whatever Julia thought of this marriage, she began to produce children fairly quick after she married, in 180 AD she produced her first daughter Julia Soaemias and shortly afterwards she produced another daughter, Julia Avita Mamae.

In 193, the family's fortunes improved spectacularly as Maesa's younger sister Domna husband became Emperor. Shortly afterwards Septimus (Domna's husband) made Maesa's husband Praetor, an important office for which Maesa and her husband had to move to Rome. It was around this time in 193 AD that her daughter Julia Soeamias would marry to Sextus Varius Marcellus, a Roman knight born in Syria with a distinguished career. This marriage may have been part of a larger political game because Septimus became emperor and had to face a civil war in the eastern parts of the empire. Soamias' marriage to a Syrian may have strengthened Severus' position in Syria. Shortly afterwards, the youngest daughter of Maesa, Julia Avita Mamae would marry a syrian equestrian named Gessius Marcianus, in all likehood this marriage had political motives too.

Around year of 200 AD, Septimus campaigned against the Parthian empire and Julia Domna travelled with him to the east. Julia Maesa remained in Rome and Maesa's husband was made Consul in the same year and therefore her power gradually increased. And when Septimus finished his campaigned he returned to Rome both Julia Maesa and her daughters were present during the Saecular festival of 204 AD. Around this time Julia Soeamias gave birth to a son Varius Avitius Bassianus (the future emperor Elagabalus) and soon after Julia Mamaea gave birth to Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus (the future emperor Alexander Severus)



Maesa and her daughters may have visited Britain after Septimus Severus launched a military campaign against the Caledonians in 208 AD. Soaemias' husband served as procurator in this outlying province. Anyways not longer after Septimus abandoned his campaign he died peacefully in Eburacum and both Maesa and her daughters returned to Rome. Emperor Caracalla succeeded Septimus and he made Soaemias' husband briefly Rationibus (head of the imperial finances). From 211 AD to 218 AD, during the reign of Caracalla less is know about events involving Maesa and her daughters. In 218 AD Caracalla accompanied by his mother Julia Domna launched a new campaign against the Parthians in the east, however his praetorian perfect Macrinus murdered Caracalla and proclaimed himself Emperor. Julia domna the mother of Caracalla, facilitated the succession by committing suicide; and Macrinus allowed Maesa and her daughters to keep their great wealth and allowed them to retire to Emesa.

Macrinus greatly underestimated Julia Maesa and her ambitions. She wanted to restore the dynasty that had been founded by her brother in law Septimus Severus and she had a handsome grandson: the son of Julia Soaemias. His name was Varius Avitus Bassianus, he was fourteen-year old, and was very popular among the soldiers of the eastern legions, because he acted as priest in the cult of Elagabal of Emesa. Maesa paid money to the garrison at Raphanaea and on 16 May, the third legion Gallica switched its allegiance from to the boy Bassianus, who was - it was claimed - a bastard son of Caracalla. When Macrinus heard about the uprising in Antioch, he had sent his praetorian prefect, Ulpius Julianus to the south along with a part of the Second legion parthica, but when he arrived in Syria the prefect was lynched and the troops commanded by the prefect defected and joined the ranks of Bassianus. On 8 June 218 AD, the last loyal troops to Macrinus were defeated. (It was said that Julia Maesa witnessed the battle from a chariot and restrained fleeing soldiers). Macrinus himself was killed in the aftermath of the battle.

Now the reign of Bassianus could begin, but it is easy to see that Julia Maesa and Julia Soaemias would exercise heavy influence over the young Emperor, indeed both mother and daughter would be honored with the title ''Augusta''. Maesa's influence is indicated by the fact that coins were minted with her portrait. The historian Herodian even presents her as the real ruler of the Roman empire. There is something to be said for this, because Maesa survived the accession of Heliogabalus, and it was not common that an emperor who owed his throne too ostentatiously to someone else, left him or her on an influential position. Heliogabalus simply had not the power to remove his grandmother . His reign lasted from 218 to the spring of 222, and was a dramatic failure. At first, the boy-emperor acted with moderation, but after the end of 220, he wanted to introduce the cult of his god, and a reign of terror started that lasted for about a year and a half. In the summer of 221 AD however , a period of moderation started, when the three ladies of Emesa were able to convince Elagabalus that he should adopt Julia Mamea's son Alexianus and make him ''caesar''.

To celebrate this, the young caesar changed his name into Severus Alexander - which connected him with Caracalla, who was famous for his admiration of Alexander the Great and was popular among the soldiers. However, this moderation was only temporary, in December Elagabalus married a Virgin Vestal which caused a huge scandal in Rome, at a certain point Elagabalus wanted to get rid off Severus Alexander as Caesar, in this conflict the senate and Julia Maesa sided with Alexander Severus. Still Elagabalus was a force to be reckoned with and Julia Mamae made sure that Alexander Severus was permanently guarded. The two young men were both consul in 222 AD but Elagabalus already tried to kill his 'Caesar' and the crisis was only getting worse. On 11 or 12 March, Heliogabalus and his mother Julia Soeamias were lynched by soldiers, and Severus Alexander was proclaimed emperor on the thirteenth of the year 222 AD. Both Julia Julia Soeamias suffered Damnatio Memoriae by the senate.

However Julia Maesa died not long after the accession of the new emperor Alexander Severus, some sources suggests that she died in 223 but in any case she got deified by the senate on 3 Augustus 224 AD. Of the three ladies, Julia Maesa, Julia Soaemias and Julia Mamaea only Mamaea remains. Alexander Severus was still very young and Julia Mamaea and she was firmly in control of him: one thing she learned was that there was no room for religious experiments. Julia Mamaea also arranged a team of A team of sixteen senators and the praetorian prefect Ulpian, a very famous jurist to ensure he received a decent education. According to the unreliable Historia Augusta the policy achieved succes as the author of the book was impressed by the contrast between Elagabalus and Alexander Severus and portrayed Elagabalus as a devil and Alexander as a roman saint.

The only thing that was not in custom with roman tradition was that Julia Mamaea took a clear visible and prominent role as Augusta. After her mother had died she exercised real influence, and received the title ''consors imperii'', "partner in rule", which in fact made her the first officially recognized empress of the Roman empire. However Romans were not completely unaccustomed to it as they appreciated Julia Domna. And just like Julia domna, Julia Mamaea received the titles of ''Mater castrorum'' and ''Mater Senatus''. However the East was in turmoil and the Parthians have been destroyed by a rebel general Papak and two years later his son Ardasir took Ctesiphon and created the Sassanian empire. War between Rome and the Sassanian empire was inevitable and in 231, Alexander went to the east and started to invade Mesopotamia, where Ardasir was forced to retreat and the status quo was restored in the year of 232 AD.

In 232/233, the emperor and Julia Mamaea were in Antioch, and next year, the emperor could celebrate his Persian triumph in Rome. Meanwhile, however, the Germanic tribe of the Alamanni, which had once been defeated by Caracalla, had become restless and Again both Alexander Severus and Julia Mamaea went to the front, they sought a diplomatic solution first and included paying of the inavding warriors. The legionaries stationed in Mainz understood what this meant : an incentive to the Germanic tribe to continue their aggression, and no additional pay for themselves, because there was no fight and soon afterwards they lynched the emperor along with Julia Mamaea resulting in the death. The last daughter of Julia Maesa died. Meanwhile the troops along the rhine proclaimed Maximinus Thrax as emperor and so started the Third Century Crisis.

[Diocle]

Thanks! This is really the most interesting part of Roman History, at least for me and few others, I cannot cease to be mesmerised into this family history, it's exactly the border, it's the line, the thin blade that cuts the history of the Roman Empire into two, there is a time before the Severan dynasty and there is the time after the Severan dynasty, on one side there is still the Principate, the Imperial Rome with its traditions, gods and strong institutions, on the other side, beyond this line there is the Dominate, a new world more mobile and more confused, the political crisis began and all the values, the institutions, the cultural and religious traditions slowly changed, it's the Late Empire a new world and a very different one.
The role played by these Syrian women is very, very important, it's important because actually they, those women were the Severan Dynasty! The men died, the rulers changed but those powerful women were able to keep together their family, the dinasty and the Empire. So, thank you very much JD, this serie about strong intelligent women and the Roman Empire is very interesting.

[Roma_Victrix]

Thank you, JD, for another fantastic bio on a great Roman woman! And what a great one she was, if not the most powerful and influential in Roman history (even when taking Livia Drusilla and Agrippina the Younger into account). She was a true kingmaker, an empress dowager extraordinaire, and the real power behind the throne. And lest we forget, a Syrian lady just like her sister Julia Domna. I suppose it's a good thing she was not alive to see the end of her line and dynasty, brought so low so quickly after her death (relatively speaking, since Alexander Severus was assassinated roughly a decade later).

[Antiokhos Euergetes]

Must agree with the esteemed gentleman above, very important Roman/Syrian woman and an important threshold in Roman history. Thank you, for another great article.

[Mary The Quene]

Thank you friends!

Stay tuned for more!

[tomySVK]

Great article! I must agree with mine dear friends here that Severan period along with Third century crisis is very important part of Antiquity. In fact one of my favorites, it´s always great to read about them Also in your signature you mention the article about Julia Domna, I will read it too

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

Not just the Severan period but all of Roman history is a gold mine if your interest is in famous or accomplished women.
Unfortunately women aren't too important in open politics or that well recorded until around the 100's BC. But there are many that even I can remember such as Fulvia, Julia (daughter of Caesar), both Aggripinas, Theodora etc.
I myself have never read much on the topic and I wouldn't even know where to look but at least I have Julia Domna here to keep tapping into these resources. I suspect he could go on for an eternity writing about Roman women and still have a few others that could be written about.

Much like Julia Domna though I didn't have the slightest clue who Julia Maesa was until now.

[Flavius Julius Nepos Augustus]

Intresting article. Good perspective on multiple fronts (woman history, their role in the history of the Roman empire, more hidden politics etc.)
Do you think woman had more power in the later period? And if yes why?

[Captain Jupiter]

Very interested! You studied on Julia Maesa was perspective. Keep it up! I'd like to read more!