Julia Maesa

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Julia Maesa

Julia Maesa (May 7, ca. 165 AD–ca. August 3, 224

224

Events...
) was a Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC....
citizenShahid, Irfan (1984). Rome and The Arabs: A Prolegomenon to the Study of Byzantium and the Arabs and daughter of Julius Bassianus

Julius Bassianus

Julius Bassianus was an Arab, who lived in the second and third century AD. Bassianus was a high priest for the Temple of the Sun, which was adored in a shape of a black stone....
, priest of the sun god Heliogabalus, the patron god of Emesa (modern Homs

Homs

Hims Hims did not emerge into the light of history until the 1st century BCE at the time of Seleucids. It later became the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Royal Family of Emesa who gave the city its name....
) in the Roman province

Roman province

In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of the Italia ....
of Syria

Syria (Roman province)

Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War....
, and grandmother of both the Roman emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office: Latin language titles such as imperator , Augustus , Caesar and princeps were all associated with it....
s Elagabalus

Elagabalus

Elagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus or Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, was a Roman Emperor of the Severan dynasty who reigned from 218 to 222....
and Alexander Severus

Alexander Severus

Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, commonly called Alexander Severus, was the last Roman Emperors of the Severan dynasty, having succeeded, as heir apparent, his despised cousin, the eighteen year old Elagabalus who had been murdered along with his mother by his own guards—and as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into...
—and figured prominently in the ascention of each to the title at the age of fourteen.

Like her younger sister Julia Domna

Julia Domna

Julia Domna was a member of the Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire. Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus and mother of Emperors Publius Septimius Geta and Caracalla, Julia was among the most important women ever to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman Empire....
, she was among the most important women to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.

Julia Maesa was married to Syrian noble Julius Avitus

Julius Avitus

Julius Avitus or his full name Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus, was a Syrian noble that lived in the 2nd century and 3rd century. He originally came from Emesa ....
and had two daughters Julia Soaemias

Julia Soaemias

Julia Soaemias Bassiana was the mother of Roman Emperor Elagabalus and ruled over the Roman Empire during the minority of her son's rule.Julia was the daughter of Julia Maesa, a powerful Women in Rome of Syrian origin, and Syrian noble Julius Avitus....
and Julia Avita Mamaea

Julia Avita Mamaea

Julia Avita Mamaea was the second daughter of Julia Maesa, a powerful Women in Rome of Syrian Arab origin and Syrian noble Julius Avitus. She was a niece of empress Julia Domna and Roman Emperor Septimius Severus and sister of Julia Soaemias....
each one mother of an emperor.

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Encyclopedia

Julia Maesa (May 7, ca. 165 AD–ca. August 3, 224

224

Events...
) was a Roman

Ancient Rome

Julius Bassianus

Homs

Roman province

In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of the Italia ....
of Syria

Syria (Roman province)

Roman Emperor

Elagabalus

Elagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus or Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, was a Roman Emperor of the Severan dynasty who reigned from 218 to 222....
and Alexander Severus

Alexander Severus

Julia Domna

Roman Empire

Julius Avitus

Julia Soaemias

Julia Avita Mamaea

Septimius Severus

Lucius Septimius Severus was a Roman Empire general, and Roman Emperor from April 14 193 to 211. He was born in what is now the Libyan part of Rome's historic Africa Province, making him the first emperor to be born in the Roman province of Africa Province....
, Julia Maesa moved to Rome to live with her sister. After the murder of her nephew, the emperor Caracalla

Caracalla

Caracalla , born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later called Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus, was the eldest son of Septimius Severus and Roman Emperor from 211 – 217....
, and the suicide of Julia Domna, she was compelled to return to Syria. But the new emperor Macrinus

Macrinus

Marcus Opellius Macrinus was Roman Empire Roman Emperors for fourteen months in 217 and 218. Macrinus was the first emperor to become so without membership in the senatorial class and the first emperor of Mauretania descent....
did not proscribe her and allowed her to keep her money.

Once back in Syria and possessed of ample funds, Maesa engaged in a plot to overthrow Macrinus and place one of her grandsons, Elagabalus son of Julia Soaemias, in his place. In order to legitimise this pretension, mother and daughter fomented the rumor that the 14 year old boy was Caracalla's illegitimate son. The two Julias were successful, mainly due to the fact that Macrinus was of an obscure origin without the proper political connections, and Elagabalus became emperor.

For her loyalty and support, Elagabalus honored Julia Maesa with the title Augusta avia Augusti (Augusta, grandmother of Augustus). When the teenager proved to be a disaster as emperor scorning Roman values with both religious and sexual scandals (even taking the liberty of marrying a Vestal virgin

Vestal Virgin

In Ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins , were the virgin holy female priests of Vesta , the goddess of the hearth. Their primary task was to maintain the sacred fire of Vesta....
among a rumored five wives during his brief four years reign), Julia Maesa decided to promote instead her fourteen year-old grandson Alexander Severus

Alexander Severus

Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander, commonly called Alexander Severus, was the last Roman Emperors of the Severan dynasty, having succeeded, as heir apparent, his despised cousin, the eighteen year old Elagabalus who had been murdered along with his mother by his own guards—and as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into...
.

She convinced Elagabalus to adopt Alexander as his heir and he was murdered shortly afterwards by the praetorian guard

Praetorian Guard

The Praetorian Guard was a special force of guards used by Roman empire List of Roman Emperorss. Before being appropriated for the use of the Emperors' personal guards, the title was used for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC....
along side his mother, both being thrown into the Tiber river in contempt after being dragged from the palace and through the streets, when a rumor circulated that Alexander had died.

Julia Maesa died in an uncertain date around 226 and like her sister Domna before her, was deified.

Julia Maesa

See also

External links