Pompeia Paulina
Encyclopedia
Pompeia Paulina was the wife of the statesman, philosopher, and orator Lucius Annaeus Seneca
, and she was part of a circle of educated Romans
who sought to lead a principled life under the emperor Nero
. Her husband was the emperor's tutor and later became his political adviser and minister. In 65 CE Nero demanded that Seneca commit suicide, having accused Seneca of taking part in the Pisonian conspiracy against him.
, Nero's tutor, it would be expected that she also wanted to die, and she did plan to kill herself. Seneca cut veins in his arms and legs, and Pompeia also slit her wrists, much to Seneca's dismay, though he didn't entirely disapprove. Upon learning that she was trying to kill herself, Nero
ordered that Pompeia not die, more to save face than to save her life. He sent several soldiers to ensure that her slaves and freedman bandaged her. Servants then made a tourniquet
, her arms were wrapped, and she survived.
After much rethinking, she decided to follow her dead husband's advice and continue with life, and served as caretaker to her husband's ceremony. However, after the suicide attempt, she was said to have been very frail, with an unusually pale face. She died a few years later never remarrying. She was therefore always known as "Seneca's wife" because of her devotion to her husband.
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
, and she was part of a circle of educated Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
who sought to lead a principled life under the emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
. Her husband was the emperor's tutor and later became his political adviser and minister. In 65 CE Nero demanded that Seneca commit suicide, having accused Seneca of taking part in the Pisonian conspiracy against him.
Suicide attempt
As Pompeia was wife of SenecaSeneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
, Nero's tutor, it would be expected that she also wanted to die, and she did plan to kill herself. Seneca cut veins in his arms and legs, and Pompeia also slit her wrists, much to Seneca's dismay, though he didn't entirely disapprove. Upon learning that she was trying to kill herself, Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
ordered that Pompeia not die, more to save face than to save her life. He sent several soldiers to ensure that her slaves and freedman bandaged her. Servants then made a tourniquet
Tourniquet
An emergency tourniquet is a tightly tied band applied around a body part sometimes used in an attempt to stop severe traumatic bleeding. Tourniquets are also used during venipuncture and other medical procedures. Severe bleeding means the loss of more than 1,000 ml of blood. This flow of blood...
, her arms were wrapped, and she survived.
After much rethinking, she decided to follow her dead husband's advice and continue with life, and served as caretaker to her husband's ceremony. However, after the suicide attempt, she was said to have been very frail, with an unusually pale face. She died a few years later never remarrying. She was therefore always known as "Seneca's wife" because of her devotion to her husband.
See also
- Pompeia Paulina is one of the 106 famous womenDe mulieribus clarisDe mulieribus claris is a collection of biographies of historical and mythological women by the Florentine author Giovanni Boccaccio, first published in 1374. It is notable as the first collection devoted exclusively to biographies of women in Western literature...
described by Giovanni BoccaccioGiovanni BoccaccioGiovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and poet, a friend, student, and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular...
as biography XCIV.