Prisca (empress)
Encyclopedia
Prisca was the Empress of Rome
and wife of Emperor Diocletian
.
. The faces of Diocletian and his wife can be made out on the busts in the medallions of the frieze inside the Mausoleum of Diocletian (today the Cathedral of Split).
When Diocletian retired to Spalatum
in 305, Prisca stayed with her daughter, Galeria Valeria
and son-in-law, Galerius
in Thessalonica.
When Galerius died in 311, Licinius
was entrusted with the care of Prisca and her daughter Valeria. The two women, however, fled from Licinius to Maximinus Daia. After a short time, Valeria refused the marriage proposal of Maximinus, who arrested and confined her in Syria
and confiscated her properties. At the death of Maximinus, Licinius had Prisca and her daughter killed.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and wife of Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
.
Biography
Nothing is known of her family background. Although she was a Christian or favorably disposed to Christianity, she was forced to sacrifice to the gods during the Great Persecution of 303Diocletian Persecution
The Diocletianic Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. In 303, Emperor Diocletian and Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding the legal rights of Christians and demanding that they comply with traditional Roman...
. The faces of Diocletian and his wife can be made out on the busts in the medallions of the frieze inside the Mausoleum of Diocletian (today the Cathedral of Split).
When Diocletian retired to Spalatum
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
in 305, Prisca stayed with her daughter, Galeria Valeria
Galeria Valeria
Galeria Valeria was the daughter of Roman Emperor Diocletian and wife of his co-emperor Galerius.Born as Valeria to Diocletian and Prisca, she married Galerius in 293, when her father elevated him to the position of Caesar...
and son-in-law, Galerius
Galerius
Galerius , was Roman Emperor from 305 to 311. During his reign he campaigned, aided by Diocletian, against the Sassanid Empire, sacking their capital Ctesiphon in 299. He also campaigned across the Danube against the Carpi, defeating them in 297 and 300...
in Thessalonica.
When Galerius died in 311, Licinius
Licinius
Licinius I , was Roman Emperor from 308 to 324. Co-author of the Edict of Milan that granted official toleration to Christians in the Roman Empire, for the majority of his reign he was the rival of Constantine I...
was entrusted with the care of Prisca and her daughter Valeria. The two women, however, fled from Licinius to Maximinus Daia. After a short time, Valeria refused the marriage proposal of Maximinus, who arrested and confined her in 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. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...
and confiscated her properties. At the death of Maximinus, Licinius had Prisca and her daughter killed.