Everyone knows that in the Roman Empire sexuality did not have the moral connotations that it has today. Walls and floors decorated with sexual scenes were common in wealthy houses in Rome. But if there is a character that represents all this sexual lust and passion, it is Messalina. In SobreHistoria today we want to dedicate this space to learn a little more about this impressive woman Messalina-Biography and Symbol of lust.
The Empress Messalina
His full name was Valeria Messalina, was born in the year 25 AD and died in the year 48 AD, his father was the Consul Marco Valerio Mesala. Even though Messalina belonged to the imperial familyits economic situation was not the one that should correspond to him by kinship. Largely due to the little relevance of his father in politics and the squandering of the family fortune by his mother.
This was the reason, the lack of a good dowry, why Messalina could not choose to improve his position economically by marriage, not even aspiring to attract some renowned official. She could only choose to accept as a suitor one of the most deformed beings at court.
Senator Claudius he was a man of advanced age, but rich, his gait was ungainly perhaps due to his obvious limp, a very sickly man with a stutter, to this we must add the fame of Idiot that preceded him. It was Claudius uncle of the Emperor of Rome, Caligula.
When Claudius met Messalina, her beauty and youth captivated him and she accepted him, becoming the third wife. This union was an improvement in family status and a surprise. After the assassination of Caligula, it was the praetorian guard itself who appointed Claudius as the new Emperor of Romeperhaps as a mockery of the institution.
Now Messalina I had the position I had always wanted, but did not settle for that. With a husband madly in love with her, Messalina he got all his personal desires as were his expensive whims, which included the revenge killing of some lovers or politicians.
Messalina gave birth to two children Británico and Claudia Octavia, who would become the wife of Emperor Nero. Messalina was very important in the political decisions made by the Emperor. However, it went down in history for other reasons.
Messalina She was a very beautiful woman, slim, tall, with elegant movements and a seductive smile.he took advantage of all these qualities in his favor by maintaining different relationships with members of the nobility, gladiators, soldiers, actors, writers, etc., thus earning the fame of unfaithful and fiery woman.
Death of Messalina
Messalina did not stop tempting fate, their love encounters were becoming more frequent seemed to need new emotions and more and more intense, until the last of the whims arrived. Taking advantage of the fact that her husband was in Ostia, Messalina decided to marry her lover Gaius Silo, a handsome consul of good standing and above all, totally in love with Messalina.
The idea was wresting the Empire from Claudiusorganizing a plot to end his lifein this way Silo could seize power as the new Emperor, we must not forget that Silo comes from a Patrician family. these plans were heard and made known to Claudio.
Seeing the Emperor as his life and position was in danger, gave order to kill both lovers both Shiloh and his wife Messalina. The first to die was Silo, before this Messalina implored to see the Emperor convinced that with her arts she would revoke the order of his execution, but she did not give him time. Freed Narcissus gave order in the name of the Emperor and Messalina died and with her the rest of the conspirators.
Meaning of Messalina
Messalina was the feminine form of the name Mesalabut after the appearance in the story of the Empress Messalina, this name comes associated with lust, cruelty, and even greed.
It is not known very well if it is fiction or reality, but the name of Messalina has been throughout history a symbol of lust, of femininity. Messalina meant passion, unrestrained sex, it is said that it was a woman who lived by and for sex. The love stories of him are found in various sources such as Suetonius or Tacitus.
A woman with fire in her body and a long list of lovers who begin on the same wedding night, where it is said that when Claudius and Messalina were alone in their rooms the wedding night, noticing his sticky and soft hand and after discovering the rest of the defects that his body contained, his belly, the big bald head, etc. She couldn’t help it and closed his eyes wishing that the loving act finished as soon as possible.
When Claudio fell asleep, Messalina went out into the garden to breathe fresh air, there he discovered a young slave whose name was Ithamar. Seeing him, she approached and after unbuttoning her clothes offered to be caressed. At least their wedding night would have a happy ending.
This is the first infidelity that is related of Messalina, but it would be that, the first. It is said of her that in her own palace she received her lovers and that they enjoyed her with the whipping that Messalina received or with those that she gave, coining for the first time the term masochism. Sex with pain as a way to achieve the greatest sexual pleasure. Other lovers were:
- Daffodilwho was publicly laughed at for his attributes
- Lucius Vitellius, an absolute slave to the beauty of Messalina
- Pallasfor being the administrator of the coffers of the Empire
- Vinicionephew of the emperor
- Sabinefor his hair and for his pleasant smell
- titusa boy of only 15 years
- Mnesteractor
He also made regular visits to the most dangerous neighborhood in Rome, that of Suburra. In this place she would work as a prostitute. The chronicles say that one night after having spent a large part of it in the Suburra neighborhood, Messalina arrived at the Palace. There a praetorian guard hailed her, due to his way of dressing he did not recognize the Empress. She asked him if she knew who she was, before the answer of the guard who described her as a prostituteMessalina nodded.
He asked him how much money he had, he only had a couple of coins, coins that seemed enough to the Empress and there in the gatehouse itself, they let themselves be carried away by the pleasures of sex. The stories say that those coins were kept by Messalina in a gold chest, to remember that beautiful night.
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