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Anna Aurelia Galeria Lucilla is a character whose fate strictly intertwines with the political intrigues of imperial Rome.
She was the daughter of Marcus Aurelius, one of the most influential and respected emperors in history, and Faustina younger. Her life ended tragically on her brother’s order, Emperor of Commodus.
Youth and political marriage
Lucilla was born on March 7, 148 or 150 CE. as the daughter of an imperial couple. At a young age, she was engaged to Lucius Verus, who ruled with her father. Earlier, her mother was engaged with Verus.
The marriage of Lucilla, concluded in 164 CE, was a political alliance aimed at strengthening the stability of the Antonine dynasty. Together with him, she received the title of Augusta, which gave her prestige and a high position outside.
Lucius Verus died in 169 CE, returning from the eastern campaign, and Lucilla married the influential senator Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus, even though she was supposedly not satisfied with this relationship. She considered him someone worse in status than her, and he was much older than her. However, she gave birth to his son, Pompeianus, who would later be convicted by caesar Carakalla. Despite losing the position of the imperial spouse, she still had significant influence in Roman politics.
Unfortunately, she fell into conflict with her sister-in-law, wife of Emperor Commodus, Bruttia Crispina. This political and personal struggle had far -reaching consequences that ended tragically for Lucilla.
Beginning of the competition
Lucilla, as the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and widow of co-ager Lucius Verus, had great political ambitions. After taking power from her younger brother Commodus, her importance in the political arena began to decrease. The situation was deteriorated by the fact that Commodus was the husband of Crispina, a woman of a strong character who quickly gained influence.
Lucilla, accustomed to exercising power and being an empress, did not intend to easily give way to the new ruler. The sharp competition between both women was visible at the Roman court. Kryspina, having her husband’s full support, sought to strengthen her position, which threatened Lucilla’s ambitions.
Conspiracy against Commodus
The autocratic and brutal style of governing Commodus quickly aroused anxiety among senators and members of the imperial family. Fearing that her brother would plunge the empire in chaos, Lucilla in 182 CE. She got involved in a conspiracy aimed at overthrowing it.
Together with other aristocrats, she supported an alternative candidate for the emperor, but the assassination of the Commodus ended in a fiasco. The plot was quickly detected and Lucilla was captured and sent to Capri. Shortly afterwards, at the order of her brother, she was lost there.
Heritage and image in culture
Lucilla remains an intriguing figure, on the one hand intelligent and ambitious, on the other, sentenced to failure in a clash with her brother who did not tolerate any threats to his power. Her story has inspired many popular culture works, including Gladiator (2000) and Gladiator 2 (2024), where her character was presented loosely based on the facts of the script.
In The Fall of the Roman Empire, Lucilla (the great Sophia Loren in this role) is also a key figure entangled in political intrigues and family conflicts. Her relations with her father, brother, and beloved, general Livius (probably the partial counterpart of Verus), are the main thread. The film shows complicated relationships between members of the imperial family. The film, however, differs very much from historical truth.
Although Lucilla did not have the opportunity to influence the course of history, as the films show, she was a strong woman when she dared to appear against her brother.
Her fate shows how dangerous life in the imperial family was. Even close relatives could not feel safe in a world where ambition and intrigue could lead to loss at any time.
