older sister of Octavian
(Augustus),
second wife of Marc
Antony &
maternal grandmother of Claudius
While Antony was
wintering with Cleopatra in Alexandria (41-40
BCE), his first
wife [Fulvia] feuded with his fellow triumvir [Octavian] in
Rome. The next spring she traveled to Greece to confront Antony,
where she died. Antony returned to Rome & confirmed his
alliance with Octavian by marrying the latter's recently widowed
sister, who over the next four years bore him two daughters
[both named Antonia]. When Antony returned to the East (36 BCE),
Octavia dutifully accompanied him to his mansion in Greece but fell ill &
returned to Rome. That was the last time she saw her husband,
who returned to Cleopatra in Alexandria.
As news reached Rome of
Antony's public liaison, Octavia remained a loyal wife &
mother. Even after Antony divorced her (32 BCE), she never
remarried. After his death, she devoted herself to raising not
only her own daughters but also Antony's children by his first
wife & his three children by Cleopatra: Alexander, Cleopatra
& Ptolemy. When she died, her brother had the Senate declare
her a goddess.
References:
Suetonius, Life
of Augustus 61.
Plutarch, Parallel
Lives: Antony
30-35, 53-54, 57, 87.
Other resources on
line: