The Secret Lives of Julio-Claudian Wives (Part 3)

In our last episode, Livia and Octavia were at each other’s throats over which one of their sons would be chosen as Augustus’ heir. The unfortunate thing is that the heirs kept dying.

Meanwhile, the daughter and granddaughter of Augustus—Julia the Elder and Agrippina the Elder—were the first generations of the new autocracy. They never knew democracy—and from the beginning, they complied with Augustus’ vision for women: get married young, to whoever he told you to, and have many, many children.

These girls complied, and paid a terrible price for the kingdom their foremothers built—a price we’re still paying today. Get the show notes here.