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Message:: [QUOTE="Herodotus, post: 4506294, member: 111387"]<img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Julia_Cornelia_Paula_-_Palazzo_Nuovo_-_Musei_Capitolini_-_Rome_2016.jpg/412px-Julia_Cornelia_Paula_-_Palazzo_Nuovo_-_Musei_Capitolini_-_Rome_2016.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />(mishmashed from other sources) In April of 217 AD, the emperor Caracalla was assassinated by Marcellus Opellius Macrinus - who became emperor. Caracalla’s aunt, Julia Maesa, began a revolt in order to have her grandson Elagabalus named emperor instead. Although Elagabalus was named emperor on May 16 of 218 CE, Macrinus wasn’t officially defeated until June 8. As emperor, Elagabalus took the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus. He was 14 years old. Despite Rome’s best efforts to make it so that no one remembered his reign at all, it is remembered — mostly for sex scandals and a total disregard for Roman tradition. The sweet and seemingly innocent young lady depicted on the coin shown below played a not-inconsequential role in one of the most bizarre reigns in Roman history.The daughter of Rome’s Praetorian prefect, Julia Cornelia Paula was betrothed and married to the newly installed emperor Elagabalus in the summer of AD 219. The marriage was arranged by the emperor’s powerful grandmother, Julia Maesa, who wished to make the reign of a 15-year-old Syrian youth of ambiguous sexuality palatable to the Roman populace. The wedding was accompanied by extravagant public spectacles and Julia Paula was immediately granted the title of Augusta, making her one of three women bearing the title in the female-dominated regime, the other two being Julia Maesa and the emperor’s mother, Julia Soaemias. Elagabalus also gave his mother and grandmother very important positions in the government, including Senate seats. (making them the first women allowed in the Senate — imagine how well that went over). They probably were responsible for a number of the decisions Elagabalus made — because, like, what 14 year old (who had nothing to do with government until his grandmother installed him in power) is going to be doing things with money -- like reducing the purity of the silver used in the denarius and demonetizing the antoninianus? Which, of course, ticked a lot of people off as well, because that was their money he was making worthless. The marriage soon foundered as Elagabalus found his new bride’s sexual mores too conventional for his liking. Elagabalus, you see, was a cross-dressing, sun-worshipping exotic dancer who chose his counselors based on the size of their, um, male sexual equipment. He took little interest in actual governing, leaving this to his ferocious grandmother. Julia Paula, to all appearances, was a very traditional Roman virgin from a good family; nothing could be more dull to a young man of Elagabalus‘ tastes. He summarily divorced her late in AD 220 or early in 221, only to turn around and marry the Vestal Virgin Aquilia Severa, a move which scandalized the Roman world all the more. Elagabalus would also divorce Aquilia Severa a few months later and take one more crack at conventional matrimony with Annia Faustina, a descendant of Marcus Aurelius. This match also foundered quickly and the never-satisfied emperor returned briefly to Aquilia Severa before being murdered along with his mother by the Praetorians. Elagabalus did have some stable relationships in his life but pretty much exclusively with men. He married an athlete named Zoticus in a very public ceremony and he gave Zoticus a high-ranking administrative position within the government. But his most stable, and most famous, relationship was with a charioteer (and slave) named Hierocles. Although there’s no record of an actual marriage ceremony, Elagabalus referred to Hierocles as his husband and reportedly delighted in being called Hierocles’ wife or mistress or queen. He attempted to get Hierocles the title of Caesar, but couldn’t manage to get the Senate on board with that. Elagabalus also developed a reputation for wearing cosmetics, painting his eyes, and plucking his body hair. He would put on wigs and then prostitute himself in taverns, brothels, and even in the imperial palace. He was said to have agents who were hired to act as his lovers and leave him payments — and he is also said to have bragged to other prostitutes that he was more beautiful, had more lovers, and made more money. Reportedly, he was also offering tons of money to any doctor or surgeon who could equip him with female genitals. Anyways, by 221 CE the Praetorian Guard — the Roman soldiers who personally saw to the emperor’s security — had basically had it with Elagabalus, largely because of his doting on the slave Hierocles.  Julia Maesa, his grandmother, finally realized that he wasn’t the best choice to be emperor and decided to replace him with her other daughter’s son — Severus Alexander. She convinced Elagabalus to name Severus Alexander heir to the throne. This worked well at first, until Elagabalus began to notice that the Praetorian Guard liked Severus Alexander better. Elagabalus responded by trying to have Alexander assassinated — which failed. More than once. So, instead, he stripped Alexander of his titles and power and started a rumor that Alexander was dying. The Praetorian Guard rioted and demanded that both Elagabalus and Severus Alexander make an appearance at their camp. On March 11, 222 CE Heliogabalus gave in to the demands of the Praetorian Guards and showed up at their camp with his mother Julia Soaemias and Severus Alexander. Since Alexander was perfectly healthy, the Praetorian Guard cheered for him. Elagabalus was not happy, so he ordered everyone who cheered to be executed. Instead, the Praetorian Guard attacked him and his mom. They were both killed, beheaded, and then dragged through the streets of Rome. His mother’s body was lost somewhere in the streets, and Elagabalus’ corpse was tossed into the Tiber River. His replacement, the docile and conventional Severus Alexander, was no happier on the matrimonial front, but that is another story… Julia Paula retired from public life and seems to have survived the chaotic and comical reign of her former husband with her virtue and reputation intact.  Feel free to post your coins of Julia Paula...<img src="https://www.imgonline.com.ua/result_img/imgonline-com-ua-resize-ZH3MIBUlDyR5bJ.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />Julia Paula AR Denarius (Augusta 219-220 AD) Rome O: IVLIA PAVLA AVG; Draped bust rightR: CONCORDIA; Concordia seated left, holding patera in right hand, and resting left elbow on back of throne; star in left field RIC IV 211[/QUOTE]

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