Latest / Nero: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Emperor? — Fexingo History
The Tragedy of Octavia: Nero's First Wife
Claudius's daughter Octavia was married to Nero as a child bride, a political pawn in the Julio-Claudian power games. Her quiet dignity and the Roman people's love for her stood in stark contrast to Nero's affair with Poppaea Sabina. When Nero divorced her to marry Poppaea, the public rioted in her support, overturning statues and cursing the new empress. But Nero's retaliation was brutal. He framed Octavia for adultery with the prefect Anicetus, exiled her to Pandateria, and had her executed with veins opened in a steaming bath. Tacitus and Suetonius preserve the…
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