OCR A-Level Ancient History H407
Relations Between Greek States and Non-Greek States, 492–404 BC
The Society and Politics of Sparta, 478–404 BC
The Culture and Politics of Athens, c.460–c.399 BC
The Rise of Macedon, c.359–323 BC
The Julio-Claudian Emperors, 31 BC–AD 68
The Breakdown of the Late Republic, 88–31 BC
The Flavians, AD 68–96
Ruling Roman Britain, AD 43–c.128
The Julio-Claudian Emperors, 31 BC–AD 68
Claudius' wives, freedmen and the government of Rome
- 2 things to know
- Component Group 2
Overview
Recall questions on Messalina, Valerius Asiaticus and her fall with Silius, Agrippina's marriage and gains, Seneca and Burrus, the freedmen Narcissus, Pallas and Callistus and senatorial resentment, Claudius as censor, equestrian procurators, Gallic senators, Ostia and the aqueducts, the Fucine Lake, the grain trade, new provinces, the letter to the Alexandrians, and the harbour and pomerium inscriptions.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
How is Messalina said to have used her position?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
Who was Messalina?
Model answer
She was Claudius' third wife, married shortly before his accession, and the mother of Britannicus and Octavia.
- 2
How is Messalina said to have used her position?
Model answer
The sources accuse her of destroying rivals through trumped-up prosecutions and of extraordinary sexual licence.
- 3
State the fate of Valerius Asiaticus.
Model answer
He was driven to suicide in AD 47 on charges pressed by Messalina, who was said to have coveted his gardens.
- 4
Describe the fall of Messalina in AD 48.
Model answer
While Claudius was at Ostia she went through a public wedding ceremony with the consul-designate Gaius Silius, and Narcissus convinced the emperor that a coup was intended.
- 5
What happened to Messalina after her exposure?
Model answer
She was killed in the gardens of Lucullus on the orders of Narcissus before Claudius could relent, and her name was erased from public monuments.
- 6
Why did Claudius' marriage to Agrippina in AD 49 require a change in the law?
Model answer
She was his brother's daughter, and marriage to a niece had to be legalised by a decree of the Senate.
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