Julia Avita Mamaea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julia Avita Mamaea
Augusta
Bust of Julia Mamaea, Louvre
Augusta of the Roman Empire
Reign	13 March 222 – 19 March 235
Predecessor	Julia Soaemias and Julia Maesa
Successor	Caecilia Paulina
Co-Augustae	Julia Maesa (222–224) Sallustia Orbiana (226–227)
Born	After 180 AD Emesa, Syria
Died	235 AD Germania Superior
Spouse	Unknown consul (1st husband) Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus (2nd husband)
Issue	Alexander Severus Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus (possibly) Theoclia (possibly)
Full name Julia Avita Mamaea Regnal name Julia Avita Mamaea Augusta
Dynasty	Severan
Father	Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus
Mother	Julia Maesa

Julia Avita Mamaea (born between 180 and 190 AD, died 235 AD) was an important woman from Syria in the Roman Empire. She was part of the powerful Severan dynasty. Julia Mamaea was the mother of Alexander Severus, who became a Roman emperor. She was a main advisor to her son throughout his time as emperor. Sadly, she and her son were killed in 235 AD by rebel soldiers.

Julia Mamaea's Family Background

Antoninianus of Julia Maesa

Antoninianus of Julia Mamaea

Julia Avita Mamaea was the second daughter of Julia Maesa. Her mother was a very powerful Roman woman who came from Syria. Her father was Gaius Julius Avitus Alexianus, a Syrian noble. Julia Mamaea was also the niece of Empress Julia Domna and Emperor Septimius Severus. Her sister was Julia Soaemias Bassiana. Julia Mamaea grew up in Emesa, which is now called Homs in Syria. Her family was very important and influential there.

Julia Mamaea was married twice. Her first husband was a former Roman consul, but we don't know his name. Her son, Severus Alexander, was born in 208 AD. Some historians believe he might have been from this first marriage. Her second husband was Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus, a Syrian official. With him, she might have had another son, Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus, and a daughter named Theoclia.

When her cousin, Emperor Caracalla, was killed, Macrinus became emperor. But Julia Mamaea's mother, Julia Maesa, and her sister, Julia Soaemias, started a rebellion. They wanted Soaemias' son, Elagabalus, to be emperor instead. Because of this, Macrinus's supporters killed many people connected to Elagabalus, including Julia Mamaea's husband, Gessius, around 218 AD. Julia Mamaea made sure her son Alexander received a good education. Alexander respected his mother's advice and often followed it.

Julia Mamaea During Elagabalus's Reign (218-222)

Bust of Julia Mamaea, Pushkin Museum

As a member of the Roman imperial family, Julia Mamaea was close to her aunt, Julia Domna. She saw what happened when her cousin Caracalla died and her nephew Elagabalus became emperor. Elagabalus was the oldest grandson of Julia Maesa and was her favorite at first. When Elagabalus successfully took power, Julia Mamaea and her son, Alexander, were at the imperial court. Her mother, Julia Maesa, and her sister, Julia Soaemias (Elagabalus's mother), also lived there.

Elagabalus behaved in ways that many Romans found strange. This made him and his mother, Julia Soaemias, lose the support of the Praetorian Guard. The Praetorian Guard were the emperor's personal bodyguards. Their favor then shifted to Alexander, Julia Mamaea's son. Julia Mamaea gave gold to the Praetorians to gain their support for Alexander. She also protected Alexander from plots made by Elagabalus, who was becoming more desperate. Elagabalus's actions against Alexander led the Praetorians to kill Elagabalus. After this, Alexander became emperor in 222 AD.

Julia Mamaea's Influence During Alexander's Reign

Julia Mamaea and her mother, Julia Maesa, were very important in helping Alexander become emperor. They made sure the Praetorian Guard was loyal to him. Alexander was only 13 years old when he became emperor. Both women remained powerful figures during his time as ruler. Julia Mamaea received the special title of Augusta right after Alexander became emperor.

The two women worked together to choose 16 respected senators to form an advisory group. They also relied a lot on a lawyer named Ulpian, who was also from Syria. This meant that the advisory group largely ran the Roman Empire, with Alexander as the main leader. This new way of governing was praised by historians. It reversed the unpopular decisions of Elagabalus and brought back a more traditional style of government. Julia Maesa died around 224 AD. Ulpian, who was very influential early in Alexander's reign, was made the head of the Praetorian Guard. However, he couldn't control the Praetorians, and they eventually rebelled. Even though Julia Mamaea and Alexander tried to protect him, Ulpian was killed around 223 or 228 AD.

As Alexander grew older, he continued to respect his mother and listen to her advice. She went with him on his military campaigns. Like her aunt, Julia Domna, Julia Mamaea held many important titles besides Augusta. These titles included "mother of the emperor, the camp, the senate, and the country" and "mother of all humanity." Some historians said that Alexander was very much influenced by his mother. They also said he resented her love of money. Because of Mamaea's strong influence, some people even called him "Alexander Mamaeae." While she was praised for raising her son well and for the stability of his early reign, some historians blamed Mamaea for Alexander's military weaknesses. By trying to protect him from battles, Mamaea might have made his relationship with the army worse.

According to one historian, Herodian, Julia Mamaea became jealous of Alexander's wife, Sallustia Orbiana, whom he married in 225 AD. Julia Mamaea didn't like that there was another Augusta. She had Orbiana removed from the palace and had Orbiana's father executed. This happened even though Alexander didn't want it, because his mother had too much power over him. However, the same historian also says that Julia Mamaea chose Sallustia Orbiana to be an Augusta. The downfall of Orbiana's father and the killing of Ulpian show how much political scheming happened early in Alexander's reign.

Julia Mamaea also invited Origen, a famous Christian leader from Alexandria, to teach her about Christian beliefs.

How Julia Mamaea Died

After a military trip to stop a Persian invasion in 232 AD, Julia Mamaea and her son went north to deal with a German attack. Alexander upset the Roman legions along the Rhine River. He lacked military skill and was not flexible about their demands for pay. Because of this, the troops declared Maximinus Thrax as the new emperor in 235 AD. The army also blamed Julia Mamaea for Alexander's lack of action. On March 21, 235 AD, soldiers sent to kill Alexander found him with his mother in a tent. Both mother and son were killed together, which brought an end to the Severan dynasty. The new government then tried to erase their memory, a practice called damnatio memoriae.

Severan dynasty family tree

See also

• In Spanish: Julia Mamea para niños