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Messalina: The Life and Times of Rome’s Most Scandalous Empress
This is the story of Messalina – third wife of Emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women to have inhabited the Roman world.
The scandalous image of the Empress Messalina as a ruthless and sexually insatiable schemer, derived from the work of Roman historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius, has taken deep root in the Western imagination. The stories they told about her included nightly visits to a brothel and a twenty-four-hour sex competition with a prostitute. Tales like these have defined the empress's legacy, but her real story is much more complex.
In her new life of Messalina, the classicist Honor Cargill-Martin reappraises one of the most slandered and underestimated female figures of ancient history. Looking beyond the salacious anecdotes, she finds a woman battling to assert her position in the overwhelmingly male world of imperial Roman politics – and succeeding. Intelligent, passionate, and ruthless when she needed to be, Messalina's story encapsulates the cut-throat political manoeuvring and unimaginable luxury of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in its heyday.
Cargill-Martin sets out not to 'salvage' Messalina's reputation, but to look at her life in the context of her time. Above all, she seeks to reclaim the humanity of a life story previously circumscribed by currents of high politics and patriarchy.
The scandalous image of the Empress Messalina as a ruthless and sexually insatiable schemer, derived from the work of Roman historians such as Tacitus and Suetonius, has taken deep root in the Western imagination. The stories they told about her included nightly visits to a brothel and a twenty-four-hour sex competition with a prostitute. Tales like these have defined the empress's legacy, but her real story is much more complex.
In her new life of Messalina, the classicist Honor Cargill-Martin reappraises one of the most slandered and underestimated female figures of ancient history. Looking beyond the salacious anecdotes, she finds a woman battling to assert her position in the overwhelmingly male world of imperial Roman politics – and succeeding. Intelligent, passionate, and ruthless when she needed to be, Messalina's story encapsulates the cut-throat political manoeuvring and unimaginable luxury of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in its heyday.
Cargill-Martin sets out not to 'salvage' Messalina's reputation, but to look at her life in the context of her time. Above all, she seeks to reclaim the humanity of a life story previously circumscribed by currents of high politics and patriarchy.
475 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2023
193 people are currently reading
6829 people want to read
About the author
Honor Cargill-Martin
11 books116 followersA twenty-four year old from London, Honor read Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at Oxford, where she won a scholarship before graduating with a first-class degree in 2019. She remained at Oxford to study for a masters degree in Greek and Roman History, graduating with a Distinction. Honor completed a second masters in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute in London, where she was awarded a Distinction for work focusing on the art of the Italian - and especially the Venetian - Renaissance. She is currently studying for a doctorate focusing on political sex scandals in Ancient Rome at Christ Church College Oxford.
Honor has published a number of fiction titles for children and teenagers. Her first non-fiction book Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery tells the story of the 1st century AD Roman empress Messalina, and reflects Honor’s passion for bringing to light the untold lives of historical women and for unpicking how gender and sexuality shape how we understand history.
Honor has published a number of fiction titles for children and teenagers. Her first non-fiction book Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery tells the story of the 1st century AD Roman empress Messalina, and reflects Honor’s passion for bringing to light the untold lives of historical women and for unpicking how gender and sexuality shape how we understand history.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
July 6, 2023
Messalina was a trust-fund baby with the real estate to prove it
Hmm, this is pretty uneven as a narrative with far too much space given, predictably, over to retelling the story of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from Augustus to Claudius via Tiberius and Caligula. There is also a lot of that provisional historical story-telling that asserts that because aristocratic Roman young women generally did or thought such a thing then Messalina must have done or thought the same - there isn't a jot of evidence which isn't Cargill-Martin's fault but it does mean that this 'history' has no solid foundation upon which to build.
Some of the reachings are particularly unsophisticated such as the literal readings of Catullus, Propertius, Ovid, Tibullus and Sulpicia who were writing erotic elegy during the reign of Augustus (late Republic in the case of Catullus) thus three emperors away from the life of Messalina but which are used to assert that adultery was commonplace in her circle. It might well have been but if it were then it doesn't really make sense that at least some of Messalina's notoriety precisely stems from her status as adulterer - why her if everyone was doing the same?
The assertion that Agrippina (the next wife of Claudius - and his niece - after the execution of Messalina) was the source of Messalina's later reputation might well be true - but, again, there's no evidence other than the fact that Agrippina wrote some autobiographical memoirs which didn't survive and which might have used the figure of Messalina to assert her own oppositional virtue. Maybe, maybe not - there's no evidence either way and given the fact that the writings are not extant, this is just a nice theory.
Towards the end, there is a chapter that records receptions of Messalina but each entry is barely more than an announcement without analysis. Amongst these is, of course, I, Claudius).
In the end, does this tell us anything new? No. But it's a lively-ish introduction to the ever-popular Julio-Claudian dynasty with a vaguely feminist-y slant.
February 22, 2023
Read via NetGalley.
It's incredibly hard to write modern biographies of ancient women. Not least because most ancient historians didn't care that much about women as individuals; they only mattered when they intersected with men (... not too different from many wikipedia entries today, actually), and also for Roman historians they were often used as literary devices - history writing being quite different in the first few centuries AD in Rome from what it is generally accepted to be in the West today. SO that leaves a serious paucity of information for the person who wants to write a serious biography of, say, Messalina. I have a fantastic biography of Agrippina the Younger on my shelf, which does a good job of trying to consider Agrippina as a person, rather than just a mother and/or power-mad; one of Theodora that is slightly less successful but made a valiant attempt. And now, at least, Messalina: a woman whose name has become a byword (and at one point medicalised) for the over-sexed and never-satisfied woman, whose sexual depravity was the source of her power, and whose only use of that power was evil.
I loved this biography a lot. Messalina was human! Who knew?
The author gives what I think is an excellent overview of the social and cultural and immediate historical situation in Rome in the early Julio-Claudian period, in particular looking at the ways in which expressions of and usage of power had been altered with the change (albeit begrudgingly accepted) from republic to empire. And the point is to situate Messalina within that. (Had I completely forgotten just how illustrious her lineage was? Oh yes. Perhaps I never really knew - descended from Mark Antony! And from Octavian/Augustus' sister! Very impressive.)
There's a good attempt at reconstructing just what sort of thing Messalina was doing after Claudius became emperor, as well as logical (rather than misogynistic) rationale for it: like she's shoring up her own power base, and that of Claudius, and that of her son. The arguments here are persuasive, although of course we'll never know. I particularly liked that Cargill-Martin never tries to completely purify Messalina: did she have affairs? Possibly; maybe even probably! Were other women doing so? yes. Could there actually be political as well as passionate reasons for doing so? Absolutely. Was it possible for Messalina to both want to have sex AND be a political actor? WHY YES, IT WAS.
Basically I think this is the sort of (properly) revisionist history that a nuanced understanding of women in history enables. Messalina can be treated as a human, as a worthy subject for serious history: she made mistakes, she made what we would think of today as some poor choices, she was constrained by her historical context, and she really didn't deserve the way that last 2000 years have treated her. Especially Juvenal's poetry; he can go jump.
Highly recommended particularly to anyone interested in early Roman empire history, or women's history.
It's incredibly hard to write modern biographies of ancient women. Not least because most ancient historians didn't care that much about women as individuals; they only mattered when they intersected with men (... not too different from many wikipedia entries today, actually), and also for Roman historians they were often used as literary devices - history writing being quite different in the first few centuries AD in Rome from what it is generally accepted to be in the West today. SO that leaves a serious paucity of information for the person who wants to write a serious biography of, say, Messalina. I have a fantastic biography of Agrippina the Younger on my shelf, which does a good job of trying to consider Agrippina as a person, rather than just a mother and/or power-mad; one of Theodora that is slightly less successful but made a valiant attempt. And now, at least, Messalina: a woman whose name has become a byword (and at one point medicalised) for the over-sexed and never-satisfied woman, whose sexual depravity was the source of her power, and whose only use of that power was evil.
I loved this biography a lot. Messalina was human! Who knew?
The author gives what I think is an excellent overview of the social and cultural and immediate historical situation in Rome in the early Julio-Claudian period, in particular looking at the ways in which expressions of and usage of power had been altered with the change (albeit begrudgingly accepted) from republic to empire. And the point is to situate Messalina within that. (Had I completely forgotten just how illustrious her lineage was? Oh yes. Perhaps I never really knew - descended from Mark Antony! And from Octavian/Augustus' sister! Very impressive.)
There's a good attempt at reconstructing just what sort of thing Messalina was doing after Claudius became emperor, as well as logical (rather than misogynistic) rationale for it: like she's shoring up her own power base, and that of Claudius, and that of her son. The arguments here are persuasive, although of course we'll never know. I particularly liked that Cargill-Martin never tries to completely purify Messalina: did she have affairs? Possibly; maybe even probably! Were other women doing so? yes. Could there actually be political as well as passionate reasons for doing so? Absolutely. Was it possible for Messalina to both want to have sex AND be a political actor? WHY YES, IT WAS.
Basically I think this is the sort of (properly) revisionist history that a nuanced understanding of women in history enables. Messalina can be treated as a human, as a worthy subject for serious history: she made mistakes, she made what we would think of today as some poor choices, she was constrained by her historical context, and she really didn't deserve the way that last 2000 years have treated her. Especially Juvenal's poetry; he can go jump.
Highly recommended particularly to anyone interested in early Roman empire history, or women's history.
March 9, 2024
Grippingly written, but the author seems a bit too partial to her subject matter for belief.
The argument that a woman whose heights of political intrigue were coming up with flimsy trumped-up charges for her enemies and rivals, who over-reached and antagonized her allies and who couldn't even manage the most basic discretions for her extra-marital affairs (while her husband was the emperor, no less) was really mostly a rational, intelligent political schemer with some lapses in judgement was an unconvincing one. I do not doubt that the level of character assassination history has reserved for Messalina was exaggerated, but this text goes too far in the other direction - it is too generous.
The book also overstays its welcome, with an interminable final chapter (that I suspect was lifted directly from the author's doctoral dissertation or other research paper) about the depiction of Messalina in art, movies, plays, poetry and novels.
The argument that a woman whose heights of political intrigue were coming up with flimsy trumped-up charges for her enemies and rivals, who over-reached and antagonized her allies and who couldn't even manage the most basic discretions for her extra-marital affairs (while her husband was the emperor, no less) was really mostly a rational, intelligent political schemer with some lapses in judgement was an unconvincing one. I do not doubt that the level of character assassination history has reserved for Messalina was exaggerated, but this text goes too far in the other direction - it is too generous.
The book also overstays its welcome, with an interminable final chapter (that I suspect was lifted directly from the author's doctoral dissertation or other research paper) about the depiction of Messalina in art, movies, plays, poetry and novels.
April 22, 2023
My take:
It’s no easy feat to write anything factual on the ancient world whilst in the modern day, because a lot of what we know was passed down mostly through hearsay and text, and as is the way, it’s all told from certain perspectives that are coloured depending on how you feel about the person you’re writing about. Add in writing about a woman from the ancient world and, well, best of luck to you because no one really cared about recording that much about them (because women are were inferior, duh).
Messalina has always fascinated me because she seemed to have been a badass woman for her time, and I learned a lot more about her from this book than I knew going into it. Cheers to my second favourite Roman gal!
A massive thumbs up and thank you to Honor Cargill-Martin for writing this biography, I can’t wait to read whatever you put out next.
Definitely give this one a read please and thank you, especially if you’re interested in ancient Rome and the Roman empire.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a proof of this one.
It’s no easy feat to write anything factual on the ancient world whilst in the modern day, because a lot of what we know was passed down mostly through hearsay and text, and as is the way, it’s all told from certain perspectives that are coloured depending on how you feel about the person you’re writing about. Add in writing about a woman from the ancient world and, well, best of luck to you because no one really cared about recording that much about them (because women are were inferior, duh).
Messalina has always fascinated me because she seemed to have been a badass woman for her time, and I learned a lot more about her from this book than I knew going into it. Cheers to my second favourite Roman gal!
A massive thumbs up and thank you to Honor Cargill-Martin for writing this biography, I can’t wait to read whatever you put out next.
Definitely give this one a read please and thank you, especially if you’re interested in ancient Rome and the Roman empire.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a proof of this one.
March 5, 2025
I picked this up for a buddy read in my Non Fiction Book Club. Much to my shame, I don't think I had ever heard of Messalina - or if I had, I had forgotten. The title of this book made me curious though, especially since I had recently read a book about Anne Boleyn which had similar aims (to counter the "whore" narrative so commonly attributed to powerful women who had their voices - and in Messalina's case as I would learn, their entire image and name - erased from history by men) so I decided to read this.
I listened to it on a long drive to visit family, and finished it in two sessions - basically half there, half back.
This was a challenging listen, mainly due to the litany of Roman names, and the repetition and similarity of women's names - Livia Drusilla, Julia Livilla, Julia, Agrippina the Elder, Agrippina the Younger, etc... but man was it fascinating. I found myself completely enthralled in this story, in this time, and although I knew how it would end (not only because the intro told me, as well as the first chapter relating the commonly known version of events of Messalina's last day), I still couldn't help but hope for a different outcome. This seems to be a trend for me lately. It was the case with Anne Boleyn's story, Henrietta Lacks's story, with the stories of the women Jack the Ripper killed, which I'm currently reading about in The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, and I doubt it will be the last time I hope for history to be better to women.
Seems unlikely.
I'll be honest though. I don't really understand how the history that has prevailed through the ages has depicted this woman the way it has. Is... Has critical thinking NEVER been a thing? Like... EVER?
I think more likely, men are and have always been willing to believe any convenient lie about women to retain power over us, no matter how implausible, how unlikely, how utterly ridiculous.
Picture this: You are the great-grandniece of (former) Emperor Augustus, second cousin of (current) Emperor Caligula and cousin of (future) Emperor Nero. You are part of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, which means that you are rich, well-connected, educated (as much as any woman of the time would be educated). You are being raised and groomed for a very high-powered marriage.
That marriage then makes you the wife of the Emperor's uncle. Caligula's aunt, as it were. Stepping much closer to power and influence. Your husband, Claudius, is much older, and kinda gross, but who cares? You are young, and beautiful, and living in the lap of luxury - as long as Caligula's whims allow it. You have a daughter - you are fertile. Excellent for you. You are pregnant with your second child, in a society that views bringing children into the world, you are looking at a mighty fine life even if this is it.
Then the Emperor's murdered, and some rando* Praetorian guard calls your hiding-behind-a-curtain husband the new Emperor. And suddenly, you're married to THE EMPEROR. Empress (Augusta) in all but name, since your hubs refuses that honor on your behalf in a fit of misogynist "humility". (*rando because come on, that's not how that works. Surely Claudius was in on that plan.)
Things get crazy for a while. There's some upheaval, as there always is with regime change, but you survive the first year... and you've given birth to the Emperor's son. A dynastic heir. This is VERY good for you and further solidifies your position.
You quickly learn the ways of court intrigue, get a little sneaky and sly to reinforce your power and remove potential obstacles or rivals, but the people love you. You are living the highest standard possible at the time. You attend nightly parties and soirees with the highest status guests, and not only attend them, but host them. You fulfill the roles and duties expected of you as wife to the emperor - attending the events, helping to consolidate and protect HIS power and authority and remove any obstacles there. All these things keep you more than occupied, day and night. Your image is everywhere - statues and art throughout the empire, and hell, you're even on the money.
Yet history would have us believe that after the parties, you leave the soft, comfortable bed that you share with the most politically powerful man in the empire, don a bad wig as a disguise, sneak past every Praetorian guard in Palatine villa, in town, trek all the way from the highest echelon of society right down to the poorest slums, so that you can whore yourself out for dozens of men every night because you're just so insatiable that only nonstop cock will do. And then, as the light of dawn starts coloring the horizon, you trek all the way back to that cushy bed, covered in the dirt and grime of your... activities... and climb in next to THE EMPORER without even bothering to wash your... hands.
Oh, and all of this is going on while Claudius (your husband, THE EMPEROR) is implementing some of the most draconianly misogynistic anti-adultery laws known to history.
We're supposed to believe that this high-born (hate the term, but it fits), cultured, educated woman who was groomed and prepared since birth would suddenly find herself, as a well-known, beloved EMPRESS so pressed for the D that she would sneak into literal gutters to let anyone and everyone ravage her... and there wasn't a SINGLE RUMOR ABOUT this until long AFTER her death. Not one peep from some Romebro who just had to tell his other Romebro Toddicus that he just rammed the Empress, and if Toddicus wants a piece, just show up at the slummy whorehouse by the ditch tomorrow night. Look for the blonde that looks just like the Empress.
Sure, dude.
It makes zero sense.
It makes far more sense that misogyny, patriarchy, and power demand that men who felt threatened by a woman who was powerful and intelligent moved against her, to not only end her power, but her life, and so ruin her legacy that her very name changes meaning - making her legacy a lesson for any woman who might come after - we can do this to you too.
And they have.
Anyway - read this. It's excellent.
I listened to it on a long drive to visit family, and finished it in two sessions - basically half there, half back.
This was a challenging listen, mainly due to the litany of Roman names, and the repetition and similarity of women's names - Livia Drusilla, Julia Livilla, Julia, Agrippina the Elder, Agrippina the Younger, etc... but man was it fascinating. I found myself completely enthralled in this story, in this time, and although I knew how it would end (not only because the intro told me, as well as the first chapter relating the commonly known version of events of Messalina's last day), I still couldn't help but hope for a different outcome. This seems to be a trend for me lately. It was the case with Anne Boleyn's story, Henrietta Lacks's story, with the stories of the women Jack the Ripper killed, which I'm currently reading about in The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper, and I doubt it will be the last time I hope for history to be better to women.
Seems unlikely.
I'll be honest though. I don't really understand how the history that has prevailed through the ages has depicted this woman the way it has. Is... Has critical thinking NEVER been a thing? Like... EVER?
I think more likely, men are and have always been willing to believe any convenient lie about women to retain power over us, no matter how implausible, how unlikely, how utterly ridiculous.
Picture this: You are the great-grandniece of (former) Emperor Augustus, second cousin of (current) Emperor Caligula and cousin of (future) Emperor Nero. You are part of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, which means that you are rich, well-connected, educated (as much as any woman of the time would be educated). You are being raised and groomed for a very high-powered marriage.
That marriage then makes you the wife of the Emperor's uncle. Caligula's aunt, as it were. Stepping much closer to power and influence. Your husband, Claudius, is much older, and kinda gross, but who cares? You are young, and beautiful, and living in the lap of luxury - as long as Caligula's whims allow it. You have a daughter - you are fertile. Excellent for you. You are pregnant with your second child, in a society that views bringing children into the world, you are looking at a mighty fine life even if this is it.
Then the Emperor's murdered, and some rando* Praetorian guard calls your hiding-behind-a-curtain husband the new Emperor. And suddenly, you're married to THE EMPEROR. Empress (Augusta) in all but name, since your hubs refuses that honor on your behalf in a fit of misogynist "humility". (*rando because come on, that's not how that works. Surely Claudius was in on that plan.)
Things get crazy for a while. There's some upheaval, as there always is with regime change, but you survive the first year... and you've given birth to the Emperor's son. A dynastic heir. This is VERY good for you and further solidifies your position.
You quickly learn the ways of court intrigue, get a little sneaky and sly to reinforce your power and remove potential obstacles or rivals, but the people love you. You are living the highest standard possible at the time. You attend nightly parties and soirees with the highest status guests, and not only attend them, but host them. You fulfill the roles and duties expected of you as wife to the emperor - attending the events, helping to consolidate and protect HIS power and authority and remove any obstacles there. All these things keep you more than occupied, day and night. Your image is everywhere - statues and art throughout the empire, and hell, you're even on the money.
Yet history would have us believe that after the parties, you leave the soft, comfortable bed that you share with the most politically powerful man in the empire, don a bad wig as a disguise, sneak past every Praetorian guard in Palatine villa, in town, trek all the way from the highest echelon of society right down to the poorest slums, so that you can whore yourself out for dozens of men every night because you're just so insatiable that only nonstop cock will do. And then, as the light of dawn starts coloring the horizon, you trek all the way back to that cushy bed, covered in the dirt and grime of your... activities... and climb in next to THE EMPORER without even bothering to wash your... hands.
Oh, and all of this is going on while Claudius (your husband, THE EMPEROR) is implementing some of the most draconianly misogynistic anti-adultery laws known to history.
We're supposed to believe that this high-born (hate the term, but it fits), cultured, educated woman who was groomed and prepared since birth would suddenly find herself, as a well-known, beloved EMPRESS so pressed for the D that she would sneak into literal gutters to let anyone and everyone ravage her... and there wasn't a SINGLE RUMOR ABOUT this until long AFTER her death. Not one peep from some Romebro who just had to tell his other Romebro Toddicus that he just rammed the Empress, and if Toddicus wants a piece, just show up at the slummy whorehouse by the ditch tomorrow night. Look for the blonde that looks just like the Empress.
Sure, dude.
It makes zero sense.
It makes far more sense that misogyny, patriarchy, and power demand that men who felt threatened by a woman who was powerful and intelligent moved against her, to not only end her power, but her life, and so ruin her legacy that her very name changes meaning - making her legacy a lesson for any woman who might come after - we can do this to you too.
And they have.
Anyway - read this. It's excellent.
April 8, 2023
This book is a biography about Messalina, the third wife of Roman Emperor Claudius. Valeria Messalina was born into the infamous Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus, second cousin of Emperor Caligula and cousin of Emperor Nero. She was married to her husband for about two years before Caligula got murdered and Claudius got proclaimed Emperor by the Praetorian Guard. And that's the setting where Messalina came to power in ancient Rome.
Thousands of years later the world has come to know Messalina with a nymphomaniacal reputation and is known as the "whore Empress". Luckily these days books like this one are being written and published that digs into the slander that political rivals and Roman historians fabricated because powerful women scared the shit out of them. I'm not saying Messalina was an innocent person because we can't actually know what rumours about her were actually true. And let's be real, she was born as I said before, into the Julio-Claudian dynasty and lived through the turbulous (to say the least...) reign of Caligula only to, as the wife of Claudius, to become empress when she was barely 20 (maybe less, depending on her birth year). I can't imagine how intense and crazy that must've been for her. She got rid of anyone who she perceived as her rival to ensure the continued to hold on to the power she had acquired.
I absolutely couldn't put this book down. Like seriously. It was such a fascinated read and I was so hooked by how the author told Messalina's story and in turn about this particular era in the Roman Empire. I knew about Messalina before, of course, but never had read a book about her or had any in-depth information about her like I did with this book. Which instantly makes Honor Cargill-Martin already an auto-buy author of mine that I hope to read more about in the future. I just really want more books about ancient women written by women.
Ancient Roman historians like Tacitus and Suetonius were definitely slanderous about Messalina which ruined her reputation for sure (even though it seems like she was pretty popular with the regular people of rome) but what surprised me the most about this book was how much early modern to modern literature, opera, film and other media also contributed to Messalina's bad reputation. This was also highly interesting to read about, I must say, because I didn't have any idea about all of that. This shouldn't have been so surprised because we all know that history isn't kind to authoriative women in power.
Would I recommend Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery? Hell yes! The writing was wonderful and not overly academic, which is very important to me. Obviously this was also very well-researched. Honor Cargill-Martin clearly knows what she is talking about as a classicist and she has already earned a spot on my auto-buy author list.
Thousands of years later the world has come to know Messalina with a nymphomaniacal reputation and is known as the "whore Empress". Luckily these days books like this one are being written and published that digs into the slander that political rivals and Roman historians fabricated because powerful women scared the shit out of them. I'm not saying Messalina was an innocent person because we can't actually know what rumours about her were actually true. And let's be real, she was born as I said before, into the Julio-Claudian dynasty and lived through the turbulous (to say the least...) reign of Caligula only to, as the wife of Claudius, to become empress when she was barely 20 (maybe less, depending on her birth year). I can't imagine how intense and crazy that must've been for her. She got rid of anyone who she perceived as her rival to ensure the continued to hold on to the power she had acquired.
I absolutely couldn't put this book down. Like seriously. It was such a fascinated read and I was so hooked by how the author told Messalina's story and in turn about this particular era in the Roman Empire. I knew about Messalina before, of course, but never had read a book about her or had any in-depth information about her like I did with this book. Which instantly makes Honor Cargill-Martin already an auto-buy author of mine that I hope to read more about in the future. I just really want more books about ancient women written by women.
Ancient Roman historians like Tacitus and Suetonius were definitely slanderous about Messalina which ruined her reputation for sure (even though it seems like she was pretty popular with the regular people of rome) but what surprised me the most about this book was how much early modern to modern literature, opera, film and other media also contributed to Messalina's bad reputation. This was also highly interesting to read about, I must say, because I didn't have any idea about all of that. This shouldn't have been so surprised because we all know that history isn't kind to authoriative women in power.
Would I recommend Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery? Hell yes! The writing was wonderful and not overly academic, which is very important to me. Obviously this was also very well-researched. Honor Cargill-Martin clearly knows what she is talking about as a classicist and she has already earned a spot on my auto-buy author list.
March 19, 2024
This was just so good, the way the author approached the ancient sources was masterful and never boring. She reconstructs a female historical narrative without trying to place it into male terms, and male understanding. She works in the blind spots and it was truly compelling. I also loved the divergence into the ‘Messalinas’ that came after her as her story was rewritten over and over.
This is the best Messalina narrative! Tacitus sucks.
This is the best Messalina narrative! Tacitus sucks.
March 24, 2025
Review to come!
January 9, 2025
Rome seems to really have been a kill or be killed kinda place.
May 2, 2024
When Messalina’s beauty is both her power and fatal flaw.
This single thought of mine has always been sleeping at the back of my head— Are all written ancient histories that we discovered, a fact or some a biased opinion from people who wrote them a thousand years ago?
The word or indeed name ‘Messalina’ has long testified to a timeline of mockery, prejudice, and shame in its narrative and mythologization that forever carved a part in ancient history. But with and before all of these bombarding objectiveness and subjectiveness thrown on her, who is Messalina?
A “wake-up call” is a term I want to define in this precious book entitled, “Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery” by Honor Cargill-Martin for this masterpiece is conceived to debunk the false illusion that almost puts insanity to insatiable minds throughout the ancient history.
Beginning the book with the origin of the dynasty in which Empress Messalina’s world revolves, tracing the bloodline of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and starting her story directly to the taste of her death after her wedding that led to her downfall while her husband Emperor Claudius was away, the succeeding chapters trail from her childhood to her last days, and of the political and imperial environments that mold her character and knowledge in which only a few women in the elite Roman empire before were privileged to acquire and experience. From how she was brought up by the elite people that surrounded her to how she became an Empress, a wife, and a mother, it is well laid out that her ruthlessness, intellectual tactics in crossing the boundaries of the Senate and Imperial House, and strength in battling for her position didn’t just happen to be there waiting for her.
The world she believed in, a first-hand experience of the glamour in luxuries and horrors of battling for position rooted in the dynasty she was brought up to and especially to the life in the empire that his husband Claudius has introduced to her, she learned to never blink for at any time, even the most trusted can poke your eye. Despite the spread of rumors, testimonies, and accusations from the high-ranking people in the elite Roman society and accusations, now manipulatively written in ancient history, that are thrown at her about her acts of adultery and sexual madness, it is also altogether undeniably written how in her seven years of reigning as an Empress in the 40s AD, she became the most powerful woman in the world for she was the driving force and the shadow behind her husband’s continuous power in the world of Roman politics and patriarchy.
Satirical, political, and audacious as everything is, in the narrative manipulation and mythologization that Messalina has endured from the rise and fall of the Roman empire and even after her death, all I can say is that she is more than a ‘femme fatale’. She was the force and she was her own empire that caused a threat in the world of men. This biography of Messalina by dear Honor Cargill-Martin is a justice served after a long history of being dragged down in this world of double standards for we know if this has become a story of an emperor, his fatal flaws like Messalina’s will be silenced by history through his historical achievements and great succession.
It was a long journey but every detail was worthy of a digest. I bow down to you, dear Honor, for this masterpiece you have created. Thank you so much for this wonderful copy. The world or rather the history of the ancient Roman empire needs this book and I bet Messalina will thank you if she reads it as well.
This single thought of mine has always been sleeping at the back of my head— Are all written ancient histories that we discovered, a fact or some a biased opinion from people who wrote them a thousand years ago?
The word or indeed name ‘Messalina’ has long testified to a timeline of mockery, prejudice, and shame in its narrative and mythologization that forever carved a part in ancient history. But with and before all of these bombarding objectiveness and subjectiveness thrown on her, who is Messalina?
A “wake-up call” is a term I want to define in this precious book entitled, “Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery” by Honor Cargill-Martin for this masterpiece is conceived to debunk the false illusion that almost puts insanity to insatiable minds throughout the ancient history.
Beginning the book with the origin of the dynasty in which Empress Messalina’s world revolves, tracing the bloodline of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and starting her story directly to the taste of her death after her wedding that led to her downfall while her husband Emperor Claudius was away, the succeeding chapters trail from her childhood to her last days, and of the political and imperial environments that mold her character and knowledge in which only a few women in the elite Roman empire before were privileged to acquire and experience. From how she was brought up by the elite people that surrounded her to how she became an Empress, a wife, and a mother, it is well laid out that her ruthlessness, intellectual tactics in crossing the boundaries of the Senate and Imperial House, and strength in battling for her position didn’t just happen to be there waiting for her.
The world she believed in, a first-hand experience of the glamour in luxuries and horrors of battling for position rooted in the dynasty she was brought up to and especially to the life in the empire that his husband Claudius has introduced to her, she learned to never blink for at any time, even the most trusted can poke your eye. Despite the spread of rumors, testimonies, and accusations from the high-ranking people in the elite Roman society and accusations, now manipulatively written in ancient history, that are thrown at her about her acts of adultery and sexual madness, it is also altogether undeniably written how in her seven years of reigning as an Empress in the 40s AD, she became the most powerful woman in the world for she was the driving force and the shadow behind her husband’s continuous power in the world of Roman politics and patriarchy.
Satirical, political, and audacious as everything is, in the narrative manipulation and mythologization that Messalina has endured from the rise and fall of the Roman empire and even after her death, all I can say is that she is more than a ‘femme fatale’. She was the force and she was her own empire that caused a threat in the world of men. This biography of Messalina by dear Honor Cargill-Martin is a justice served after a long history of being dragged down in this world of double standards for we know if this has become a story of an emperor, his fatal flaws like Messalina’s will be silenced by history through his historical achievements and great succession.
It was a long journey but every detail was worthy of a digest. I bow down to you, dear Honor, for this masterpiece you have created. Thank you so much for this wonderful copy. The world or rather the history of the ancient Roman empire needs this book and I bet Messalina will thank you if she reads it as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2025
Messalina, fourth wife of the much older Emperor Claudius, is primarily remembered for her apparent promiscuity. Painters and writers through history have portrayed her as an adultress or even a prostitute, sensual and provocative, whose downfall is caused by her uncontrollable passions. Honor Cargill-Martin challenges this view and attempts to highlight how misogyny and prejudice have influenced Messalina’s portrayal.
The author herself acknowledges the scarcity of any relevant historical sources relating to Messalina, as her disgrace resulted in any contemporary records of her presence being obliterated. Most information comes from Tacitus and Cassius Dio, both writing many years after the event and with their own agendas. However, this does mean that there is little evidence for the author’s own arguments, although these are well constructed and plausible. It also means that much of the background we are given is generic, about what life would have been like for a high born woman in the Julio-Claudian court.
Having said this, the historical context is interesting and well written and conveys the vulnerability of Messalina’s position. The complicated relationships between characters are neatly clarified, and there is plenty of information about traditions and the Roman way of life. I found the arguments that contradict the traditional view of Messalina’s character and actions were convincing, although they became increasingly repetitive in later chapters.
The author herself acknowledges the scarcity of any relevant historical sources relating to Messalina, as her disgrace resulted in any contemporary records of her presence being obliterated. Most information comes from Tacitus and Cassius Dio, both writing many years after the event and with their own agendas. However, this does mean that there is little evidence for the author’s own arguments, although these are well constructed and plausible. It also means that much of the background we are given is generic, about what life would have been like for a high born woman in the Julio-Claudian court.
Having said this, the historical context is interesting and well written and conveys the vulnerability of Messalina’s position. The complicated relationships between characters are neatly clarified, and there is plenty of information about traditions and the Roman way of life. I found the arguments that contradict the traditional view of Messalina’s character and actions were convincing, although they became increasingly repetitive in later chapters.
January 12, 2024
# 6 favourite book of 2023
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The history of Messalina - so far as we can reconstruct it - is in some ways a very modern one: it is the history of a woman daring to wield power in a man's world and suffering the consequences of that choice.
Messalina, third wife of Emperor Claudius, is one of the most notorious women of Roman history. Accused by Roman historians of promiscuity, her name has become synonymous for a devious and sexually voracious woman.
Honor Cargill-Martin attempts, and beautifully succeed, to paint a fair portrayal of Messalina. She doesn't try to completely rehabilitate her, but to show how the damnatio memoriae she suffered after her fall, and the reputation she was given by Roman historians, unjustly erased her true personality and political importance.
I absolutely adored this. Messalina has never been one of my favourite historical figures, but I've always been curious about her and this work truly opened my eyes. Cargill-Martin points out how Messalina was probably the first Roman empress in the real sense of the word: Livia, Augustus's wife, was maybe more influential and powerful, but Messalina was the first Roman empress who started to create a position for herself in a political world dominated by men, and to become a force to be reckoned with.
She was given unprecedented honours by her husband, like riding in a triumphal procession right behind him, in the place of honour usually reserved for the triumphator's heir. She eliminated her political enemies, but, rather than doing it for petty jealousies, she did it to strengthen her husband's rule or to defend herself or her children. She created a sort of political faction of men who worked for her, and her actions showed calculation and cleverness.
The explanation given for Messalina's fall was also totally convincing to me. I always thought that the story of Messalina's bigamous marriage didn't make sense. The author argues that Messalina, while she definitely had a relationship with Silius, wasn't planning a conspiracy against her husband, but rather she was the victim of one. She was probably taken down by Narcissus, one of Claudius' freedmen and her old ally, because she was becoming too poweful and too unpredictable (it reminded me of Anne Boleyn's falling out with Cromwell and her subsequent fall).
One of the most interesting chapters of the book is the one where the author theorizes how Messalina's reputation was born, and how she argues that it was directly linked to the reputation of Agrippina, Claudius's fourth wife. Roman historians slandered her too, mostly to criticize Claudius's reign, but they did it in a very different way: they presented Agrippina as ambitious, scheming and sexless, and by contrast rendered Messalina stupid, irrational and passionate. Basically, historians couldn't cope with the fact that both women were powerful and ambitious in their own way.
Truly one of the best, most intelligent biographies I've read in a while. Highly recommended.
(...) we can say that she was powerful, interesting, audacious, innovative, and intelligent, and that for the best part of a decade she was successful. None of these qualities conflict with the existence of her attractiveness and her sexuality - or with the possibility that she made decisions that were not always sensible and possessed desires that were not always rational.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The history of Messalina - so far as we can reconstruct it - is in some ways a very modern one: it is the history of a woman daring to wield power in a man's world and suffering the consequences of that choice.
Messalina, third wife of Emperor Claudius, is one of the most notorious women of Roman history. Accused by Roman historians of promiscuity, her name has become synonymous for a devious and sexually voracious woman.
Honor Cargill-Martin attempts, and beautifully succeed, to paint a fair portrayal of Messalina. She doesn't try to completely rehabilitate her, but to show how the damnatio memoriae she suffered after her fall, and the reputation she was given by Roman historians, unjustly erased her true personality and political importance.
I absolutely adored this. Messalina has never been one of my favourite historical figures, but I've always been curious about her and this work truly opened my eyes. Cargill-Martin points out how Messalina was probably the first Roman empress in the real sense of the word: Livia, Augustus's wife, was maybe more influential and powerful, but Messalina was the first Roman empress who started to create a position for herself in a political world dominated by men, and to become a force to be reckoned with.
She was given unprecedented honours by her husband, like riding in a triumphal procession right behind him, in the place of honour usually reserved for the triumphator's heir. She eliminated her political enemies, but, rather than doing it for petty jealousies, she did it to strengthen her husband's rule or to defend herself or her children. She created a sort of political faction of men who worked for her, and her actions showed calculation and cleverness.
The explanation given for Messalina's fall was also totally convincing to me. I always thought that the story of Messalina's bigamous marriage didn't make sense. The author argues that Messalina, while she definitely had a relationship with Silius, wasn't planning a conspiracy against her husband, but rather she was the victim of one. She was probably taken down by Narcissus, one of Claudius' freedmen and her old ally, because she was becoming too poweful and too unpredictable (it reminded me of Anne Boleyn's falling out with Cromwell and her subsequent fall).
One of the most interesting chapters of the book is the one where the author theorizes how Messalina's reputation was born, and how she argues that it was directly linked to the reputation of Agrippina, Claudius's fourth wife. Roman historians slandered her too, mostly to criticize Claudius's reign, but they did it in a very different way: they presented Agrippina as ambitious, scheming and sexless, and by contrast rendered Messalina stupid, irrational and passionate. Basically, historians couldn't cope with the fact that both women were powerful and ambitious in their own way.
Truly one of the best, most intelligent biographies I've read in a while. Highly recommended.
(...) we can say that she was powerful, interesting, audacious, innovative, and intelligent, and that for the best part of a decade she was successful. None of these qualities conflict with the existence of her attractiveness and her sexuality - or with the possibility that she made decisions that were not always sensible and possessed desires that were not always rational.
August 29, 2024
Just an absolutely great book. The way Cargill-Martin is able to take works that have done nothing but vilify and flanderize Messalina, and recontextualize them to create a more accurate and realistic sense of what happened is really gripping to read, especially when she puts fact vs fiction side by side.
I loved how human Messalina came across here. The book never excuses her actions, such as assassinating political rivals or engaging in affairs with married men, but simply puts them into context and paints Messalina as what she is; complex.
I really enjoyed this book, definitely recommend it!
I loved how human Messalina came across here. The book never excuses her actions, such as assassinating political rivals or engaging in affairs with married men, but simply puts them into context and paints Messalina as what she is; complex.
I really enjoyed this book, definitely recommend it!
January 26, 2024
is this enough books about Rome? No. Need to read 50 more now
April 11, 2025
This is a non-fiction book about Messalina (as can be guessed from the title), the wife of Emperor Claudius. I’ve never heard about her before, but she was infamous in histories written after her death as the world's greatest nymphomaniac, the femme fatale, the woman destroyed by her sexual desire. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for April 2025 at Non Fiction Book Club group.
From the very start, I highly doubted her reputation, and the author agrees, blaming patriarchy for denigrating her character. I fully agree that it played the major role in this, after all the stories were written by later historians, all of whom were men and some of whom held personal grudges. However, for me (but not the author), it wasn’t the only reason – I in general is quite sceptic about monocausotaxophilias of all kinds (the long word borrowed by me from Green Mars. It means the love of single causes that explain everything). For me another important reason is that Roman ‘historians’ of the period often wrote moral tales, linking them to real historical persons, but suggesting ideas for behavior (which were patriarchal in most cases), so just like ‘bad Caesars’ the real person and one in such tales may in no way coincide.
One of the discoveries of the book for me was how close-knit were early Roman potentates – I knew that they quite often left the throne for their sons-in-law or other non-blood relatives, but I never thought about the fact that they were from just a few of high high-ranked families. So, Messalina is a great-granddaughter of Mark Antony, to whom her husband, Emperor Claudius, is also related (a grandson). Moreover, Claudius' predecessor as Roman emperor, Caligula, was his nephew, and his successor Nero was a son of his next wife, Agrippina…
It is almost impossible to find info about Messalina – from the year of her birth to her image. The latter because after death she suffered damnatio memoriae; her name was chiselled off monuments, her statues were destroyed and her reputation was rendered unprotected. All because she supposedly attempted to overthrow Claudius – all later stories of her sexual appetites (like that she challenged the most notorious prostitute in Rome to a twenty-four-hour competition of sexual stamina – and won) are just to “prove” her unworthiness.
Overall, an interesting story, even if it could have been significantly shortened, because it is hard to find info about Messalina, the author tells about men in her sphere. E.g. several pages are spent on the conquest of Britannia only to add that she most likely remained in Rome for the duration of the campaign.
From the very start, I highly doubted her reputation, and the author agrees, blaming patriarchy for denigrating her character. I fully agree that it played the major role in this, after all the stories were written by later historians, all of whom were men and some of whom held personal grudges. However, for me (but not the author), it wasn’t the only reason – I in general is quite sceptic about monocausotaxophilias of all kinds (the long word borrowed by me from Green Mars. It means the love of single causes that explain everything). For me another important reason is that Roman ‘historians’ of the period often wrote moral tales, linking them to real historical persons, but suggesting ideas for behavior (which were patriarchal in most cases), so just like ‘bad Caesars’ the real person and one in such tales may in no way coincide.
One of the discoveries of the book for me was how close-knit were early Roman potentates – I knew that they quite often left the throne for their sons-in-law or other non-blood relatives, but I never thought about the fact that they were from just a few of high high-ranked families. So, Messalina is a great-granddaughter of Mark Antony, to whom her husband, Emperor Claudius, is also related (a grandson). Moreover, Claudius' predecessor as Roman emperor, Caligula, was his nephew, and his successor Nero was a son of his next wife, Agrippina…
It is almost impossible to find info about Messalina – from the year of her birth to her image. The latter because after death she suffered damnatio memoriae; her name was chiselled off monuments, her statues were destroyed and her reputation was rendered unprotected. All because she supposedly attempted to overthrow Claudius – all later stories of her sexual appetites (like that she challenged the most notorious prostitute in Rome to a twenty-four-hour competition of sexual stamina – and won) are just to “prove” her unworthiness.
Overall, an interesting story, even if it could have been significantly shortened, because it is hard to find info about Messalina, the author tells about men in her sphere. E.g. several pages are spent on the conquest of Britannia only to add that she most likely remained in Rome for the duration of the campaign.
November 10, 2024
3.5 stars
April 9, 2025
"Scholars, most of them male, have long overlooked Messalina as a subject of serious study, dismissing historical accounts of her life as unreliable and the women herself as a vacuous slut. But I would argue that her story is central to, and inextricable from, the story of her time; it forces us to confront all the unquantifiable irrationalities that define this period of Roman political history."
4,5/5!
In her wonderful nonfiction debut, Honor Cargill-Martin explores the life of Rome's most scandalous empress, Messalina, wife of Claudius, who was executed in bizarre circumstances in 48 AD. Cargill-Martin takes this much maligned woman who has become, over the centuries, more myth than human, and attempts to reconstruct and reinterpret her story, to see past years of misogynistic historiography and storytelling.
Messalina is a wonderful book and a great examination of this notorious empress. I am so glad Honor Cargill-Martin wrote this book and delivers what I would say is a brilliant decluttering of her story and legacy. Unlike so many historians before her, Cargill-Martin approaches Messalina as a complex, flawed human being, and not a symbol of female excess, immorality and uncontrollable sexuality which she has been so long portrayed and seen as. I am so happy Messalina is finally being reinterpreted and given the kind of fair treatment that has so long been denied to her. Cargill-Martin does not pretend that her version of Messalina's story is 100% authentic - she acknowledges that we will never know the full truth of who she was or what stories told of her are true - but what she does is look at this strange corpus of stories about her and approach them critically. She offers alternative theories to stories born during Imperial Rome, created by men who viewed history often more as a literary project than the way we view history today (and who were also deeply misogynistic), and parroted for centuries by so many scholars, artists and scientists. For example, when discussing some of the people whose deaths Messalina most likely plotted (like Silanus, Julia Livilla and another Julia later on), she does not rely on age-old sexist assumptions that these were always motivated by feminine jealousy or irrational sexual desires, but goes on to explore the kinds of political threats these people posed to her and her husband's reign. As you read on, it becomes more and more likely, that these deaths were, at least in part, also motivated by her political aspirations and her desire to protect herself, her kids and her husband's position. Who knows what the truth is, but what is important is that we look at historical facts from multiple angles and do not fixate on just one, especially the one that is so embedded in misogyny.
Cargill-Martin does a wonderful job contextualising Messalina's life. She does deep dives when necessary into Roman law, customs and history, showing the reader the kind of world Messalina grew up in. As always, to understand a time and place is key to understanding a person. Messalina was born during the reign of Tiberius, who ruled over a world Augustus (and Livia) created, which was vastly different than what it had been when Augustus took power. Livia also gets her time to shine in a chapter where Cargill-Martin explores the fluid nature of the role of the empress, which Livia created in her own image, just as Messalina later did herself. Messalina grew up in immense wealth, pampered by slaves, while so many Romans lived in poverty in cramped streets. Messalina lived through the end of Tiberius's reign (which really made rumour mills, scandals, tales of sexual depravity, brutal sudden killings and so on a fixed aspect of imperial court life) and the tumultuous, extravagant and dangerous reign of Caligula. We have no direct account from Messalina about how this all affected her, but it must've affected her. How, we can only guess. So much of ancient history is just a collection of educated guesses and stuff we can parse together using logical thinking. For example, there is no mention that Messalina knew some of the people Tiberius executed alongside Sejanus, but considering her family's status, their families' interconnectedness and customs of socialising, she must've.
It was fun getting to read about Messalina's political machinations and the role she might've played in solidifying her husband's reign, which started in chaos, since he was made emperor after the assassination of his predecessor, his nephew Caligula (BTW I love that Cargill-Martin explores - and criticises - the common idea that Claudius became an Emperor "by accident" - it is really hard to believe he had no agency or was completely unaware of the plot against his nephew). Messalina did not just get rid of political rivals and potential enemies, she also fulfilled, three weeks into her husband's reign, her ultimate purpose: she had a son, later known as Britannicus. She was so loved and venerated for this that she was offered the title of Augusta - which Claudius turned down on her behalf, perhaps to assuage anyone's fears about his women becoming too powerful. This is a bit ironic, considering that Claudius has been mocked and criticised by many as giving way too much power to women (and freedmen). Messalina seemed to have made allies (one of them, Vitellius, is said to have venerated her so much he kept her shoe on his person and took it out, occasionally, to kiss it) and played a role in creating advantageous marriages, such as engaging her mother, infant daughter and stepdaughter to notable allies. For a long time, she seemed to have been respected - surely many people were scared of her or annoyed by her, but the real destruction of her reputation only began after her death. During her reign, she was given honorifics, such as a special carriage and a place of honor in theatres alongside Vestal Virgins, and it seems like the regular people liked her. When it comes to her violence, it also does not seem as maniacal as many historians have claimed: for example, during the middle years of her reign, her name was not linked to any murder. If her killings were inspired by lust or general feminine insanity, wouldn't she have had more people charged, executed or exiled? Instead it seems like she systematically removed serious - or merely possible - threats to her family's position and then, when things were secure, stopped. Cargill-Martin writes: "The image of Messalina as a slave to her passions is not rooted in the evidence; it is a projection, born of men's fear of female power and fuelled by the rumours that would soon start to swirl about her sex life."
Cargill-Martin presents an alternative interpretation of her downfall and the strange story of her bigamous marriage to her lover, Silius, because, as Cargill-Martin says, of the traditional version: "This narrative satisfies from a storytelling point of view - Tacitus is a consummate storyteller - but it cannot satisfy from a historical one." Cargill-Martin suggests that Messalina's downfall and death was manoeuvred by her former ally, Narcissus, who had, alongside many, grown wary of Messalina's power. It is hard to believe a woman who had reigned for almost 10 years and been relatively good at it would've been so idiotic as to marry another man and expect to get away with it. Messalina surely did some stupid shit, like the whole Asiaticus trial debacle which alienated senators and she flaunted some of her affairs way too publicly, but I cannot believe she would've been this stupid. Cargill-Martin suggests that, considering the clothing Messalina is said to have worn and the decorations of her "wedding", that it was no wedding at all, but a Bacchic celebration. The timing also works - this was a time of harvest and Bacchus is linked to fertility. I can imagine Narcissus seizing this chance and presenting this party to the Emperor, who was not in Rome, as a wedding, playing on Claudius's fears of being usurped and killed. Once again, we will never know what happened, but it is important to remember that what people like Tacitus, Dio or Suetonius said, shouldn't be seen as unquestionable truth. Cargill-Martin's interpretation makes sense – more so, to me, than the traditional version – and is, most importantly, a version that can be argued based on evidence. Same goes with the way Cargill-Martin approaches her supposed affairs: some seem to have been born of genuine desire, since there was nothing Messalina could gain from these men, but some could've easily been her way of ensuring loyalty and allies, because many of the men later executed as her boyfriends were notable political figures. Once again, an alternative view, but also something backed by evidence.
The most harrowing chapters of the book were the ones regarding Messalina's reputation and how she has, over the years, become the ultimate bad woman. As Cargill-Martin puts it: "Messalina had become the archetypal 'bad woman', a monstrous personification of the intersection between male fantasy and male fear." Throughout history, she has been portrayed as a witch, a murderer, an animalistic nympho, the Whore Empress and a straight up demonic figure, a lady satan. The outlandish stories of her sexual shenanigans (most of them surely mere slander and out-of-control gossip - there is no way the empress could've snuck out of the palace every night to work as a prostitute) have been rehashed time and time again, and most art has portrayed as devouring sex on legs, not a woman at all, but a symbol of everything wrong about women, especially women in power. Hated royal women have been compared to her (Marie Antoinette, for example, was referred to as a New Messalina) and she has been propped up as a warning sign that says "This is what happens when women get power". Cargill-Martin points out really well how men have always seemed to delight in tearing down a powerful woman by making a sex object of her, and thus taking her power away from her, making her their fantasy, something to hate and lust after. It's so icky. Messalina is one of the key figures in the age-old tradition of linking politically powerful women to prostitution and sexual "indecency" - it seems that whenever a woman transgresses the typical gender norms, abandons traditional, domestic femininity and occupies a space seen as exclusively for men, she becomes a whore. You see it time and time again, when you read history. Her story also echoes how misogyny still, today, presents itself. People love slut-shaming women, spreading salacious rumours, using sexual stories and images to tear down women's reputations and so on. One last thing I wanna mention about her legacy, is how it was used to tear down her husband, Claudius. He was criticised by Roman historians for allowing his wives too much power and being too driven by love (he seemed to have really loved Messalina). In "letting" Messalina make political decisions, have affairs and so on, he proved his own flawed masculinity: men were expected to be always in control, and if a man couldn't even control his wife, was he a good man at all, let alone a good emperor?
Even though I have hyped this book up so much, I am "only" giving it 4,5/5 stars because I just very rarely give nonfiction 5/5, a rating which indicates a book is my all-time fave. But I want to emphasise, that this was a wonderful, wonderful book and such a necessary, and timely, reinterpretation of a woman who has been treated horribly ever since her brutal death. Messalina was a fierce woman, a cruel woman, someone who had many people killed and ruined many lives, but she was also so much more, and she deserves to be seen, and understood, as a complex human rather than a misogynistic caricature. If you enjoy, for example, Emma Southon, pick this book up!
Here are some interesting facts I learned while reading this book:
- Nymphomania, a term coined in the 19th century, was occasionally called the Messalina-Complex
- Mnester, a famous pantomime actor who was executed after Messalina for having an affair with her, was also said to have had a relationship with the Emperor Caligula, who was a huge fan of his. The dude clearly had some serious rizz.
- Pantomime (combination of acting, dancing, singing, music and speech) was such popular entertainment that Tiberius had to once break up a fight between two groups of fans which had resulted in multiple deaths of civilians and soldiers, even the death of one centurion.
- Under Augustus's reign, adultery became a matter of state and something to be dealt with in public. Adultery meant having sex with a married, respectable woman (a man could fuck anyone he wanted but married women, married women could only fuck their husbands). If a man refused to divorce his adulterer wife, he could be prosecuted as a pimp.
- Messalina's birth year is debated: she might've been 13 or 21, or anything in between, when she married the Emperor.
- During Claudius's Triumph after his victories in Britain, Messalina rode in a carriage before his generals and senators and so on. This was an unprecedented place of honor for a woman - a marker of just how powerful Messalina was.
- Messalina's parties were, apparently, bangers: once, she and Claudius hosted at the same time and nearly everyone chose to come to her party rather than the Emperor's.
- In his will, Augustus adopted Livia, his wife, as his daughter: this was a way for him to bring Livia into the protection of his family, to secure her status, and to make her a part of his divine bloodline. This was yet another promotion for Livia, who later was given the title of Augusta.
- Claudius's mom, Antonia the Younger (daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia), was a rich woman in her own right and gathered people from around the world (Judea, Mauretania, Armenia and so on) and hosted/raised them herself. Claudius grew up in a multicultural household.
- By the time Claudius married Messalina, he had two failed marriages and two failed engagements under his belt.
- Most likely Messalina's education consisted of lessons on writing, eloquent speech, dancing, grammar, analysing texts, literature and epics, singing, music, logical thinking and morality. Considering how Romans didn't want women to have public or political roles, they certainly educated them well.
- Messalina was the second woman in Roman history to suffer damnatio memoriae (aka the systematic removal of her name, face and legacy from history) - the first one was a relative of hers, Livilla, who was accused of poisoning Tiberius's son, her husband, and planning an insurrection with her lover, Sejanus. Most likely she was starved to death.
- Messalina's children were both killed by Nero: Britannicus was most likely poisoned by his adopted brother, and Octavia, Nero's unhappy wife, was exiled and forced to commit suicide.
4,5/5!
In her wonderful nonfiction debut, Honor Cargill-Martin explores the life of Rome's most scandalous empress, Messalina, wife of Claudius, who was executed in bizarre circumstances in 48 AD. Cargill-Martin takes this much maligned woman who has become, over the centuries, more myth than human, and attempts to reconstruct and reinterpret her story, to see past years of misogynistic historiography and storytelling.
Messalina is a wonderful book and a great examination of this notorious empress. I am so glad Honor Cargill-Martin wrote this book and delivers what I would say is a brilliant decluttering of her story and legacy. Unlike so many historians before her, Cargill-Martin approaches Messalina as a complex, flawed human being, and not a symbol of female excess, immorality and uncontrollable sexuality which she has been so long portrayed and seen as. I am so happy Messalina is finally being reinterpreted and given the kind of fair treatment that has so long been denied to her. Cargill-Martin does not pretend that her version of Messalina's story is 100% authentic - she acknowledges that we will never know the full truth of who she was or what stories told of her are true - but what she does is look at this strange corpus of stories about her and approach them critically. She offers alternative theories to stories born during Imperial Rome, created by men who viewed history often more as a literary project than the way we view history today (and who were also deeply misogynistic), and parroted for centuries by so many scholars, artists and scientists. For example, when discussing some of the people whose deaths Messalina most likely plotted (like Silanus, Julia Livilla and another Julia later on), she does not rely on age-old sexist assumptions that these were always motivated by feminine jealousy or irrational sexual desires, but goes on to explore the kinds of political threats these people posed to her and her husband's reign. As you read on, it becomes more and more likely, that these deaths were, at least in part, also motivated by her political aspirations and her desire to protect herself, her kids and her husband's position. Who knows what the truth is, but what is important is that we look at historical facts from multiple angles and do not fixate on just one, especially the one that is so embedded in misogyny.
Cargill-Martin does a wonderful job contextualising Messalina's life. She does deep dives when necessary into Roman law, customs and history, showing the reader the kind of world Messalina grew up in. As always, to understand a time and place is key to understanding a person. Messalina was born during the reign of Tiberius, who ruled over a world Augustus (and Livia) created, which was vastly different than what it had been when Augustus took power. Livia also gets her time to shine in a chapter where Cargill-Martin explores the fluid nature of the role of the empress, which Livia created in her own image, just as Messalina later did herself. Messalina grew up in immense wealth, pampered by slaves, while so many Romans lived in poverty in cramped streets. Messalina lived through the end of Tiberius's reign (which really made rumour mills, scandals, tales of sexual depravity, brutal sudden killings and so on a fixed aspect of imperial court life) and the tumultuous, extravagant and dangerous reign of Caligula. We have no direct account from Messalina about how this all affected her, but it must've affected her. How, we can only guess. So much of ancient history is just a collection of educated guesses and stuff we can parse together using logical thinking. For example, there is no mention that Messalina knew some of the people Tiberius executed alongside Sejanus, but considering her family's status, their families' interconnectedness and customs of socialising, she must've.
It was fun getting to read about Messalina's political machinations and the role she might've played in solidifying her husband's reign, which started in chaos, since he was made emperor after the assassination of his predecessor, his nephew Caligula (BTW I love that Cargill-Martin explores - and criticises - the common idea that Claudius became an Emperor "by accident" - it is really hard to believe he had no agency or was completely unaware of the plot against his nephew). Messalina did not just get rid of political rivals and potential enemies, she also fulfilled, three weeks into her husband's reign, her ultimate purpose: she had a son, later known as Britannicus. She was so loved and venerated for this that she was offered the title of Augusta - which Claudius turned down on her behalf, perhaps to assuage anyone's fears about his women becoming too powerful. This is a bit ironic, considering that Claudius has been mocked and criticised by many as giving way too much power to women (and freedmen). Messalina seemed to have made allies (one of them, Vitellius, is said to have venerated her so much he kept her shoe on his person and took it out, occasionally, to kiss it) and played a role in creating advantageous marriages, such as engaging her mother, infant daughter and stepdaughter to notable allies. For a long time, she seemed to have been respected - surely many people were scared of her or annoyed by her, but the real destruction of her reputation only began after her death. During her reign, she was given honorifics, such as a special carriage and a place of honor in theatres alongside Vestal Virgins, and it seems like the regular people liked her. When it comes to her violence, it also does not seem as maniacal as many historians have claimed: for example, during the middle years of her reign, her name was not linked to any murder. If her killings were inspired by lust or general feminine insanity, wouldn't she have had more people charged, executed or exiled? Instead it seems like she systematically removed serious - or merely possible - threats to her family's position and then, when things were secure, stopped. Cargill-Martin writes: "The image of Messalina as a slave to her passions is not rooted in the evidence; it is a projection, born of men's fear of female power and fuelled by the rumours that would soon start to swirl about her sex life."
Cargill-Martin presents an alternative interpretation of her downfall and the strange story of her bigamous marriage to her lover, Silius, because, as Cargill-Martin says, of the traditional version: "This narrative satisfies from a storytelling point of view - Tacitus is a consummate storyteller - but it cannot satisfy from a historical one." Cargill-Martin suggests that Messalina's downfall and death was manoeuvred by her former ally, Narcissus, who had, alongside many, grown wary of Messalina's power. It is hard to believe a woman who had reigned for almost 10 years and been relatively good at it would've been so idiotic as to marry another man and expect to get away with it. Messalina surely did some stupid shit, like the whole Asiaticus trial debacle which alienated senators and she flaunted some of her affairs way too publicly, but I cannot believe she would've been this stupid. Cargill-Martin suggests that, considering the clothing Messalina is said to have worn and the decorations of her "wedding", that it was no wedding at all, but a Bacchic celebration. The timing also works - this was a time of harvest and Bacchus is linked to fertility. I can imagine Narcissus seizing this chance and presenting this party to the Emperor, who was not in Rome, as a wedding, playing on Claudius's fears of being usurped and killed. Once again, we will never know what happened, but it is important to remember that what people like Tacitus, Dio or Suetonius said, shouldn't be seen as unquestionable truth. Cargill-Martin's interpretation makes sense – more so, to me, than the traditional version – and is, most importantly, a version that can be argued based on evidence. Same goes with the way Cargill-Martin approaches her supposed affairs: some seem to have been born of genuine desire, since there was nothing Messalina could gain from these men, but some could've easily been her way of ensuring loyalty and allies, because many of the men later executed as her boyfriends were notable political figures. Once again, an alternative view, but also something backed by evidence.
The most harrowing chapters of the book were the ones regarding Messalina's reputation and how she has, over the years, become the ultimate bad woman. As Cargill-Martin puts it: "Messalina had become the archetypal 'bad woman', a monstrous personification of the intersection between male fantasy and male fear." Throughout history, she has been portrayed as a witch, a murderer, an animalistic nympho, the Whore Empress and a straight up demonic figure, a lady satan. The outlandish stories of her sexual shenanigans (most of them surely mere slander and out-of-control gossip - there is no way the empress could've snuck out of the palace every night to work as a prostitute) have been rehashed time and time again, and most art has portrayed as devouring sex on legs, not a woman at all, but a symbol of everything wrong about women, especially women in power. Hated royal women have been compared to her (Marie Antoinette, for example, was referred to as a New Messalina) and she has been propped up as a warning sign that says "This is what happens when women get power". Cargill-Martin points out really well how men have always seemed to delight in tearing down a powerful woman by making a sex object of her, and thus taking her power away from her, making her their fantasy, something to hate and lust after. It's so icky. Messalina is one of the key figures in the age-old tradition of linking politically powerful women to prostitution and sexual "indecency" - it seems that whenever a woman transgresses the typical gender norms, abandons traditional, domestic femininity and occupies a space seen as exclusively for men, she becomes a whore. You see it time and time again, when you read history. Her story also echoes how misogyny still, today, presents itself. People love slut-shaming women, spreading salacious rumours, using sexual stories and images to tear down women's reputations and so on. One last thing I wanna mention about her legacy, is how it was used to tear down her husband, Claudius. He was criticised by Roman historians for allowing his wives too much power and being too driven by love (he seemed to have really loved Messalina). In "letting" Messalina make political decisions, have affairs and so on, he proved his own flawed masculinity: men were expected to be always in control, and if a man couldn't even control his wife, was he a good man at all, let alone a good emperor?
Even though I have hyped this book up so much, I am "only" giving it 4,5/5 stars because I just very rarely give nonfiction 5/5, a rating which indicates a book is my all-time fave. But I want to emphasise, that this was a wonderful, wonderful book and such a necessary, and timely, reinterpretation of a woman who has been treated horribly ever since her brutal death. Messalina was a fierce woman, a cruel woman, someone who had many people killed and ruined many lives, but she was also so much more, and she deserves to be seen, and understood, as a complex human rather than a misogynistic caricature. If you enjoy, for example, Emma Southon, pick this book up!
Here are some interesting facts I learned while reading this book:
- Nymphomania, a term coined in the 19th century, was occasionally called the Messalina-Complex
- Mnester, a famous pantomime actor who was executed after Messalina for having an affair with her, was also said to have had a relationship with the Emperor Caligula, who was a huge fan of his. The dude clearly had some serious rizz.
- Pantomime (combination of acting, dancing, singing, music and speech) was such popular entertainment that Tiberius had to once break up a fight between two groups of fans which had resulted in multiple deaths of civilians and soldiers, even the death of one centurion.
- Under Augustus's reign, adultery became a matter of state and something to be dealt with in public. Adultery meant having sex with a married, respectable woman (a man could fuck anyone he wanted but married women, married women could only fuck their husbands). If a man refused to divorce his adulterer wife, he could be prosecuted as a pimp.
- Messalina's birth year is debated: she might've been 13 or 21, or anything in between, when she married the Emperor.
- During Claudius's Triumph after his victories in Britain, Messalina rode in a carriage before his generals and senators and so on. This was an unprecedented place of honor for a woman - a marker of just how powerful Messalina was.
- Messalina's parties were, apparently, bangers: once, she and Claudius hosted at the same time and nearly everyone chose to come to her party rather than the Emperor's.
- In his will, Augustus adopted Livia, his wife, as his daughter: this was a way for him to bring Livia into the protection of his family, to secure her status, and to make her a part of his divine bloodline. This was yet another promotion for Livia, who later was given the title of Augusta.
- Claudius's mom, Antonia the Younger (daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia), was a rich woman in her own right and gathered people from around the world (Judea, Mauretania, Armenia and so on) and hosted/raised them herself. Claudius grew up in a multicultural household.
- By the time Claudius married Messalina, he had two failed marriages and two failed engagements under his belt.
- Most likely Messalina's education consisted of lessons on writing, eloquent speech, dancing, grammar, analysing texts, literature and epics, singing, music, logical thinking and morality. Considering how Romans didn't want women to have public or political roles, they certainly educated them well.
- Messalina was the second woman in Roman history to suffer damnatio memoriae (aka the systematic removal of her name, face and legacy from history) - the first one was a relative of hers, Livilla, who was accused of poisoning Tiberius's son, her husband, and planning an insurrection with her lover, Sejanus. Most likely she was starved to death.
- Messalina's children were both killed by Nero: Britannicus was most likely poisoned by his adopted brother, and Octavia, Nero's unhappy wife, was exiled and forced to commit suicide.
October 28, 2024
she really was the first victim to femme fatale
September 19, 2024
In Messalina, Honor Cargill-Martin argues that, in spite of the dearth of information, the story of the Roman Empress Messalina can be assembled and told. The book makes a valiant effort of it, but I feel Cargill-Martin wasn't really that successful.
I don't blame the author for the failure. There simply is not enough information about Messalina's life to construct a narrative history around her. The result of this lack of historical facts is a narrative that follows the usual lines of the Julio-Claudian dynastic history. Relying upon Suetonius, Tacitus, and Cassius Dio, Cargill-Martin weaves together the story of Messalina from when she was a young child all the way up through her execution. Naturally, these sources require a lot of "reading between the lines" in search of the realities which actually occurred, and even then there is very little to go on. As such, this book spends a lot of time focusing on the key players which ancient historians placed center stage. We often pass through large portions of history with only the barest mention of Messalina as when the author explains that there is a feast or some other event and that Messalina was probably in attendance.
However, the book does do a good job of analyzing the reputation that Messalina has developed over the centuries. Rumors and accusations leveled at her during her time and by ancient historians eager to gain political influence and/or construct a dramatic story. It is obvious that the accusations she faced in both life and death were never entirely true and came with heavy exaggeration, but somehow these false narratives endured and continued to morph over thousands of years until Messalina became a mere representation of ideas or concepts.
This book is a fairly uneven history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty with many brief asides about women and particularly what Messalina's part (if any) was in the goings on of the time with a slight feminist bent to it. Not a bad book, but I'm not sure if Cargill-Martin was successful in defending her claim of being able to assemble a story around Messalina which she lays out in the introduction.
I don't blame the author for the failure. There simply is not enough information about Messalina's life to construct a narrative history around her. The result of this lack of historical facts is a narrative that follows the usual lines of the Julio-Claudian dynastic history. Relying upon Suetonius, Tacitus, and Cassius Dio, Cargill-Martin weaves together the story of Messalina from when she was a young child all the way up through her execution. Naturally, these sources require a lot of "reading between the lines" in search of the realities which actually occurred, and even then there is very little to go on. As such, this book spends a lot of time focusing on the key players which ancient historians placed center stage. We often pass through large portions of history with only the barest mention of Messalina as when the author explains that there is a feast or some other event and that Messalina was probably in attendance.
However, the book does do a good job of analyzing the reputation that Messalina has developed over the centuries. Rumors and accusations leveled at her during her time and by ancient historians eager to gain political influence and/or construct a dramatic story. It is obvious that the accusations she faced in both life and death were never entirely true and came with heavy exaggeration, but somehow these false narratives endured and continued to morph over thousands of years until Messalina became a mere representation of ideas or concepts.
This book is a fairly uneven history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty with many brief asides about women and particularly what Messalina's part (if any) was in the goings on of the time with a slight feminist bent to it. Not a bad book, but I'm not sure if Cargill-Martin was successful in defending her claim of being able to assemble a story around Messalina which she lays out in the introduction.
May 13, 2023
Valeria Messalina has gone down as one of the most scandalous figures in history. Nicknamed the "Whore Empress", Messalina was the great-grand niece to Emperor Augustus, second cousin to Emperor Caligula and cousin to Emperor Nero. However, it would be for her disastrous marriage to Emperor Claudius (as his third wife) that would seal her fate in the records.
In Cargill-Martin's authoritative biography, the reader is able to explore Messalina as the woman, not the slander. While admittedly, the source material regarding Messalina is scant (as confirmed by the author), Cargill-Martin provides a convincing argument of what occurred during the Empress' short life.
By considering Messalina in the social and cultural context of Rome during the Julio-Claudian period in which she lived, I particularly appreciated that this left the reader with no attempts to vilify or turn the Empress into an innocent, instead retaining a purely balanced, human overview.
Messalina is a masterfully constructed piece of work that is essential for those interested in broadening their knowledge of the Julio-Claudian period.
Thank you to @headofzeus for kindly providing me with this beautiful proof copy to review.
In Cargill-Martin's authoritative biography, the reader is able to explore Messalina as the woman, not the slander. While admittedly, the source material regarding Messalina is scant (as confirmed by the author), Cargill-Martin provides a convincing argument of what occurred during the Empress' short life.
By considering Messalina in the social and cultural context of Rome during the Julio-Claudian period in which she lived, I particularly appreciated that this left the reader with no attempts to vilify or turn the Empress into an innocent, instead retaining a purely balanced, human overview.
Messalina is a masterfully constructed piece of work that is essential for those interested in broadening their knowledge of the Julio-Claudian period.
Thank you to @headofzeus for kindly providing me with this beautiful proof copy to review.
October 6, 2023
I don't know - it was probably OK, but it didn't grab me. It was like a whole lotta book about not very much. And for some reason, the use of the f-word bothered me immensely. In a book like this, for the presumed target audience, it just ... no, [smh], NO!
February 5, 2025
Erg interessant om te lezen over deze vrouw, Messalina, die ca. 2000 jaar geleden leefde en sindsdien door de onmiskenbaar misogyne mangel van de geschiedschrijving gehaald is.
Kostte me wel wat moeite om er doorheen te komen; ik lees niet veel historische non-fictie dus heb weinig vergelijkingsmateriaal, maar vond dat er erg veel uitgeweid werd over de precieze reconstructie van de heerschappij van de vier keizers voor/na haar leven. Desalniettemin bleef het boeiend hoe absurd deze dynastie was (de Julisch-Claudische dynastie, in dit boek van Augustus t/m Nero), die een steeds geslotener en totalitairder regime installeerde, waarin ironisch genoeg de vrouwen aan het hof steeds meer inspraak kregen omdat het voeren van politiek grotendeels verschoof van de publieke senaat (waar vrouwen geen plek hadden) naar privésferen (waarin Messalina haar macht steeds verder wist uit te vergroten). De Romeinen werden in mijn geschiedenisboeken veelal neergezet als de rationele voorvaderen van de moderne Westerse wereld, maar paranoïa, moord en intrige zijn hier vrijwel letterlijk aan de orde van de dag.
In ieder geval erg cool dat een 26-jarige historica dit boek geschreven heeft, en vind het ook een overtuigend betoog voor het herzien van het leven van een vrouw die naast haar compleet opgeblazen seksuele intriges zichzelf op een zeer doordachte manier tot de machtigste vrouw van het Romeinse rijk wist te maken. Het interessants vond ik de epiloog, waarin alle versies van Messalina door de eeuwen heen aan bod komen (in biografieën, beeldende kunst en theater). Het reconstrueren van haar daden en beweegredenen blijft speculatief, wat volgens mij een erg zinnige opgave is. Het betreft hier namelijk een historisch figuur dat in de eeuwen na haar dood tot de absolute belichaming van de archetypes 'hoer' en 'heks' werd gemaakt, maar van wie we, dankzij de biografen die dat nooit als relevant beschouwden, het geboortejaar niet eens weten.
Kostte me wel wat moeite om er doorheen te komen; ik lees niet veel historische non-fictie dus heb weinig vergelijkingsmateriaal, maar vond dat er erg veel uitgeweid werd over de precieze reconstructie van de heerschappij van de vier keizers voor/na haar leven. Desalniettemin bleef het boeiend hoe absurd deze dynastie was (de Julisch-Claudische dynastie, in dit boek van Augustus t/m Nero), die een steeds geslotener en totalitairder regime installeerde, waarin ironisch genoeg de vrouwen aan het hof steeds meer inspraak kregen omdat het voeren van politiek grotendeels verschoof van de publieke senaat (waar vrouwen geen plek hadden) naar privésferen (waarin Messalina haar macht steeds verder wist uit te vergroten). De Romeinen werden in mijn geschiedenisboeken veelal neergezet als de rationele voorvaderen van de moderne Westerse wereld, maar paranoïa, moord en intrige zijn hier vrijwel letterlijk aan de orde van de dag.
In ieder geval erg cool dat een 26-jarige historica dit boek geschreven heeft, en vind het ook een overtuigend betoog voor het herzien van het leven van een vrouw die naast haar compleet opgeblazen seksuele intriges zichzelf op een zeer doordachte manier tot de machtigste vrouw van het Romeinse rijk wist te maken. Het interessants vond ik de epiloog, waarin alle versies van Messalina door de eeuwen heen aan bod komen (in biografieën, beeldende kunst en theater). Het reconstrueren van haar daden en beweegredenen blijft speculatief, wat volgens mij een erg zinnige opgave is. Het betreft hier namelijk een historisch figuur dat in de eeuwen na haar dood tot de absolute belichaming van de archetypes 'hoer' en 'heks' werd gemaakt, maar van wie we, dankzij de biografen die dat nooit als relevant beschouwden, het geboortejaar niet eens weten.
August 9, 2023
This was a compelling, easy-to-read history book centred around the figure of Messalina from Ancient Rome and the time in which she lived. Detailing all of the drama of the imperial court during Messalina's lifetime, this was a truly entertaining read! (Indeed, Messalina's life would likely make a good HBO series.)
I was not previously familiar with Messalina's story and yet enjoyed this read immensely, suggesting that this could be a good option for anyone new to the subject of Ancient Rome (although I do have a good base knowledge on the topic, so I am perhaps not the best standard by which to make such a judgement).
However… The problem with writing histories of women from this time is that so little is written of them, with even significantly less (if anything) written by them. (Messalina is an even trickier candidate in this regard given the damnatio memoriae that occurred after her death.) As a consequence, books like 'Messalina' - and even later historical narratives such as 'The Five' by Hallie Rubenhold (the story of Jack the Ripper's victims) - consequently find their narratives filled with many 'might's and 'probably's.
I didn't mind this too much as the book made up for this educated guess work by being an entertaining read, while the author's perspective on Messalina's motivations is certainly a convincing one. Plus, Cargill-Martin's point that we shouldn't blindly trust the historical texts when they are so embroiled in political or propagandistic motivations is an important one, but there were still a few too many assumptions made to support her own narrative for my liking.
Regardless, despite this slight academic niggle, I would still highly recommend this book.
Thank-you very much to the publishers for sending me one of their limited edition proofs of the book for review!
I was not previously familiar with Messalina's story and yet enjoyed this read immensely, suggesting that this could be a good option for anyone new to the subject of Ancient Rome (although I do have a good base knowledge on the topic, so I am perhaps not the best standard by which to make such a judgement).
However… The problem with writing histories of women from this time is that so little is written of them, with even significantly less (if anything) written by them. (Messalina is an even trickier candidate in this regard given the damnatio memoriae that occurred after her death.) As a consequence, books like 'Messalina' - and even later historical narratives such as 'The Five' by Hallie Rubenhold (the story of Jack the Ripper's victims) - consequently find their narratives filled with many 'might's and 'probably's.
I didn't mind this too much as the book made up for this educated guess work by being an entertaining read, while the author's perspective on Messalina's motivations is certainly a convincing one. Plus, Cargill-Martin's point that we shouldn't blindly trust the historical texts when they are so embroiled in political or propagandistic motivations is an important one, but there were still a few too many assumptions made to support her own narrative for my liking.
Regardless, despite this slight academic niggle, I would still highly recommend this book.
Thank-you very much to the publishers for sending me one of their limited edition proofs of the book for review!
May 31, 2023
I was not aware of Messalina and her "legacy". Of course I had some info about Julius Caesar and who hasn't heard of Nero, but for me Roman history is more linked to Trajan - the Roman emperor who subjugated Dacia (ancient territories of what is now Romania - my native country).
Luckily Messalina is not only Messalina's story but also a crash course on Roman history under the Julio-Claudian dynasty. And while at times it felt I was reading more about others rather than Messalina, I am perfectly aware it was necessary because how else can one understand a historical figure without background and context?! But really, I am not complaining as Honor Cargill-Martin writes non-fiction that reads like fiction(but really Roman history sure beats any fiction, lol). But back to Honor - I want to comment on her ability to think outside the box, in a way. I really loved how she put(or at least tried) everything into context, every move and play of power, trying to understand Messalina's action not through the ever present stereotypical frame of the emotional and/or overly sexual female, but rather through a more complex lens of the female who has the ability to think and act accordingly in order to secure power and favours but who is also a complex and layered human being!
As for Messalins she sure was a fascinating women and what she achieved is impressive! I love learning about powerful females, who were not afraid to employ every trick and skill in their books to obtain what they wanted!
*Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity!
Luckily Messalina is not only Messalina's story but also a crash course on Roman history under the Julio-Claudian dynasty. And while at times it felt I was reading more about others rather than Messalina, I am perfectly aware it was necessary because how else can one understand a historical figure without background and context?! But really, I am not complaining as Honor Cargill-Martin writes non-fiction that reads like fiction(but really Roman history sure beats any fiction, lol). But back to Honor - I want to comment on her ability to think outside the box, in a way. I really loved how she put(or at least tried) everything into context, every move and play of power, trying to understand Messalina's action not through the ever present stereotypical frame of the emotional and/or overly sexual female, but rather through a more complex lens of the female who has the ability to think and act accordingly in order to secure power and favours but who is also a complex and layered human being!
As for Messalins she sure was a fascinating women and what she achieved is impressive! I love learning about powerful females, who were not afraid to employ every trick and skill in their books to obtain what they wanted!
*Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity!
May 21, 2023
*****I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review*******
I thoroughly enjoyed this biography of Messalina; I have only been aware of the infamous third wife of Claudius through Juvenal’s Sixth Satire which I studied at school. Cargill-Martin has written an accessible new interpretation of Messalina through putting her in the context of the time she lived in the early Roman Empire where murder and adultery were commonplace and in some cases the only ways to shore up political positions.
I especially liked that this was not aimed at reclaiming Messalina’s reputation or trying to show her as some kind of Saint who was slandered by men (this is unlikely), although many stories were clearly exaggerated and it does not try to show her as some kind of anachronistic ‘feminist’ (women as well as men were her victims). What this does show is how a woman could gain and maintain power in the imperial court and that Messalina was more than just the nymphomaniac presented by Juvenal.
Cargill-Martin is a talented writer, this was very well written and engaging to read; Cargill-Martin is also a talented historian blending various sources very well and explaining the culture of the time in an accessible way. I also loved the end section looking at Messalina’s reputation after her death and how it continued to the present day through films, books and plays. I will look out for more books by this author.
I thoroughly enjoyed this biography of Messalina; I have only been aware of the infamous third wife of Claudius through Juvenal’s Sixth Satire which I studied at school. Cargill-Martin has written an accessible new interpretation of Messalina through putting her in the context of the time she lived in the early Roman Empire where murder and adultery were commonplace and in some cases the only ways to shore up political positions.
I especially liked that this was not aimed at reclaiming Messalina’s reputation or trying to show her as some kind of Saint who was slandered by men (this is unlikely), although many stories were clearly exaggerated and it does not try to show her as some kind of anachronistic ‘feminist’ (women as well as men were her victims). What this does show is how a woman could gain and maintain power in the imperial court and that Messalina was more than just the nymphomaniac presented by Juvenal.
Cargill-Martin is a talented writer, this was very well written and engaging to read; Cargill-Martin is also a talented historian blending various sources very well and explaining the culture of the time in an accessible way. I also loved the end section looking at Messalina’s reputation after her death and how it continued to the present day through films, books and plays. I will look out for more books by this author.
August 13, 2024
While I really admire what the author has attempted to do in Messalina, the book proves that there simply isn't enough evidence to do the empress justice, especially when it has to rely almost exclusively on biased accounts written by men long after the events. The sad irony is that I probably learnt more about the men around Messalina than the woman herself. It's not surprising, but feels such a shame.
That said, the book does do a good job of reassessing Messalina's maligned reputation and shows how the Roman Empire's heavily misogynistic attitude to women could create such a damaging narrative that carries through the ages, harming others in the process. It also served as a decent overview of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from a more feminist perspective. So I did learn things, but sadly, too little about Messalina herself, and what was here was speculative at best.
That said, the book does do a good job of reassessing Messalina's maligned reputation and shows how the Roman Empire's heavily misogynistic attitude to women could create such a damaging narrative that carries through the ages, harming others in the process. It also served as a decent overview of the Julio-Claudian dynasty from a more feminist perspective. So I did learn things, but sadly, too little about Messalina herself, and what was here was speculative at best.
March 3, 2025
This was a fantastic revisionist biography of one of Rome’s most infamous women. Cargill-Martin uses the lack of sources to her advantage – by reconstructing the world inhabited by Messalina, the reader is forced to confront the context in which she operated, leading to a revelatory experience when considering the motives of the main male authors.
I enjoyed the comparison to Agrippina - if a little brief - as it offered so much to digest in terms of the different ways we classify female political power in history. While I agree with the ultimate conclusion that Messalina’s life can be a lens through which the Julio-Claudian story can be told, I would have liked to see a slightly closer focus on Messalina herself at times.
Overall, a great biography which also does much to challenge the patriarchal narratives which underlay so much of Roman history writing, even to the present day.
I enjoyed the comparison to Agrippina - if a little brief - as it offered so much to digest in terms of the different ways we classify female political power in history. While I agree with the ultimate conclusion that Messalina’s life can be a lens through which the Julio-Claudian story can be told, I would have liked to see a slightly closer focus on Messalina herself at times.
Overall, a great biography which also does much to challenge the patriarchal narratives which underlay so much of Roman history writing, even to the present day.
July 8, 2024
I don’t know much about the history of Ancient Rome so I didn’t understand the whole book. Like some political statuses or whatever.
However I understood the important message of this book: how women can be portrayed in history.
I was deeply moved to see that misogyny and the patriarchy are deeply embedded in our societies since the beginning of times.
It was so interesting and I could learn more about Messalina and her life story, how the political system was at the time, the tricks used to gain power.
The author also exposes many more recent works which deepen our vision of Messaline and thus the label that sticks to her.
However I understood the important message of this book: how women can be portrayed in history.
I was deeply moved to see that misogyny and the patriarchy are deeply embedded in our societies since the beginning of times.
It was so interesting and I could learn more about Messalina and her life story, how the political system was at the time, the tricks used to gain power.
The author also exposes many more recent works which deepen our vision of Messaline and thus the label that sticks to her.
July 20, 2024
An absolutely brilliant book. Works from the existing sources -- all of which vilify Messaline -- to produce a sensible account of real political and historical events that would produce the stories the sources recount. The unfolding and explication of what would make sense of the underlying historical events is really gripping - the passage about the "marriage" of Messalina to Sirius is a tour de force. The book also includes a lengthy session describing, and situating in a long tradition, of vilifying this powerful woman in such a sexual way. The only reason I don't give it five stars is that the narrative has an "in-crowd" feel to it. I think if you haven't read Tacitus more than once you'll have a hard time following all the characters and ins and outs and twists.
March 19, 2025
"I do not ask the reader to believe that Messalina was impressively self-controlled, or self-denyingly moral, or blameless in her relationships, or intellectually infallible, or entirely strategically consistent. I only ask that they acknowledge her achievements and her worth as a historical subject can sit alongside her errors and her failings and her immoralities - just as we allow the sins of Great Men to sit alongside their glories."
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