Messalina

By Honor Cargill-Martin,

Book cover of Messalina: Empress, Adulteress, Libertine: The Story of the Most Notorious Woman of the Roman World

Book description

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…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Messalina as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Messalina is commonly passed over in favour of her successor as the wife of the emperor Claudius, Agrippina the Younger, the mother of Nero.

Honor Cargill-Martin seeks to redress this imbalance in the coverage of the two empresses, and explores what their similarities and differences can tell us about not only the Roman view of powerful women, but also the ways in which this view has been adapted (or not) over the last 2,000 years.

While she doesn’t entirely debunk Messalina’s reputation as a crazed nymphomaniac, she does contextualise her affairs and offer sensible, pragmatic explanations for them that shed…

Want books like Messalina?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 9 books like Messalina.

Browse books like Messalina

Book cover of The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World
Book cover of Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore
Book cover of The Murder of Regilla: A Case of Domestic Violence in Antiquity

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Rome, empresses, and emperors?

Rome 339 books
Empresses 19 books
Emperors 34 books