Julio-Claudian family tree

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Great Cameo of France, from around 23 AD, pictures several members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty

Around the start of the

gens Claudia
became intertwined into the Julio-Claudian family tree as a result of marriages and adoptions.

Descendancy of the emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty

The

Imperial Rome's first decades. Note that descendancy of the Julii Caesares before the generation of Julius Caesar's grandfather is in part conjectural, but as presented by scholars.[1]

Julio-Claudian family tree[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Sextus Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius CaesarSextus Julius Caesar Postumus
Gaius Julius CaesarMarcia
Aurelia
Sextus Julius CaesarLucius Julius Caesar
3
Sextus Julius Caesar
Lucius Julius Caesar
2
Gaius Octavius
AtiaSextus Julius Caesar
1 CorneliaMarcus Antonius CreticusJulia
2
Octavia Minor
2 Mark Antony
2
Tiberius Claudius Nero
1
Claudius Marcellus
2 Julia the Elder3 Tiberius Claudius Nero1 Vipsania AgrippinaDrusus the Elder[4][5]Antonia Minor
2 Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Drusus the YoungerLivilla1 Plautia Urgulanilla
Claudius Drusus
Agrippa PostumusLucius CaesarAgrippina the ElderGermanicus2 Claudius2 Aelia Paetina
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
Claudia Antonia
Valeria Messalina
1 Claudia OctaviaBritannicus
Julia Drusilla1 Otho2 Poppaea Sabina2 Nero
3 Statilia Messalina
Claudia Augusta
Legend
descent
adoption
marriage
 1, 2 
spouse order

Simplified

Simplified
Sextus Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius CaesarSextus Julius Caesar
Marcia Regia
Gaius Julius CaesarLucius Julius CaesarPopillia
Gaius Julius Caesar
Lucius Julius CaesarFulvia
Gaius
Julia Minor
JuliaMarcus Antonius Creticus
Gaius Octavius
2
Tiberius Claudius Nero
Octavia MinorMark Antony
2 Marcus Vipsanius AgrippaJulia the Elder3 Tiberius Claudius NeroDrusus the ElderAntonia MinorAntonia the ElderLucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
Marcus Valerius Messalla
Milonia CaesoniaGaius Caesar (Caligula)Agrippina the YoungerValeria Messalina
Julia DrusillaOtho2 Poppaea Sabina3 Statilia MessalinaNero1 Claudia OctaviaBritannicus
Claudia Augusta

By generation

In the

Claudii up to Augustus' generation. The next generation had both Claudii with a Julia as ancestor, as Claudii adopted into the Julii Caesares family. After Tiberius
, the remaining three emperors of the dynasty had, outside adoptions, ancestors in both the Julian and the Claudian families.

Generation of Julius Caesar's grandfather

Gaius Julius Caesar II and Lucius Julius Caesar II may have had

Generation of Julius Caesar's grandfather
Popilii Laenates
Gaius Julius CaesarMarciaLucius Julius CaesarPopillia
Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo Vopiscus
Julia

Generation of Julius Caesar's father

This generation of Julii Caesares has two

Gaius Julius Caesar (proconsul of Asia), married to a consul's daughter, and Lucius Julius Caesar proved to be quintessential ancestors of those who held Imperial power in the Julio-Claudian dynasty.[1]

Generation of Julius Caesar's father
Gaius Julius Caesar
Cornelii Sullae
Lucius Caecilius Metellus Delmaticus
Julia Cornelia 1
Sulla4 Caecilia Metella
Sextus Julius Caesar
Lucius Julius CaesarJuliaCorneliaLucius CorneliusFaustus Cornelius SullaFausta

Julius Caesar's generation

Following

younger of Caesar's two sisters married Marcus Atius Balbus: they were ancestors of all the Julio-Claudian emperors, apart from Tiberius.[1][4][5]

This is also the generation of Mark Antony's parents. Mark Antony's mother Julia was the daughter of Lucius Julius Caesar: she was an ancestor of the last three emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.[4][5]

Generation of Julius Caesar
Cornelii Lentuli
SullaQuintus Pompeius Rufus
Gaius Marius the Younger 1
Mucia Tertia 32 PompeySextus Julius CaesarLucius Julius CaesarMarcus Antonius Creticus 1Julia2 Publius Cornelius Lentulus SuraCorneliaQuintus Pompeius Rufus
Marcus Atius Balbus
Quintus Pompeius Rufus

Generation of Julius Caesar's daughter

By this time marriages with a political agenda among the powerful families were in full swing, however not yet between Julii Caesares and Claudii.

Julius Caesar's second wife Pompeia, possibly a great-granddaughter of Lucius Julius Caesar II, was a granddaughter of Sulla. His third wife Calpurnia is said to be younger than his daughter. His son Caesarion resulted from his relation with Cleopatra.[1]

Gaius Octavius: they became the parents of the first emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, then still called Octavianus. Their daughter Octavia the Younger became an ancestor to the last three emperors of that dynasty. In this generation Mark Antony had children by, among others, Antonia Hybrida Minor, and Fulvia.[4][5]

Generation of Julius Caesar's daughter
Gaius Julius Caesar
Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus
Pompeia 2
Julius Caesar3 Calpurnia
Octavianus
Faustus Cornelius SullaCornelia SullaAntoniaMarcus Antonius AntyllusIullus AntoniusPublius Clodius PulcherClaudia(by Cleopatra:)
Caesarion
Generation of Julius Caesar's daughter (2)
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica
Julia 4
Pompey 25 Cornelia Metella

Generation of the Octavias

The

Claudii were a powerful gens with consuls and other high ranking politicians in several of its families across several generations. In this generation the first marriages between Claudii and descendants of the Julii Caesares
took place. This however didn't mean yet that the dynastic family trees of both gentes got merged into a single one: that didn't happen until the adoption of Claudii by (adopted) Julii Caesares in the generations to come.

Octavian, who by then was adopted in the Julii Caesares family by the testament of his uncle Julius Caesar. After her first husband's death, Octavia married Mark Antony, who besides the offspring of his first three marriages had had children by Cleopatra
.

Augustus daughter

Antonine dynasty
.

Generation of the Octavias
Scribonii
PompeyLucius Cornelius Cinna
Lucius Scribonius Libo
Pompeia Magna2 Lucius Cornelius Cinna
Scribonia
Lucius Scribonius LiboGnaeus Cornelius Cinna MagnusMagna
Generation of the Octavias (2)
Sextus Appuleius
Sextus Quinctilius Varus
Sextus Appuleius
Quinctilla Varilla
Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus
Sextus Appuleius

Antonia Major's generation

Claudius. Their son Tiberius, by birth a Claudius, was later adopted by Augustus, thus, like his stepfather Augustus, becoming one of the Julii Caesares
by adoption.

Antonia Maior's generation
Octavii (by birth) - Julii Caesares (by adoption)
Mark AntonyGnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
Antonia Maior
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
Domitia Lepida the Younger

Antonia Minor's generation

Tiberius Claudius Nero, the praetor of 42 BC
.

Antonia Minor's generation
Vipsanii
Marcus Valerius Messalla AppianusLucius Domitius AhenobarbusQuintus Haterius
Domitia Lepida the Elder
1 Decimus Haterius Agrippa
Drusus the Younger
GermanicusLivillaClaudiusGaius CaesarJulia the YoungerLucius CaesarAgrippina the ElderAgrippa PostumusMessalinaQuintus Haterius Antoninus

Agrippina the Elder's generation

Without son,

Claudius by birth had become one of the Julii Caesares
by adoption: from this moment this first dynasty of Roman emperors was both Julian and Claudian. The further emperors of this dynasty had both Julian and Claudian ancestors.

Agrippina the Elder's generation
Drusus the Elder
Sextus Aelius Catus
Drusus the Younger
GermanicusAgrippina the ElderJulia the YoungerLucius Aemilius PaullusPlautia Urgulanilla 1Claudius2 Aelia Paetina
Tiberillus
Claudius Drusus
Claudia Antonia

Agrippina the Younger's generation

Claudius
by descendance, although he had Julii Caesares among his ancestors, from both his mother's and his father's side.

Agrippina the Younger's generation
Cassii
GermanicusLucius Aemilius PaullusGermanicusPublius Vinicius
Aemilia Lepida
Junia Claudilla 1Caligula 22 Livia Orestilla 11 Gaius Calpurnius PisoLucius Cassius Longinus 1Julia Drusilla2 Marcus Aemilius LepidusJulia LivillaMarcus Vinicius

Most marriages remained childless and many potential successors in the dynasty were eliminated after rampant accusations.

Drusus the Younger
Germanicus
Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus 1Claudia Antonia2 Faustus Cornelius Sulla FelixPublius Memmius Regulus 1Lollia Paulina 32 Caligula4 Milonia Caesonia
Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus
Junia CalvinaDecimus Junius Silanus TorquatusLucius Junius Silanus TorquatusJunia Lepidaunnamed sonGaius Memmius RegulusTiberius GemellusJulia Drusilla

Julian
ancestors.

Claudius, the fourth emperor
Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus
Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus 2
2 Agrippina the Younger 43 Claudius3 Messalina
Nero1 Claudia OctaviaBritannicus

Poppaea Sabina's generation

Claudian (from his mother's side). He became a Claudian himself, by adoption by his stepfather emperor Claudius
, a brother to his grandfather from his mother's side, or, from his father's side, a son of his grandmother's sister.

Poppaea Sabina's generation
Statilii
Otho 2Poppaea Sabina 23 Nero 23 Statilia Messalina
Claudia Augusta

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Smith 1870, Vol. 1 p. 536 ff.
  2. ^ a b Napoleon III 1865, Vol. 1 p. 253
  3. ^ Wurts 1945, Vol. 4 p. 627
  4. ^ a b c d e f Meijer 1990, pp. 511, 532, 576–577
  5. ^ a b c d e f Kamm 2006, pp. 156–157
  6. ^ Griffin 2009, p. 13 ff.
  7. ^ Plutarch. "Life of Sulla" in Parallel Lives
  8. ^ Historia Augusta, Antoninus Pius 1.7; translated by Anthony Birley, Lives of the Later Caesars (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976), p. 96

General and cited sources

  • Miriam Griffin. A Companion to Julius Caesar, p. 13 ff. John Wiley & Sons, 2009. . (Julius Caesar's descendancy.)
  • Antony Kamm. Julius Caesar: A Life, pp. 156 (Genealogical chart of the family of Julius Caesar) and 157 (Simplified genealogical chart of the emperors from Augustus to Nero). Routledge, 2006. .
  • J. W. Meijer (translator). Tacitus: Jaarboeken ( – pp. 511 (Julia the Elder's family tree), 532 (Tiberius' family tree), 576–577 (from Gaius Julius Caesar the Elder to Nero)
  • Napoleon III. Histoire de Jules César Volume 1, p. 253. Paris: H. Plon 1865. (Julius Caesar's family tree.)
  • William Smith. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 1870. Volume 1 p. 536 ff. Archived 2015-03-14 at the Wayback Machine (Julii Caesares up to the generation before the adoptions started.)
  • John S. Wurts. Magna Charta. Brookfield Publishing Company, 1945. Vol. 4 p. 627. (Ordinals for the Julii Caesares with the same praenomen.)

External links