Explanation: Pompey Magnus, a politician and military commander of the Late Roman Republic, had two failed marriages early in his life. His third marriage, however, to Julia, the daughter and beloved only child of Julius Caesar, was by all accounts a happy one. Julia was noted as an active, charming, beautiful, and intelligent woman, and both Caesar and Pompey were pleased with the match, both personally and politically (as marriage was often conducted for forming political alliances at the time). Julia was both attentive to her husband, and an advisor when she thought he needed it; Pompey was very respectful towards her and, exceptionally for a Roman aristocratic man of the period, appeared not to carry on any affairs during the marriage.
Both appeared to be genuinely in love, and a criticism from wider Roman society - especially from the optimates (conservatives) who wanted to use the politically moderate Pompey against the populare (reformist) Caesar - was that Pompey paid too much attention to Julia instead of politics! What is he, in LOVE with a WOMAN or something? While the Romans expected genuine love between husband and wife to develop, DUTY to the REPUBLIC should ALWAYS come FIRST to a good citizen’s priorities, not effeminate EMOTIONS or the like!
Julia, sadly, would have a miscarriage after fainting from shock when she saw Pompey’s clothes rushed to the house after elections, covered in blood, fearing it was his blood (it was not - Roman elections in the period could be… rough). Her next pregnancy would end in both her death and the child’s, possibly related to health issues from this first miscarriage. Pompey and Caesar were both reportedly devastated by her death.
Julia’s death is like that tragic forced cinematic event that puts plot in motion. With her alive just for a few more years there would have been no civil war, no principate, the whole history would be different.
Pompey, the jovial and direct man-of-action enamored with the crowd’s adoration; and Caesar, the flamboyantly humble* schemer. What a duo they would have made - what a duo they did make, even with Crassus as the awkward third wheel.
It’s interesting to think of what might have come. Whether their ambitions would clash, or synergize to make something better of the Republic - or conversely (if less likely), worse than the Principate. History is full of unknowable hypotheticals
which is why we need to hurry up and invent time travel to answer these burning what-ifs*seemingly contradictory, but I mean that Caesar always had a flair for the dramatic and presentation, but also that he went out of his way (usually successfully) to make people feel like he was not trying to put himself above them - both early and late in his political career. He craved power more than the appearance of power, I think, even if he understood the power of appearance!
Incel romans
Femoids draining their manly Roman essence 😭
Pfft get a load of this guy, he loves his wife!!
I read this in the oversimplified guy’s voice, followed by the laughter…
I am not disappointed, made it loads better haha
Something hard to grasp about Roman culture is that fucking a dude isn’t frowned upon as long as you’re not the one taking it and acting needy.
