Livia Orestilla
Livia Orestilla (or Cornelia Orestilla , also Orestina ) was a Roman patrician who was the second wife of the Roman emperor Caligula for a few days in 37 or 38 AD .
She was the daughter of Publius Cornelius Orestinus . She was initially to be married to Gaius Calpurnius Piso , but Caligula forced a divorce during the wedding ceremony in order to marry her herself. As an external pretext, he asserted an alleged ancient Roman tradition and referred to one of the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus , and the first emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus . Both would have stolen their wives from other men as well. A few days after the forced marriage, he divorced Livia again.
Two months ( Cassius Dio ) or years ( Suetonius ) later, she and Gaius Calpurnius Piso were banished from Caligula because he suspected Livia of having returned to her original husband. Perhaps she is the wife of whom Tacitus writes that Piso's love for her is well known.
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Livia Orestilla |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cornelia Orestilla; Orestilla, Livia |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | second wife of the Roman emperor Caligula |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1st century BC BC or 1st century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st century |