Quick Facts
Sister of Augustus and devoted wife of Mark Antony, renowned for her virtue and dignity despite her husband's abandonment for Cleopatra.
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Life Journey
Born Octavia Minor, sister of the future Augustus Caesar.
Married Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor, a respected Roman senator.
Her first husband died, leaving her a widow with three children.
Married Mark Antony to seal the Treaty of Brundisium between Antony and her brother Octavian.
Bore Antony two daughters while living with him in Athens.
Antony publicly acknowledged his relationship with Cleopatra and their children.
Antony formally divorced her through messengers while she remained in his house caring for his children.
Despite public outrage at her treatment, continued to care for all of Antony's children.
Her former husband and Cleopatra died in Alexandria after Octavian's victory.
Took in and raised Antony's children by Cleopatra alongside her own children.
Her beloved son Marcellus, heir to Augustus, died young, causing her profound grief.
Augustus granted her unprecedented honors, including the right to manage her own affairs without a guardian.
Lived quietly, revered by Rome as the model of womanly virtue.
Died peacefully, mourned by all Rome. Augustus delivered her eulogy and built the Porticus Octaviae in her honor.
Remembered as the ideal Roman matron, her image used for centuries as the model of feminine virtue.