| Valeria Messalina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Roman empress | |
| Tenure | 24 January 41 – 48 |
| Born | 25 January AD 17 or 20 Rome, Italy |
| Died | 48 (aged 28 or 31) Gardens of Lucullus, Rome, Italy |
| Spouse | Claudius |
| Issue | Claudia Octavia Britannicus |
| Father | Marcus Valerius Messalla Barbatus (consul 20) |
| Mother | Domitia Lepida |
Valeria Messalina (Latin: [waˈlɛria mɛssaːˈliːna]; c. 17/20–48) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for promiscuity, she allegedly conspired against her husband and was executed on the discovery of the plot. Her notorious reputation may have resulted from political bias, but works of art and literature have perpetuated it into modern times.
- ^ Susan Wood, "Messalina, wife of Claudius: propaganda successes and failures of his reign", Journal of Roman Archaeology, Volume 5, 1992, p. 334, suggests that the group was preserved from the destruction following her damnatio memoriae by a supporter who kept it in his home.
- ^ Eric R. Varner, Mutilation and Transformation, Damnatio Memoriae and Roman Imperial Portraiture, Leiden, Brill, 2004., p. 96, writes that the group was warehoused after her damnatio memoria.