Pompey the Great & Julia Caesar

By Michelle Styles

When the whole idea of love affairs was first mooted, I thought of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. After all, she had herself rolled up in a rug and delivered to him so she could plead her case, and have him support her rather than her husband/brother.

Then after Caesar's death, there is Cleopatra and Marc Antony and the famous asp. Not bad for a woman that historians now think was a dumpy blonde with a quick wit. (See picture of her bust.)

There is also the famous story of Servillia (the mother of Brutus) and Caesar--in the Senate, Servillia's very uptight and upright brother Cato demanded Caesar read the letter he had just received out loud. It turned out to be a highly explicit and impassioned love letter...

However, one of the love affairs that strikes me to have had a tremendous of consequence for the Roman Republic was the May December marriage between Pompey the Great and Julia Caesar, Julius Caesar's beloved daughter from his first marriage to Cornelia Cinna and his only legitimate child.

Pompey the Great was the general who first rewrote the rules of the Republic. he raised armies when he was supposed to be too young, held consulship more times than customary and generally was beloved by the people. He was married seven times and had the reputation as a dedicated womaniser. Julia was the highly educated daughter of an up and coming politician. They were married for political purposes and to tie the families together. Love was not supposed to be involved. Cato saw his chance and mocked them both, turning the public against two of his sworn enemies. An early end was predicted for the marriage.

Against the odds, Pompey and Julia fell in love. Pompey neglected his duties and became a model husband. Public scorn of him increased led by Clodius who had once dressed up as a dancing girl in order to seduce Caesar's wife Pompeia (sex scandals amongst politicians were rife in the Roman Republic) and Cato. Caesar went off to Gaul. Julia fell pregnant. Pompey and Crassus attempted to rig the election of 55 BCE. Violence broke out. Pompey was caught in the thick of it and his toga became blood splattered. Julia saw the toga assumed the worst and miscarried. It was taken to be a judgement from the gods for the rigged election. The next year, in August 54 BCE, again heavily pregnant, she miscarried and died.

Both Pompey and Caesar were prostrate with grief. Caesar never really forgave Pompey for his very quick remarriage and they ended up on opposite sides of a civil war that tore Rome apart.

Michelle Styles's latest North American release, SOLD & SEDUCED, is set during this period and is out now.

Excerpt Thursday: Penny Ash

Thursdays on Unusual Historicals mean excerpts! Here's one from Penny Ash. She writes:

It occurred to me that I hadn't posted an excerpt of my historical novella, CAESAR'S LOVE. It won't be available in this form much longer, as it is being revised and made longer. I hope you enjoy ancient Rome as much as I do.

Laurentius Caesar has everything a man could want: power, prestige, and the admiration of all. He lacks only love, and his hopes for such are amended on meeting one of his house slaves, Auriel. Having known only the life of a servant, Auriel is surprised with her new role as Caesar's lover. Is Laurentius' love strong enough to erase their differences?

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Auriel worked as quickly and silently as possible, scrubbing the floor of the great hall. She truly hated to be given chores anywhere near the royal apartments. Usually she managed to avoid them by doing the less pleasant tasks no one else wanted to do. But Rufa was ill and Pulvillus was hiding somewhere so it fell to her.

Born a slave in a Roman garrison deep in the wilds of Britannia, she had long ago resigned herself to her fate. When she was a child she was sold into the household of the governor of Gaul, caring for his small children. And when the children had been carried off one by one a victim of illness the governor had returned to Rome and sold her to a Senator.

She had learned to avoid attention quickly when she saw how the other young female slaves were treated. Survival lay in hiding her pale hair and budding body under a few layers of filth and loose rags. The Senator had finally married and seeing through the dirt and grime the jealous new wife promptly gave her to Caesar.

Given her own choice she would have been content to go unnoticed in a minor land owner's house somewhere far from Rome. But a slave's life was subject to the whims of her master, or her master's wife, and so here she was in the palace of the ruler of the civilized world.

Auriel sighed. She had seen Laurentius Caesar a handful of times as she went about her work, and while she did think he was beautiful with his thick dark hair and green eyes, she would rather go unnoticed by him. He was dangerous, like all men of power and wealth. And she very much liked being alive.

Intent on her work, she heard the sound of footsteps and quickly raised her arm to stop whoever it was from marring her newly cleaned and polished floor. The hall floor was large and she did not want to have to repeat the chore of washing it. Looking up, she expected to see another slave or one of the guards. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the richness of the sandals ornamented in gold and precious gems. She sighed resignedly and looked up into the angry deep green eyes of Caesar himself.

"My Lord, the floor is slippery and wet, dangerous to walk upon," she said, her voice shaky. If she was lucky he would merely have her beaten. If not he would strike her down where she knelt. Silently she apologized to Rufa. Blood was so hard to clean from a marble floor.

Weekly Announcements - 19 July 08

Penny Ash has been offered a contract to expand CAESAR'S LOVE, to be paired in a two-story anthology with Jade Morrison for print in early 2009.

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For a faery fun interview, take a look at ParaNormal Romance's Paraphernalia feature. This month Jacquie Rogers is one of the featured guest authors for Fae Month. She reveals how she built the Faery World for Faery Special Romances, and her plans for the star of the book, Keely. She also discusses her work with the Children's Tumor Foundation and why she is dedicated to raising neurofibromatosis awareness.

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Join us tomorrow when Erastes will be discussing and giving away a free copy of SPEAK ITS NAME, an anthology of homosexual historical stories set between the Regency Era and the 1920s.

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We'll also draw the winners of Kimberly Killion's HER ONE DESIRE. Leave a comment for your shot at winning.

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Have a good weekend. If you have an announcement to make for next week, email Carrie. See you next week...