Fausta

Fausta

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Fausta

Fausta, as Salus, holding her two sons, Constantine II and Constantius II.

Fausta Flavia Maxima, Roman Empress, (289-326A.D.) She was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Maximianus. To seal the alliance between them for control of the Tetrarchy, Maximianus married her to Constantine I in 307. Constantine and Fausta had been betrothed since 293.

Fausta had a part in her father's downfall. In 310 Maximian died as a consequence of an assassination plot against Constantine. Maximian decided to involve his daughter Fausta, but she revealed the plot to her husband, and the assassination was disrupted. Maximian died, by suicide or by assassination, in July of that same year.

Empress Fausta was held in high esteem by Constantine and proof of his favour was that in 323 she was proclaimed Augusta, previously she held the title of Nobilissima Femina. However 3 years later Fausta was put to death by Constantine. Although the real reasons are not clear, Constantine put her to death following the execution of Crispus, his eldest son by Minervina, in 326. According to some sources, she had accused Crispus of rape, and Constantine had Crispus executed. Fausta was later executed by suffocation in an over-heated bath,^[1] when her charge was discovered to be false. Modern commentators have tended to ignore the story of allegation of rape and seek some other explanation for what happened. It has been argued instead that Fausta wanted to get rid of Crispus who was a dangerous rival for her own sons in the competition to succeed Constantine. The Emperor ordered the damnatio memoriae of his wife. Significantly, her sons, once in power, never revoked this order.

Her sons became Roman Emperors: Constantine II reigned 337 - 340, Constantius II reigned 337 - 361, and Constans reigned 337 - 350. She also bore three daughters Constantina, Helena and Fausta. Of these, Constantina married her cousins, firstly Hannibalianus and secondly Constantius Gallus, and Helena married Emperor Julian. Apparently a genealogical claim that her daughter Fausta became mother of Emperor Valentinian I is without foundation (Valentinian I and children of Constantine I's second marriage were born in years close to each other, i.e., they were of the same generation).