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Aurelia Cotta Essay Example

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Aurelia Cotta Essay Example
Aurelia Cotta

Who was the mother of famous Julius Caesar? The woman who raised Julius and his two sisters is Aurelia Cotta. She raised her daughters both name Julia and her son Julius, she then eventually raised her grandson Augustus. Her husband Gaius Caesar the elder, died at a young age, and before that he was gone most of the time so she was the one in charge of raising her children (15 Interesting Women of Ancient Rome). Many women in today’s world do not get the recognition they deserve for all the hard work they do. Aurelia Cotta should be recognized as a strong and loving mother who did what was best for her children. Aurelia gave birth to three children, her daughters Julia Caesaris Major, Julia Caesaris Minor, and her son Julius Caesar. The daughter’s names meant Julia the elders and Julia the younger. Aurelia’s husband, Gaius had a long career in Roman politics and served as proconsul of Asia. He was said to have died suddenly while putting on his shoes, he left the majority of his estate to his son Gaius Julius Caesar, who later on became a dictator of Rome (Aurelia Cotta: Life of Julius Caesar’s mother). The life for widowed Aurelia was never dull, she was always looking out for her children.
As a young adult Caesar was married to a woman named Cornelia. When he was eighteen the dictator of Rome, Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (a political enemy) ordered Caesar to divorce his wife. Julius naturally refused and Sulla tried to take away his inheritance from his father. Aurelia protested the case with the assistance of her brother Gaius Aurelius Cotta, who later became Consul. Any mother would defend their children in this case just as Aurelia did for Julius (Aurelia Cotta: Life of Julius Caesar’s mother). Cornelia died at a young age, awhile after giving birth to their only son. Aurelia then took on the responsibility of raising Julius’s son. She was proved highly effective in running Caesar’s home and became a prominent matriarch within

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