Valeria Messalina, sometimes spelled
Messallina, (c. 17/20–48) married (as his third wife) the Roman Emperor
Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of the Emperor
Nero, a second-cousin of the Emperor
Caligula, and a great-grandniece of the 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 arguably results from political bias, but works of art and literature have perpetuated it into modern times.