Background
Milonia Caesonia was born between 2 and 4 June in an unknown year near the beginning of the Common Era. Coming from modest origins, Caesonia was a daughter of Vistilia.
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Milonia Caesonia
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Her younger half-brother was the Roman Consul and General Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo. Little is written of Caesonia. Suetonius says that when Caligula married her she was neither beautiful nor young, and was the mother of three daughters by another manitoba
He describes her as a woman of reckless extravagance and wantonness, whom nevertheless Caligula loved passionately and faithfully.
Cassius Dio states that the Roman public was not pleased with Caligula"s marriage to Caesonia. The satirist Juvenal speculates that Caligula went mad as a result of a love potion Caesonia administered to him.
Suetonius states that Caligula would parade Caesonia in front of his troops and sometimes naked in front of select friends. He would jokingly threaten to torture or kill her, on occasion, as an odd form of affection.
In 41, Caligula was struck down by assassins while attending a private theatrical performance.
According to Josephus, she died bravely. Struck with grief at her husband"s death, she willingly offered her neck to the assassin and told him to kill her without hesitation. Milonia Caesonia died on 24 January 41.
Caesonia has been portrayed several times on film and television over the years:
1937 – Leonora Corbett in the uncompleted film I, Claudius
1966 – Krista Keller in the television movie Caligula
1968 – Barbara Murray in the television series The Caesars
1975 – Yvonne Lex in the television movie Caligula
1976 – Freda Dowie in the television series I, Claudius
1979 – Helen Mirren in the theatrical film Caligula.
