She was the daughter of Emperor Galerius and his first wife, whose name is unknown. She bore two sons: the eldest, Valerius Romulus, was born c. 294; the other son"s name is not recorded, but might be Aurelius Valerius, who was executed in 312.
As an emperor"s daughter, she was entitled nobilissima femina. Her husband was acclaimed emperor in October 306 against the wishes of Valeria Maximilla"s father, who tried to overthrow the usurper in 307 but without success. Maxentius remained the ruler of Rome, Italy and Africa until 312, when Constantine I invaded Italy.
Her fate is unknown.
Their son, Romulus, died in 309
Valeria Maximilla"s portrait does not appear on any of the coinage issued under Maxentius, but she may have been depicted on a defaced sculpture now housed in the Capitoline Museums. If it is of Maximilla, it was likely defaced after her husband"s overthrow, when his own images were also defaced. Maximilla may be the nameless queen who appears in the hagiography of Saint Catherine of Alexandria by Jacobus de Voragine (one of the fantastic stories in the "Golden Legend").
