# Messalina — The Lives of the Caesars character guide

> Messalina in The Lives of the Caesars by Suetonius.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Valeria Messalina

**First appearance:** 0004-book-v-the-deified-claudius

## Who they are

Claudius's young empress, whose appetites and intrigues turned the imperial bedchamber into a death trap.

## In the story

### [Book V: The Deified Claudius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_of_the_caesars_se/chapters/book-v-the-deified-claudius)

Claudius's wife; her role in the downfall of Appius Silanus and her own death are noted.

### [Book VI: Nero](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_of_the_caesars_se/chapters/book-vi-nero)

Wife of Claudius; sent emissaries to strangle Nero, viewing him as a rival to Britannicus.

### [Otho](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_of_the_caesars_se/chapters/otho)

Nero's widow whom Otho intended to marry; he wrote her a note commending his corpse and memory before his suicide.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_of_the_caesars_se/characters/messalina
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_of_the_caesars_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_of_the_caesars_se/characters