SexViolHist Bib: Cases: Real Cases: Attempted Rape of Verginia

»Verginia, or Virginia (c. 465 BC – 449 BC), was the subject of a story of ancient Rome, related in Livy's Ab Urbe Condita. Verginia, upon threat to her virtue, was killed by her father. Livy directly links Verginia's death to the overthrow of the decemviri and the re-establishment of the Roman Republic.« -- More information: Wikipedia

Attempted Rape by Appius Claudius

I n f o r m a t i o n

»In 451 BC, the decemvir Appius Claudius began to lust after Verginia, a beautiful plebeian girl who was the daughter of Lucius Verginius, a respected centurion. Verginia was betrothed to Lucius Icilius, a former tribune of the plebs. When Verginia rejected Claudius' advances, he had one of his clients, Marcus Claudius, claim that she was not the daughter of Verginius but instead the daughter of his slave, and therefore a slave herself. Marcus Claudius then abducted her while she was on her way to school in the Forum, taking advantage of her father's absence from Rome. The crowd in the Forum objected to this, as both Verginius and Icilius were well-respected men, and they forced Marcus Claudius to bring the case before the decemvirs, led by Appius Claudius himself. Verginius was recalled from the field to defend his daughter, and Icilius, after threats of violence, succeeded in having Verginia returned to her house while the court waited for her father to appear. Claudius tried to have his own supporters intercept the messengers sent to summon Verginius, but they arrived too late to delay Verginius' arrival.« -- More information: Wikipedia

K e y w o r d s

I. Chronological Index: Ancient History: Roman History | III. Topical Index: Types: General: Rape

B i b l i o g r a p h y

Representations: Historiographical Texts: Livy