The Empresses of Rome

For five centuries, the women beside Rome's emperors were never merely ornamental. They negotiated succession, wielded political influence, and sometimes ruled in their own right. This landmark study, first published in 1911, traces the remarkable arc of imperial power from Augustus to the fall of the Western Empire, examining how empresses shaped the empire's destiny through ambition, intelligence, and sometimes ruthlessness. From Livia, who secured her husband's legacy and controlled the Julio-Claudian dynasty from the shadows, to the later women who navigated civil war and collapse, McCabe reconstructs the intimate relationship between domestic power and imperial rule. The book illuminates a forgotten dimension of Roman history: how thoroughly women were entangled in the machinery of empire, even as later historians erased them from the narrative. Originally written during an era when such studies were rare, it offers both historical detail and a window into early twentieth-century historiography. For readers curious about the real politics of ancient power or the overlooked figures who held Rome's future in their hands, this remains a compelling excavation of ambition and authority.