Did Caesar's aunt (Julilla) marry Sulla?

[G-Manicus]

I recently began reading Colleen McCullough's 'Masters of Rome' series. I've tended to rely on Wikipedia for researching a lot of the Romans named in the book (I know, I know ... ) and for the most part, characters and events in the book seem to match up with the historical record. In the initial book however, "First Man of Rome," one of the key plot-lines involves the marriage of Sulla to Julius Caesar's aunt Julilla (aka Julia Minor). Sulla's Wikipedia entry indicates the following:

 

Marriages and issue

 

* First wife, Ilia (possibly Julia (Julilla) Minor, Aunt of Gaius Julius Caesar)

o Cornelia Sulla, married first with Gnaeus Pompeius Rufus and later with Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus Livianus,

mother of Pompeia Sulla, second wife of Julius Caesar

o Lucius Cornelius Sulla, died young

I've googled this to no avail and can find no other reference anywhere to this marriage aside from this Wikipedia entry. Even the Julio-Claudian family tree entry only references Gaius Julius Caesar and Marcia of the Regii having 3 children (2 boys and Julia, wife of Marius).

 

Is this just poetic license taken by the author to try and fill in some sort of historical gap? Or can anyone verify that this to be accepted historic fact/theory?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

G

 

Ps - Tried the search engine here as well to see if it had been discussed, but didn't get any hits and so I apologize if I'm beating a dead horse (*resists urge to photoshop same* )

[Ingsoc]

It's correct, in 110 BC Marius marry Julia who was Julius Caesar aunt.

[G-Manicus]

It's correct, in 110 BC Marius marry Julia who was Julius Caesar aunt.

Thanks for the response Ingsoc, but that's not the Julia I'm referring to. The book, and Wikipedia, allege that that woman's sister (known as Julilla or Julia Minor) married Sulla. Can't find a record of that anywhere.

[Primus Pilus]

Nobody knows who she was. The source for Ilia is Plutarch. He says virtually nothing about her.

Life of Sulla 6.11.

 

And this was not the only woman whom he married, but first, when he was still a stripling, he took Ilia to wife, and she bore him a daughter; than Aelia, after her; and thirdly, Cloelia, whom he divorced for barrenness, honourably, and with words of praise, to which he added gifts.

 

Arthur Keaveney in "Sulla: The Last Republican" only offers speculation, but there is no concrete legitimacy to Ilia's origin.

[Publius Nonius Severus]

Edit: PP beat me to it again!

 

It's correct, in 110 BC Marius marry Julia who was Julius Caesar aunt.

Thanks for the response Ingsoc, but that's not the Julia I'm referring to. The book, and Wikipedia, allege that that woman's sister (known as Julilla or Julia Minor) married Sulla. Can't find a record of that anywhere.

 

The marriage of Sulla and a 'Julilla" have just be one of the fill-in's McCullough used to make the story flow better. As stated above, there is no listing of Julilia on the Julian family tree. What McCullough may have used for a basis however is a reference to a passage in Plutarch's The Life of Sulla, Chap 6:

 

...unworthy of the woman although they had judged him worthy of the consulship. And this was not the only woman whom he married, but first, when he was still a stripling, he took Ilia to wife, and she bore him a daughter; than Aelia, after her; and thirdly, Cloelia, whom he divorced for barrenness, honourably, and with words of praise, to which he added gifts. But since he married Metella only a few days afterwards, he was thought to have accused Cloelia unfairly...

 

Many think the woman listed as Ilia, is corrupted (either in PLutarch's text or the source he used) and should read Julia (or Julilia), hence the possibe connection to the Julian and most liklely served as McCullough's "source". I have never seen any other reference to Sulla being Caesar's uncle directly or indirectly.

Edited September 14, 2007 by Publius Nonius Severus

[Primus Pilus]

Many think the woman listed as Ilia, is corrupted (either in PLutarch's text or the source he used) and should read Julia (or Julilia), hence the possibe connection to the Julian and most liklely served as McCullough's "source". I have never seen any other reference to Sulla being Caesar's uncle directly or indirectly.

 

And unfortunately, I can't personally read Greek (the language that Plutarch was originally published in) so I have no idea what the English Ilia was actually translated from.

[G-Manicus]

Thanks, guys! Much appreciated!