7 Biggest Sex Scandals of Ancient Rome

It is no secret that scandalous stories of a sexual nature have cost many modern politicians their reputation and even careers. But what deputies, ministers and even presidents can afford now is mere trifles compared to what the rulers of antiquity and their confidants did. We present the seven most famous sexual scandals of Ancient Rome, which have forever remained in the memory of mankind.

The Roman Emperor Heliogabalus is remembered for ruling the empire for a record short time. He ascended the throne at the age of 14, but by the age of 18 his antics had become so annoying that he was killed. All four years of this strange guy's reign were filled with incredible debauchery and inadequate ideas that shocked even seasoned Romans.

Heliogabalus moved around the city naked in a chariot drawn by naked girls, whom he drove with a whip. When the treasury began to run short of funds, the resourceful emperor opened a brothel in his palace, where he himself gladly received clients. During his reign, Heliogabalus married four times, and once he married his lover Hierocles, whom he wanted to declare Caesar. But he did not have time - the patience of the Praetorian Guard snapped. The emperor was stabbed to death along with his mother and "husband".

For Emperor Nero, nothing was impossible in life. He always got what he wanted, but governing the Roman Empire did not interest him at all. Instead, he participated in chariot races, performed in theatrical productions, wrote poetry, and wove intrigues among his subjects - and all this did not go well. The emperor also liked to spend time with the Vestals, the untouchable priestesses of the goddess Vesta, and the next morning he personally brought them to trial for debauchery.

In order to marry a second time, Nero killed his mother and sister, who opposed the union. Then he killed his wife, kicking her in the stomach when she was pregnant. The wife's place was taken by the 16-year-old freedman Sporus, who bore a striking resemblance to her. Nero decided to marry a third time, this time to his lover. Beforehand, he ordered him to be castrated. Nero played a real wedding, at which the young man wore a bride's veil. Then, as expected, the newlyweds left for their honeymoon in Greece.

The name of Valeria Messalina, the third wife of Emperor Claudius, has become a byword for loose women for good reason. The emperor's wife and mother of his two children became famous for her pathological craving for lovemaking. To satisfy her passion, she often went incognito to a lupanarium (brothel) and gave herself to men there for the usual price for a mid-level prostitute.

She changed lovers one after another, but her most famous trick was a competition with a prostitute. Once she made a bet with the most famous Roman prostitute: the emperor's wife declared that in one night she could take more men than her rival. Messalina won, having let 25 men through her bed in one night.

Emperor Tiberius, during whose reign Jesus was crucified, was known for his incredible debauchery throughout his life. Moreover, with age, the ruler's vices became more and more sophisticated. In his later years, Tiberius loved to swim in a pool with boys who bit him between the thighs. The emperor called them "little fish."

It happened that Tiberius was tired even of his own harem, and he chose his lovers among the children of the Roman nobility. Of course, this caused discontent among the local aristocrats. At first they simply quietly grumbled, but over time they decided on a desperate step: the emperor was secretly strangled with a pillow right in his villa. Officially, the Romans were informed that the ruler died of a serious illness.

Could the Roman senator Gaius Calpurnius Piso have imagined, when inviting the Emperor Caligula to his wedding, that he would condescend to his modest celebration? Probably, the invitation was nothing more than an act of politeness. But the unpredictable Caligula went and came. And immediately noticed the beautiful young bride - 17-year-old Livia Orestilla.

The groom asked the emperor in a humane manner not to touch his beloved. Caligula seemed to agree, but then he kidnapped the bride. He married her, but very soon he got tired of the girl. Then the ruler sent her into exile on a remote island, strictly ordering her to remain faithful to him.

The Roman general Crassus was considered one of the richest men in history and held an influential position in Rome. Naturally, they tried to blacken him in every possible way. One day they decided to foist a vestal virgin on him - a priestess of the goddess Vesta, who took an oath to remain celibate.

The outcome of this affair is unknown: whether Marcus Licinius succeeded in seducing the Vestal Virgin named Licinia or not. If he had been found guilty, he would have faced execution by beating with rods. However, Crassus claimed that his attention to the priestess was due to the desire to make a deal to buy her house, and the rest was just gossip. He was acquitted, and the charges were dropped.

The most famous ruler of Rome, Gaius Julius Caesar, was known as a debauchee even by the standards of his time, when morals were quite free. He preferred the company of young men and in his youth did not deny himself the pleasure of spending time with men. At the age of 16, he married a girl from the noble family of Cornelia, but very soon left his young wife. The future ruler of Rome went to war in Asia Minor, but did not return from there with military glory.

Caesar served at the court of Rome's ally Nicomedes, the king of Bithynia, a kingdom in what is now Turkey. Nicomedes was a connoisseur of "Greek love"; he loved young boys and slept with them. Rumors leaked into Roman society that Gaius Julius had been seen in the king's chambers in women's clothing. After his return, Caesar was called behind his back "the mattress of the king's bed," "the queen of Bithynia," and "the Bithynian courtesan."

The morals of the rulers of Ancient Rome are striking in their depravity even by today's standards. What do you think, was this a consequence of permissiveness or a feature of that era? Share your opinion!