The scandalous reason Emperor Augustus exiled his only daughter from Rome forever

Gaius Octavius, who we would know later as Augustus, became Rome’s first emperor in 27 BCE after decades of warfare and political manoeuvres.

His first marriage to Scribonia had produced a daughter, Julia, in 39 BCE. However, he had divorced Scribonia the day Julia was born and had immediately married Livia Drusilla, whose two sons from a previous marriage, Tiberius and Drusus, soon became part of the imperial succession plan. 

As a child raised in Livia’s household, Julia lived under the influence of a stepmother who valued restraint and political aims.

She had no opportunity to determine her own future, as Augustus used Julia’s hand in marriage to forge political alliances and he treated her as a political pawn.

Each marriage came with the general expectation that it would produce sons who could inherit power. 

Over the years, rivalries developed within the imperial family. Livia worked to promote Tiberius as heir, while Augustus adopted Julia’s sons by Marcus Agrippa as future successors.

As the years passed, resentment grew within the family. Julia reportedly resisted her father's control, and ancient sources described the atmosphere within the palace as tense, with private bitterness hidden by public dignity. 

After he seized control of Rome, Augustus introduced a series of reforms were intended to restore traditional moral standards.

Among these laws was the Lex Julia de adulteriis coercendis, part of a larger legislative package passed around 18–17 BCE.

This law made adultery a crime and in practice gave male heads of household the right to punish offending women.

Augustus framed these laws as necessary to restore order to Roman society. 

To reinforce his message, Augustus rewarded citizens who married and had children, punished those who remained unmarried, and celebrated models of female chastity in official imagery.

His own family publicly appeared as examples of these ideals. Livia showed modesty and restraint, which helped present the imperial household as a model for Roman citizens. 

When he linked political power to moral standing, Augustus thereby exposed his own family to severe public scrutiny.

Any act that challenged his values had consequences outside the personal. Julia’s behaviour soon became difficult to ignore because it undermined the image Augustus had worked to build. 

At the age of 14, Julia married her cousin Marcellus, who had won favour as a potential successor to Augustus.

After two years of marriage, Marcellus died in 23 BCE without leaving any children.

Augustus responded by arranging her second marriage to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who was a trusted general and political partner and who was about 25 years older than she was. 

Despite the age difference, the match suited Augustus’ priorities. Julia and Agrippa had five children: Gaius Caesar, Lucius Caesar, Julia the Younger, Agrippina the Elder, and Agrippa Postumus.

Gaius and Lucius were later adopted by the emperor himself. However, following Agrippa’s death in 12 BCE, Augustus ordered Julia to marry Tiberius.

He had recently divorced his beloved wife Vipsania, which left him bitter and resentful of the marriage to Julia. 

As the relationship collapsed, Tiberius withdrew from public life and relocated to Rhodes in 6 BCE.

Julia, left without protection and already estranged from her stepmother, turned to her social circle for support.

Gossip began to circulate about her behaviour and her choice of company, which made her increasingly vulnerable to criticism in a society that was obsessed by public appearances and morality. 

By the early years of the first century BCE, stories about Julia’s alleged affairs had become widespread. R

oman citizens spoke of her romantic involvement with several prominent men, especially Iullus Antonius, the son of Mark Antony.

Sources claimed she even hosted gatherings at the Forum and the Palatine Hill. 

Writers such as Suetonius and Dio Cassius recorded that Julia ridiculed her father’s laws and intentially acted more openly to cause offense.

Her association with Iullus Antonius caused particular alarm, as his family had once opposed Augustus, and his political aims made him a potentially dangerous ally.

Iullus Antonius had served as consul in 10 BCE and held a position of influence in Augustus' administration, which made his involvement appear even more threatening.

Although it remains unclear whether Julia knowingly encouraged any political designs, the rumours alone created an opportunity for her enemies to act. 

Once Augustus had received formal reports, he promptly launched a private inquiry.

Letters, statements, and testimony apparently exposed a wide network of alleged adultery and possibly rebellious conduct.

Several of Julia’s companions, including Sextus Appuleius, Sempronius Gracchus, and Cornelius Scipio, were involved.

Some chose suicide, while others were exiled or stripped of their positions. After he had gathered evidence and public sentiment had grown increasingly uneasy, Augustus decided to act against his own daughter. 

Rather than show mercy, Augustus enforced the laws he had created. Julia was formally charged with adultery and banished under his own law.

Pandateria, a remote and rocky island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, became her prison.

The island measured just under two square kilometres and offered no shelter or comfort. J

ulia was reportedly permitted only one female servant and was forbidden to drink wine or receive letters.

What is more, strict limits on contact largely kept her isolated and shamed. 

As part of the crackdown, Iullus Antonius was reportedly forced to commit suicide, though it remains uncertain whether this was a formal sentence or imposed indirectly.

Other men involved in the scandal were punished according to their rank. Augustus made no public statement defending his actions.

Instead, he claimed that justice demanded equal application of the law.

Later writings suggest that Augustus may have regretted the personal consequences of his decision.

He reportedly expressed sorrow that he had ever married or had children. Despite this sentiment, he refused to allow Julia back into Roman society or to publicly restore her honour.

Her disgrace fulfilled a political purpose that outweighed any private regret. 

By that time, Julia had reportedly endured five years of harsh isolation on Pandateria.

Exposure to wind and limited rations had likely left her physically weakened. In 4 CE, Augustus allowed her to move to Rhegium, on the southern Italian coast.

Although her surroundings changed, she remained under strict supervision and never regained significant influence or freedom.

The deaths of Gaius in 4 CE and Lucius in 2 CE eliminated any remaining dynastic importance she had held. 

When Augustus died in 14 CE, Tiberius took power and made no effort to assist Julia.

He withheld food allowances, denied public mourning, and deliberately ensured that she remained forgotten.

Later accounts differ considerably on the cause of her death. Some claim she died of starvation, others claim she died from illness, and no public monument honoured her memory.