Cornelia

185–100 BC

CORNELIA AND HER JEWELS

Cornelia was the youngest daughter of Scipio Africanus Major, and mother of Tiberius and Caius Gracchus, who were both killed while attempting to enact land reforms in the second century B.C. She was highly renowned as a model Roman matron, and deserves much credit for instilling knowledge, courage, and civic duty in her sons. She is thought to have supported their reform efforts behind the scenes, and she bore their loss with great nobility. She was widely admired during her own life for her intelligence and virtue, and the city of Rome erected a statue to honor her after she died.

Key events during the life of cornelia:

Year	Event
185 BC	Cornelia is born the youngest daughter of Scipio Africanus, hero of the Second Punic War.
170 BC	Marries husband Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, a highly esteemed senator.
	Bears twelve children. Only three live to adulthood. (Tiberius, Caius, and daughter Sempronia.)
153 BC	Husband Sempronius Gracchus dies. Cornelia does not remarry, but remains faithful to his memory.
133 BC	Son Tiberius is elected Tribune, and murdered for his efforts at reforming land laws.
121 BC	Son Caius dies in an uprising orchestrated by his enemies in the Senate.
100 BC	At the death of Cornelia, the Roman population built a statue to her honor.

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Cornelia's Jewels  in	Fifty Famous Stories Retold  by  James Baldwin
Noble Brothers  in	Tales of the Romans: The Children's Plutarch  by  F. J. Gould
Jewels of Cornelia  in	The Story of the Romans  by  H. A. Guerber
Gracchi  in	Famous Men of Rome  by  John H. Haaren & A. B. Poland
Tiberius Gracchus  in	Our Young Folks' Plutarch  by  Rosalie Kaufman
Cornelia, the Mother of the Gracchi  in	The Story of Rome  by  Mary Macgregor
Gracchi and Their Fall  in	Historical Tales: Roman  by  Charles Morris
Cornelia  in	Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston  by

Image Links
The young Gracchi and their mother Cornelia  in  Augustus—His Life and Work	Cornelia and her jewels  in Famous Men of Rome	Cornelia and her Sons in the Streets of Rome  in Greatest Nations - Rome

Contemporary	Short Biography
Tiberius Gracchus	Promoted Land Reform and fought for people's rights. Murdered by senators.
Gaius Gracchus	Continued reforms of his brother, but was undermined by the senate.
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus	Husband of Cornelia; very highly regarded statesman. Commander in Hispania.