When you think of power couples in ancient Rome, your mind probably jumps to Antony and Cleopatra or Caesar and Calpurnia. But allow me to point your attention to a woman who redefined what it meant to wield influence without donning a laurel crown herself—Pompeia Plotina. Born in an age when women were mostly seen and not heard, Pompeia Plotina smashed through the marble ceilings with more grace and poise than a liberal at a Bohemian art fair.
Who was she, you ask? Plotina was the wife of Emperor Trajan, a man whose reputation in history doesn't need much embellishment. But it wasn't all about her husband. Oh no, this lady had dreams and ambitions of her own. Born around the year 70 AD in Gaul, Plotina's greatness was foreshadowed by her noble lineage and intellectual upbringing. She served as Rome's de facto Empress when her husband came to power in 98 AD, and it wasn't long before she started making waves that resonate even today.
Plotina wasn't just about fancy dinner parties and regal outfits, though she surely did wear them with elegance that Tumblr feminists could only dream of emulating. What makes her stand out is her relentless commitment to moral integrity, a commitment she made evident when she publicly vowed to maintain the traditions and virtues of Rome upon becoming empress. Unlike today's politicians who seem to waffle more than a breakfast diner, Plotina stood steadfast.
Why does she matter to us today? Well, she championed educational reforms and fair taxation, for starters. While attending to the state's needs, Plotina also turned her gaze toward the citizens who made Rome tick. She was quite involved in the creation and support of public schools, ensuring that education wasn't a privilege but a right—a conservative notion of promoting meritocracy long before it was cool.
Plotina also sailed the tricky waters of imperial politics with a mastery that puts modern political chess players to shame. She not only shaped Trajan's policy decisions but also mentored his successor, Hadrian. Yes, the same Hadrian who built that wall in Britain, a move reminiscent of more recent wall-building endeavors. Apparently, conservatives have been building successful wall strategies since ancient times, because good fences do indeed make good neighbors.
While many empresses of her time were content with spinning wool and whispering sweet nothings to their husbands, Plotina saw herself as a guardian of Roman virtues and a staunch advocate of poverty relief. She tirelessly lobbied for laws that would ensure fair treatment of the lower classes. She enacted measures that would squash inflationary practices and revamp justice systems that were plagued by corruption. Her love for straightening out the mess in governance meant she was the sort of conservative who believed action spoke louder than words.
Let's address her role in spreading the values that kept the Roman Empire standing tall for centuries. Plotina was a patron of architecture and a devotee of the Stoic philosophy, emblematic of the self-reliance we conservatives cherish. The alabaster-white ruins of Nîmes' Maison Carrée temple stand as tribute to her patronage, once a bustling center of cultural enrichment.
Pompeia Plotina didn't just observe from the sidelines while the men did the heavy lifting. On the contrary, she was directly involved, pulling the strings backstage like a maestro conducting a dopamine-fueled symphony. Her marriage to Trajan might have been childless, but it was far from fruitless—it yielded a political legacy intertwined with wisdom, fairness, and conservative morals.
Why is it that historians haven't given Plotina her due credit until recent times? Perhaps because acknowledging that a woman played such a crucial, formative role in Roman politics doesn't quite fit the neat, liberal narrative about oppressed ancient women. The reality is, Plotina was a formidable political force who rose to ideological prominence through her intellect, advocacy, and unwavering dedication to her beliefs.
The blend of her political prowess, social advocacy, and commitment to Roman tradition makes Pompeia Plotina a figure whose life is worth dissecting and emulating. She carved her name in stone not by demanding it be so, but by earning it through uncompromising integrity and forward-thinking policies. After all, timeless principles—whether from Rome's golden age or today's digitized world—never go out of style.
Pompeia Plotina likely wouldn't have joined a hashtag protest, but can you imagine her in a boardroom? You just know she’d have been the one to decisively tip the scales in favor of common sense and practicality. Her life serves as a powerful reminder of the values that conservatives hold dear, values that have withstood the test of time because they are grounded in truth."