Modern readers perhaps know Fulvia primarily as the cuckolded wife of Mark Antony and Cleopatra's love rival. But this description falls far short of her figure. In fact, Fulvia was one of the most renowned and politically prominent ladies in antiquity during the final days of the Roman Republic. When she married Antony, her third husband in 44 BC, Fulvia was already a well-known figure in Roman society who carried a significant political clout which would have appealed to Antony at the time. As the last surviving members of two old families, Fulvia inherited a large fortune. Apart from being savvy on how to utilise her money, she was also savvy in capitalising on her link to the Roman past – both of which are useful to have especially in the turbulent political time in which she lived. Her first marriage to Publius Clodius Pulcher, a member of the very influential Claudian family, also contributed to her clout. Following Clodius’s murder, Fulvia married Caius Scribonius Curio, also a rising politician who died in Africa during the civil war. Her third and final marriage was to Mark Antony, magister equitum, consul, triumvir, and, eventually, Octavian’s greatest adversary. Read moreSection: NewsHistoryAncient TraditionsFamous PeoplePremiumPreviewRead Later