Valeria Messalina was a prominent member of the Roman aristocracy. She became the third wife of Emperor Claudius, who was her first cousin once removed. She was the mother of his daughter Octavia and son Britannicus.The Empress was an unfaithful wife and had an affair with a senator called Gaius Silius. She allegedly conspired to depose and/or assassinate Claudius. When Claudius discovered the plot, he had both Messalina and Silius executed. She died in 48 AD. She was reportedly still a young woman at the time of execution, probably 28 to 30-years-old.The few primary sources on Messalina were hostile towards her and portrayed her as a particularly promiscuous woman. One account had her having sex with 25 partners in the same night. Her name became a byword for promiscuity across the centuries. Modern historians suspect that much of her reputation was the result of a slander campaign by her enemies. Show less «