Barbara Stilicha

[Jenn]

Barbara Stilicha

33 | 15 September, 39 AD | Equite | Wife/Mother | Heterosexual | Canon | Eleanor Tomlinson

 

 

Personality.

As a child she was shy and mostly kept to herself due to language and culture barriers, however with good tutors and her return to her father and his adopted family (the Stilicho’s) Barbara fully came into her own. Although Barbara was born in Germania, she is as much a Roman as any woman her age. Barbara has always been a caretaker- first with her father as they both figured out the Roman society together and then learning from each of her step-mothers. Each woman brought a different skill set to the table and Barbara absorbed all that she could from each of them. One thing she learned had to do with the struggles of childbirth and raising a family. If there was one thing her father couldn’t teach her it was this and he was always looking for female role models for her. Barbara watched as each of her step-mothers, except for her current step-mother Seia, either die in childbirth or grief due to loss. With each loss, her fear of her own loss in childbirth increased slightly, but also her strength and determination to see each subsequent sibling grow to adulthood. She, along with her mothers, have had a hand in raising each of her siblings- especially Alaricus as he was an infant/toddler during the years when her father worked for the Military/Praetorians under the Imperial Family, Emperor Cyprianus and Clemens and then the years that followed that. With the birth of her own two children, she has beaten her fear of dying in childbirth and now looks forward to raising them to be proper Roman children. Her pride and joy are her children and she celebrates every day that they won’t have to go through the childhood she did- being captured in her homeland, brought to a strange foreign land and held from her father, their grandfather, until he acquiesced to Roman control. Instead she knows that her children are being raised in a loving supportive family and have all that they need… That being said…her children are slowly learning not to push their mother’s buttons. Barbara inherited the classic ‘red hair temper’ from her father, and while she loves her children, if/when they do something wrong the disciplinarian comes out. 

Appearance

Barbara knew from a young age that she was going to be taller than most Roman women. Her Germanic heritage combined with the height of father indicated early that she was not going to be short. Reaching her father’s jawline when standing tall Barbara topped out at just under 5’5”. She has retained the slim/medium build of her childhood but has smoothly made the shift to womanhood. Barbara inherited her copper/brownish curly hair from her father and it is generally braided back or pinned up to keep it out of the way. The other indicator of her Germanic heritage is the fair skin- if she spends a decent amount of time in the sun she will lightly tan or freckle with the worst case scenario being a light burn but her tolerance for the sun has greatly improved. When it comes to fashion, she tends to fall into the practical category, that being comfortable sandals, a chiton/stola and palla as well as a minimal amount of jewelry but when she does go out for more formal occasions she will dress the part. 

Family

Father: Alaric Aetius Stilicho

Step-Mother: Seia Imperia

Siblings:

Alaricus Aetius Stilicho Minor (Suetonia Aelia)

Aetia Stilicha (Seia Imperia)

Titus Aetius Stilicho (Seia Imperia)

Imperia (Step-sister by Seia Imperia)

Publius Aetius Stilicho-deceased (step-brother by Suetonia)

Spouse: Marcus Aelius Lentulus

Children:

Son- Marcus Aelius Lentulus Major

Daughter- Aelia Lentula

Extended family:

-- Previous mother - Suetonia Aelia, 31, Died in childbirth

-- Previous mother - Aetia Gala, Age, Died of grief

--Previous mother - Aemilia Decima, 15, Died in childbirth

--Biological mother - Gertrude, Late teens, Died through conflict

--Paternal Uncle - Thorin, current ruler of the Tribe.

--Paternal Aunt - Argathe, married to another chieftain.

Other:

 

History

CHILDHOOD [39-51 AD]:

Barbara (Brunhilde) was born during a rather troublesome period- her mother brought her in to the world on a mid-September day and although she is a daughter there is a joy at her arrival. She was a strong willed baby right from birth and it was no surprise that she survived the winter. Her mother became pregnant again two years later but she was unable to survive the pregnancy losing her life and that of the child. Barbara was raised by her nurse and her father when he was home, but this arrangement was not to last. Later that year (41 AD) her father was captured in a skirmish and their home was raided. It was decided that her father, instead of being killed, was to be forced to convert to the Roman ways and Barbara was brought along in case he needed enticement or coercion. Unable to speak any Latin, she was dragged to Rome under the close watch of soldiers. When she arrived in Rome, she was taken to Manius Leontius Sabucius who was orchestrating the entire situation on behalf of Emperor Claudius. Fearing that he would throw her into somewhere horrible, she was relieved instead when he not only placed her with an adoptive family but took it upon himself to school her in Latin so she could catch up to children her own age. It was at this time that her name was changed from her Germanic name, Brunhilde, to Barbara. Her father is informed of her presence in Rome and told that if he ever wants to see her again and keep her out of harm’s way he will do what he is told- which was to fully convert/adopt the Roman ways. Father and daughter are allowed supervised visits- long enough to enjoy each other’s company but short enough to miss the time apart. Her father, as part of his conversion was married to a Roman woman but Barbara only remembers a little bit about her as she was young and life was confusing. His first roman wife died- Barbara wasn’t told why.

 

 

SEPTEMBER, 39 AD -- Birth– A daughter (Brunhilde) is born to Alaric (Prince of the Sweboz) and his wife Gertrude

41 AD-- Brunhilde’s mother dies in childbirth and she is raised by her nurse/her father when he is home

41 AD—Roman soldiers raid her family’s palace and take her captive.

42AD—Her conversion from Germanic princess to Roman child begins (her Father discovers her presence in Rome- they are allowed supervised visits)

46AD—Her father is married to a Roman woman but Barbara doesn’t really get a chance to know her all that well as she still isn’t permanently united with her father

TEENAGE TO EARLY ADULT [52-60 AD]:

During their time apart her father was fully converted and began to serve in the army. He became friends with Fluvius Aetius Stilicho and he was formally adopted into the Stilicho family by Fluvius. At the same time as he was adopted, he was married to Fluvius’ sister Gala. Barbara was still under the guardianship of Manius and it turned out Manius did not overly like Fluvius and wanted to get back at him. In an attempt to destroy FLuvius’ tight-knit family Manius challenged his gladiator to a fight with one of Fluvius’ slaves who was also a talented fighter. The prize of the fight was Barbara- if Manius’ gladiator won she would remain with her adoptive family permanently and if Fluvius’ slave won, she would be returned to her father. Barbara wasn’t allowed to watch the fight, but it must have gone in Fluvius’ favour as she was returned to her father and therefore adopted into Fluvius’ family. Fluvius, in his role as Magister, was sent off to sea and while he was travelling he was attacked and killed. Gala, after receiving word that her brother had been killed at sea lost the will to live and died in childbirth & from a broken heart. Her father did his best to raise her but he was actively serving in the Roman Army. Luckily Fluvius had a large family that lived together in the same Domus and so her father had no concern about her safety. As the years went on the family changed due to more members dying or various other circumstances and suddenly her father found himself deployed with the military and there no one to care for Barbara. He had become close friends with Renius Atellus and approached him asking if he would take Barbara in while he was away but Renius had an even better solution. Renius’ cousin Suetonia had just come out of mourning and Renius was looking to arrange a new marriage for her. A proposal was made between Alaric and Suetonia, and after a brief courtship the two were married. Barbara loved her new stepmother- Suetonia came to the marriage with a son of her own and both families blended together very well. So well in fact that there was discussion of a betrothal between Barbara and Publius (her new step brother- son of Suetonia) but that was not to be as Publius was also attacked in killed while serving in Brittania. In 60 AD, her stepmother Suetonia conceived and gave birth to Barbara’s half brother whom was name for her father. The joy that the family felt was not to last though as Suetonia succumbed to the childbirth and Barbara lost the mother that she had been the closest to. With this subsequent loss, her father returned permanently to Rome and joined the Praetorian Guard so that he could be close to home but still useful.

 

 

55-57 AD—Returned permanently to her father adopted by Fluvius Stilicho following her father’s marriage to Gala who dies within the year (57 AD)

59 AD—Her father is remarried to Suetonia & a betrothal between Publius (Suetonia’s biological son & Barbara is discussed but not formalized as he later dies)

60 AD – Birth of younger brother Alaricus Aetius Stilicho Minor, loss of Suetonia in childbirth

ADULTHOOD [60-73]:

At 21 years old in 60 AD, as the eldest daughter and with the loss of Suetonia, Barbara found herself in the role of Domina running the household as well as caring for her younger brother. Her father should have been preparing a marriage proposal for her, however before a marriage could be arranged life seemed to get busy. Her father was an active member of the Praetorian guard and spent many of his hours working. In January 62 someone set the grain stores on fire. Although the fire was put out quickly, the loss of the grain was hard for many Romans. There were concerns with raids and famine but the Praetorian guard and local militia kept it locked down so that there were no riots. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the Imperial landscape was also changing. Following the death of Darius, Junus and other members of the Imperial household, there was a noticeable shift in power and Cyprianus stepped into the seat of power. This didn’t directly impact Barbara other than her father continued to work very hard as he rose through the Praetorian ranks. Barbara continued to live in her father’s household raising her younger brother as her father had not remarried. It wasn’t until the Rise of Clemens in 62 AD that her family was severely affected. She should have been married and while none had been arranged for her yet, many of her friends were having their marriage contracts broken as families were destroyed in the uprising and the chaos that followed. This was the first time she could really remember Rome being in an unofficial lockdown. Her father was heavily involved in keeping the peace and there were many days where she wouldn’t even see him. Although Barbara kept in contact with her friends, she really turned her focus even more into her family and their household. She was determined to get her family through in one piece.

After the fall of Clemens and the immediately ascension of Quintus Alexander, Rome and her family returned to a time of relative peace. People were once again able to look on the bright side of life and it was at this point that her father realized not only was he unmarried but his 21 year old daughter was also unmarried. Her father, thanks to the influence of Fluvius, had been helping a young woman name Seia Imperia and the two fell in love and with encouragement from Seia, her father finally arranged a marriage for Barbara. He weighed a couple of candidates, finally settling on Marcus Aelius Lentulus who had served underneath him in the Praetorian guard. Her father had promised that he would match her with someone that would treat her properly and he kept his word.

When Barbara discovered shortly after her marriage that she was pregnant, in 66 AD, she was hesitant to announce the pregnancy until she was clearly showing as the women in her family had lost their lives during childbirth. Her fears were unfounded as in late 66 AD Barbara went into active labour. With Seia by her side she gave birth to a son who was named after his father. This joyful blessing sealed the family bond between Seia and Barbara, and she was overjoyed when her father announced that they were to be married. Seia joined the family in 67 AD and with that, she brought her daughter Imperia from another marriage into the household. The Lentulus household became even more blessed when in 68 AD Barbara gave birth to a daughter who was name Aelia Lentula. With two successful pregnancies and healthy children Barbara felt blessed to have finally broken the cycle of dying.

 

 

60-64 AD—Lives in her father’s household, functioning as the Domina of the household- helping their elderly governess raise her younger brother (there is a 21 year age difference) and making sure things run smoothly while her father works especially during hard times (January 62 AD- destruction of grain stores due to arson, Rise/Fall of Clemens and the ensuing Civil War etc)

65 AD—Finally with Rome settled under the rule of Quintus Alexander, her father finally has time to focus on the family and arranges a marriage for Barbara to Marcus Aelius Lentulus who served in the Praetorian Guard underneath her father.

January 66 AD—Barbara learns she is pregnant and later that year gives birth to a son Marcus Aelius Lentulus Minor

67 AD- Her father married Seia Imperia and with this marriage Barbara gained a new step-mother as well as a step-sister (Imperia)

April 68 AD – A daughter is born to Barbara- with two successful pregnancies under her belt, if she has anymore children she will leave it up to the Gods. She is more than happy to even have two considering the number of stillborns/deaths from child birth that plagued her family. 

 

JENN | EST | PM/DISCORD

[Gothic]

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