Livia Orestilla

Who is Livia Orestilla?

Livia Orestilla, or Cornelia Orestilla was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Caligula in AD 37 or 38. She was originally married to Gaius Calpurnius Piso, who was persuaded or forced to annul the marriage so that Caligula could marry her. According to both Dio and Suetonius, this occurred during the wedding celebrations. Suetonius claims that Caligula issued a proclamation the next day that he had acquired a new wife in the tradition of Romulus and Augustus, who had both stolen wives from other men. Days later he divorced her and two years later banished her on suspicion of returning to her other husband.