Ulpia Severina

Ulpia Severina was the wife of Roman emperor Aurelian, from whom she had a daughter. Very little is known about her, as there are no literary sources even mentioning her existence. Almost everything known about her, including her name, is gathered from coins and inscriptions.cite book | last =Watson | first =Alaric| authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Aurelian and the Third Century | publisher =Routledge| date =1999 | location = London| pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-415-07248-4]

Aurelian married Severina before becoming emperor. According to coinage depicting her, Severina gained the title "Augusta" in the autumn of 274 A.D. She also received the titles of "Pia" ("pious") and "mater castrorum et senatus et patriae" [ [http://www.roman-emperors.org/aurelian.htm "Roman Emperors - Aurelian", "De Imperatoribus Romanis"] 2001.] ("mother of the barracks (armies), senate, and country").

It is assumed that she was a daughter of Ulpius Crinitus [cite book | last =Krawczuk | first =Aleksander | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Poczet cesarzowych Rzymu | publisher =Iskry | date = | location = Warszawa| pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 83-244-0021-4] , though this assumption is based on the unreliable Historia Augusta and thus is purely speculative. Some scholars believe that she was from Dacia, where the nomen Ulpia was common due to the influence of Trajan . According to "Historia Augusta", Aurelian regularly presented Ulpia sigillaria by the end of Saturnalia, according to tradition.

There is considerable numismatic evidence for Severina ruling in her own right during the interregnum between the death of Aurelian and the election of Marcus Claudius Tacitus.

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