[Source: Wikimedia Commons]
She was born the daughter of Antoninus Pius and Faustina the Elder. In 138, Emperor Hadrian betrothed her to Lucius Verus, whom Hadrian intended as his successor after Antoninus. After Hadrian died, however, her parents broke off the arrangement and betrothed her to her maternal uncle’s son, Marcus Aurelius, with the intention that the couple succeed Antoninus and Faustina as Emperor and Empress. They were married in 145.
In 147, Faustina gave birth to their first child, a daughter. The next day the senate named her Augusta, meaning that Faustina technically outranked her husband, as he was not yet Emperor. The couple went on to have at least 14 children, six of whom survived to adulthood.* The marriage seems to have been a happy one,** though some sources claim she had numerous lovers, and that she supported a usurper when her husband lay ill. When she wasn’t pregnant, and possibly also when she was, Faustina accompanied her husband when he traveled around the Empire. She was well-respected by the soldiers, even earning the title Mater Castrorum (Mother of the Camp).
[Faustina Minor on an aureus, 2nd century CE, Classical Numismatic Group]
[Source: Wikimedia Commons]
Faustina died in 175, failing to recover form some accident in a military camp in Cappadocia. Her husband mourned her deeply and refused to remarry.
*Comodus was the only one of their sons to survive to adulthood. He is also known as one of the worst Roman Emperors. This may be another reason Faustina wound up with such a bad reputation after her death. What better way to drive home the fact that a man was a terrible person than by attacking his mother’s character? Hey wait, that reminds me of someone else.
**At the very least, Marcus Aurelius wrote in his Meditations, “I have been blessed with a wife so obedient, so affectionate, so genuine.” Since this was not written for anyone but himself, there is no reason to doubt his sincerity.
***Named Vibia Aurelia Sabina for Hadrian’s wife, Vibia Sabina.
Cassius Dio, Roman History 72 - Lacus Curtius
"Life of Marcus Aurelius" (Part 1, Part 2), Historia Augusta - Lacus Curtius
Burns, Jasper. Great Women of Imperial Rome: Mothers and Wives of the Caesars. New York: Routledge, 2007. [Note: This book can be found on Google Books here. An early draft of the chapter concerning Faustina Minor may be found here.]
Lightman, Marjorie and Benjamin Lightman. A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. [Note: May be found on Google Books here.]
Faustina the Younger - Wikipedia