Plautia Urgulanilla

wife of Claudius

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

Plautia Urgulanilla was the first wife of the Roman emperor Claudius. She was married to Claudius before he became emperor, and they had one son, who died before Claudius's reign. Urgulanilla had Etruscan heritage, and her family may have provided Claudius with access to authentic Etruscan traditions for his historical writings. Claudius eventually divorced Urgulanilla.1

Urgulanilla's successor as Claudius's wife was Valeria Messalina, who was known for her licentious behavior and involvement in court intrigues. Messalina was Claudius's third wife and mother to his two younger children, Octavia and Britannicus.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Claudius
Early life
…original material: his first wife, Plautia Urgulanilla, had Etruscan blood, and her family was probably able to put Claudius in touch with authentic Etruscan traditions. After divorcing Urgulanilla, he in turn married Aelia Paetina, Valeria Messalina, who was his wife at his accession, and, finally, Agrippina the Younger. By his…
Read More
…original material: his first wife, Plautia Urgulanilla, had Etruscan blood, and her family was probably able to put Claudius in touch with authentic Etruscan traditions. After divorcing Urgulanilla, he in turn married Aelia Paetina, Valeria Messalina, who was his wife at his accession, and, finally, Agrippina the Younger. By his…
Read More