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Who was Marcus Aurelius’s wife Faustina?

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Bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius with his right arm raised, seated on a horse, at Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome, Italy. — Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius, bronze equestrian statue in the Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome.

Annia Galeria Faustina (c. 130–175 CE) was the cousin and wife of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. She was the daughter of the emperor Antoninus Pius and Annia Galeria Faustina the Elder.1

Although she was initially engaged to Lucius Verus at the command of Hadrian, her father later arranged for her to marry Marcus Aurelius, and the couple wed in 145 CE. Following the birth of their first child in 147 CE, the Senate granted her the title augusta.1

Faustina was a constant companion to her husband, frequently accompanying him on his military campaigns along the Danube. Due to her presence in these military settings, Marcus Aurelius bestowed upon her the title mater castrorum ("mother of the camp") in 174 CE. She bore at least 12 children during their marriage, and upon her death in 175 CE, she was deified by her husband.1