The Empress Poppaea Sabina was married to one of the most infamous Imperial Roman Emperors (though not for long). Ancient historians treated her harshly while knowing little about her: where she came from, her early life, or what made her the woman she was. The wives of Emperors had no formal or political role in Roman life: who they were married to defined who they were. Poppaea married in her early teens and both of her first two children died young. She was pregnant with a third when she herself died, aged 34. Mystery surrounds her final hours, as with so much of her life. Beauty, wit, charm and intelligence were in the end insufficient to save her.