Queens of a Fallen World: The Lost Women of Augustine’s Confessions

In this intriguing study, historian Cooper (Band of Angels) spotlights four women mentioned in St. Augustine’s Confessions: Roman empress Justina; his mother, Monnica of Thagaste; his mistress, with whom he lived for more than a decade; and his 10-year-old fiancée. (Augustine left the latter two unnamed in the Confessions, ostensibly to preserve their dignity; Cooper refers to them as Una [“someone”] and Tacita [“the silent one”], respectively.) Setting Augustine’s brief mentions of these women against the backdrop of fourth-century North Africa and Italy, Cooper utilizes Justina’s reign as empress and protector for her son, Valentinian II, to discuss the religious and political forces at play near the end of the Roman empire. Augustine’s memories of his mother, Monnica, are more intimate, and reveal how Monnica’s stories, particularly those involving her enslaved childhood companion, Illa, and “the awkward balance of power that had governed their relationship,” helped shape his view of the world. Elsewhere, Cooper rounds out the scant mentions of Una and Tacita in the Confessions with discussions of Roman wedding customs, class hierarchies, and more. Though much remains unknown about these women, Cooper persuasively argues that they played a larger role in Augustine’s life and work than has previously been understood. It’s an eye-opener. (Apr.)