Wonder Woman of the Week: Hortensia
- Aug 10, 2022
- 2 min read
In a culture with few powerful women whose names survived the ages, this week's Wonder Woman was not only a powerful speaker in a forum full of men, but may actually be the first female lawyer in history. Her work came during a difficult time for Rome when the assassination of Julius Caesar ushered in the birth of the Roman Empire. Hortensia was the daughter of famed Roman orator- or public speaker- Quintus Hortensius, and that may have shaped her early childhood. Hortensia's father was a well known speaker on the topics of history and law, but Hortensia also likely learned Greek and Latin literature as well.
After the assassination of Julius Caesar, three powerful military commanders attempted to place themselves on the new throne of the even newer Roman Empire. To fuel their civil wars, the men restructured taxes used to provide revenue for the families of soldiers killed in the wars- but their taxes were not enough to fund the program, so the Second Triumvirate created a tax on the wealthiest women in Rome. The problem was, none of these women had a say as only men could serve in the Senate and only men could voice their concerns to their Senators. In response, Hortensia took the case and represented the cause of women who were not just upset at taxation, but being taxed to fund a war none of them wanted in the first place. Hortensia's speech before the Senate was so powerful, that the Senate actually granted the request and repealed the tax- much to the frustration of the warring dictators.
Roman orators praised Hortensia and her oratory skills, and but her legacy became almost non-existent as a forgotten figure of Roman legal history. However, thanks to Hortensia's speech before the Senate in 42 BCE, Hortensia stands as the first recorded female lawyer in world history. Her work has since inspired countless women throughout history to become lawyers- championing the cause of improving the legal status of women in societies across the world. Hortensia's organized march to the Senate to make their case may also be the first known women's march in history and would certainly not be the last.
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