Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus (consul 19)


Marcus Junius M. f. M. n. Silanus Torquatus was a Roman senator. He was consul in AD 19, with Lucius Norbanus Balbus as his colleague.

Biography

Silanus was a descendant of the noble Roman house of the Junii Silani. His grandfather was Marcus Junius Silanus, consul with the emperor Augustus in 25 BC. Torquatus married Aemilia Lepida, daughter of Julia the Younger, and great-granddaughter of Augustus.
Consul for the whole year of AD 19, he and his colleague Norbanus brought forward the lex Junia Norbana, which prevented slaves manumitted by Praetors from receiving the franchise, and precluding their descendants from inheritance. Freedmen under this law came to be known as Latini Juniani.
From AD 36 to about 39, Silanus was proconsul of Africa.

Descendants

Silanus and Aemilia had five children, all of whom suffered as a result of their connection to the imperial family.