Family
He was the son of politician Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger (consul 61 BC) Although, some dispute his parentage and claim another descendant of Marcus Valerius Corvus to be his father.
Messalla Corvinus is believed to have been married twice. His first marriage was to a Calpurnia, possibly the daughter of Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, and from this first marriage, he had two children: a daughter called Valeria Messalina, who may have been the paternal grandmother of Roman Empress Statilia Messalina, and a son called Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus, who was a Roman consul in 3 BC. Messalla Corvinus' second son, Marcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus (consul 20 AD), is believed to have been born to a second unknown wife on the basis of a 23-year gap between the consulship of the elder son, Marcus Valerius Messalla Messallinus and the consulship of the younger son, Marcus Aurelius Cotta Maximus.
Valeria, a female relative of Corvinus, perhaps a sister, married the Roman consul Quintus Pedius (a maternal cousin to Roman Emperor Augustus). Valeria and Pedius had a son called Quintus Pedius Publicola, who was an orator. His great nephew was the deaf painter Quintus Pedius.
It is common for some historians to refer to Marcus Valerius Corvinus and attribute the triumph against the Aquitani, the victory at Messana and the epithet Corvinus to him, when in actuality they are referring to three different generations of men named Valerius Corvinus: Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus born 64BC, Manius Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messalla consul 263BC (birthdate unknown), and Marcus Valerius Corvus born 370BC. How and why the name changed from Corvus to Corvinus is unclear. Also, to add to the confusion, Manius is sometimes referred to as Marcus.
Read more about this topic: Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus
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