12. If Seduction Fails…
Constantine the Great’s wife Fausta reportedly tried to seduce her stepson, Crispus. However, he balked, and hurriedly left the palace. Undaunted, Fausta did not miss a beat. She told Constantine that Crispus did not respect his father, since he was in love with and had tried to rape his father’s wife. Constantine believed her, and had his eldest son executed.
A few months later, Constantine discovered how his wife had manipulated him into killing Crispus, and had her executed by tossing her into boiling water. He then issued a damnatio memoriae (“condemnation of memory”) to erase her from official accounts – a form of dishonor issued against traitors and those who brought discredit to the Roman state.