Roman wife of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (one of the most powerful Romans of his generation), mother of the Gracchi (whose careers sparked the revolution that overthrew the Roman Republic), and one of the most influential political and cultural figures of her day. 

Name variations: Cornelia Sempronii. Pronunciation: Cor-NEE-lia. Born around 195 bce; died around 115 bce; second daughter of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus (the Roman victor over Hannibal in the Second Punic War) and Aemilia; married Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, around 175 (died 154 bce); children: 12, though only Sempronia, Tiberius Gracchus, the younger, and Gaius Gracchus, survived to adulthood.

Cornelia was the product of a marriage linking the Cornelii (through her father) and the Aemilii (through her mother), two of Rome's most established patrician families in the generations before her birth. Cornelia's family on both sides constituted a virtual who's who of prominent Roman politicians and generals in the period of the middle Republic. Some of these had patriotically sacrificed their lives; others were among the greatest war-heroes Rome had ever produced. Cornelia's father, Publius Cornelius Scipio, who, after his victory over Carthage in the Second Punic War, was awarded the honorific name "Africanus," was the greatest of them all, but her family's service to Rome was not limited to the charismatic conqueror of Hannibal. To name only the most prominent of the others: Cornelia's paternal grandfather and great uncle had both died fighting Carthage in Spain, and her maternal grandfather, as one of Rome's two serving consuls, had been slaughtered with sword in hand, along with tens of thousands of others, fighting Hannibal at Cannae in the greatest military defeat any Roman army would ever experience.

At the time of Cornelia's birth, Scipio Africanus was enjoying the height of his popularity and political influence—an influence that left, as its greatest legacies, the transformation of the Roman army from a militia into a semi-professional force and imperial expansion throughout the Mediterranean basin. Nevertheless, no republic can long function under the dominance of only one man or faction. While Rome's influence was spreading as a result of its victory over Carthage in the Second Punic War (218–201), there arose an increasing concern that foreign ways would undermine the traditional institutions and morality that had been credited with Rome's success. Conservative, perhaps even reactionary, anxieties began to influence the electorate. These were successfully tapped by Scipio's political arch-enemy, Marcus Porcius Cato, often referred to as the "Elder" or "Censor," to distinguish him from his equally famous great-grandson. Cato made a virtue of "Romaness" by attacking everything foreign. In addition to ending every one of his speeches with the exhortation "but first … Carthage must be destroyed!," Cato, though well versed in Greek himself, attacked everything Hellenic as degenerate and socially dangerous. Over time, Cato's fulminations had an effect upon Scipio's popularity, for there was no greater philhellene in Rome than Scipio. Scipio was a devotee of Greek literature and art, surrounding himself with as many hellenic manuscripts and intellectuals as possible. When serving Rome in regions heavily populated by Greeks, such as Sicily and the East, he was even famous for "going native" by adopting Greek dress and customs. In addition to the fears such habits engendered, Scipio's infamous love of extravagant living, and an almost unprecedented 20-year-long political ascendancy that fed his arrogance, undermined his popularity at home. By the 180s, he and his brother, Lucius, came under increasing attack and ultimately under indictment for alleged abuses of power and the misuse of public funds. Although neither Scipio was convicted, the influence of Cornelia's father was broken. He withdrew from Rome and politics to die at Liternum a bitter man in 184.

Cornelia's mother Aemilia had at least four children—two sons and two daughters—who lived to adulthood. Although we know little about Aemilia, she appears to have shared her husband's interests in Greek culture and high living. At least, she appears to have been no miser, for she was famous for the rich, religious rituals she underwrote and for the expensive attire she donned, even during the bleakest hours of the Second Punic War when such dress was considered inappropriate. As far as her sons were concerned, neither ever approached Scipio's stature. The older, Publius, was denied a political career by ill-health and is most famous for the adoption of Scipio Aemilianus. The younger, Lucius, began a political career, reaching the praetorship in 174, but for unknown reasons fell afoul of powerful interests and never attained Rome's highest magistracy. Of Aemilia's daughters, we know only of the youngest Cornelia, who married Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (c. 175), after her brothers negotiated a political alliance between their interests and his.

Cornelia was the ideal Roman matron, steadfast in upholding the honor of her husband, efficient in running the household, and dedicated to the rearing of her children. Tiberius' and Cornelia's marriage appears to have been idyllic by Roman standards. He tended to the affairs of the state and the family's public interests, while she reigned over the domestic scene, charged with overseeing a substantial establishment composed of children, slaves, and free attendants. That she was well suited to her responsibilities by ability, personality, and education, no one doubted. Cornelia was of strong character, forceful opinion, and she inherited her father's fabled charisma. She was also educated in the arts as well as the practical skills necessary to oversee a sizeable household and to enhance the political ambitions of a Roman Senator. The resulting combination made her the intellectual and emotional, if not legal, equal of any spouse. Her personal advantages, together with the formidable status and reputation of her family, insured Tiberius' devotion to and appreciation of his wife. As a result, Cornelia's and Tiberius' relationship surpassed the formal expectations of a traditional Roman political marriage.

Of Cornelia's relationship with her children, the sources are also clear: they always remained close. Unlike some of her station, Cornelia was personally diligent in the raising of her children. Their upbringing began with a thorough indoctrination in the traditional Roman virtues—piety, patriotism, honesty, self-sacrifice, knowing the value of thrift and dedication, a sense of responsibility, a sense of justice, a sense of proper restraint—and then proceeded to the magnificence of the classical Greek literary canon. No expense was spared to supply them with the best Greek tutors, with well-known intellectuals such as Diophanes of Mitylene and Blossius, the Stoic philosopher from Cumae, invited into her household for the sake of her children. Rhetoric was especially emphasized so that when each was in a position to make a public mark, it would be an eloquent one, steeped in hellenic humanitas.