Claudia Octavia then with Poppaea Sabina. He excused this treatment of her when his friends showed their concerns about it. When Poppaea became pregnant with Nero's child, Nero divorced Octavia, claiming she was barren, and married Poppaea twelve days after the divorce. Nero and Poppaea then banished Octavia to the Campania region, and eventually to the island of Pandateria (modern Ventotene) on a false charge of adultery with Nero's former tutor Anicetus. When Octavia complained about this treatment, her maids were tortured to death. Octavia's banishment became so unpopular that the citizens of Rome protested loudly, openly parading through the streets with
Sabina Coyne Sabina Coyne Sabina Mary Coyne (born 7 May 1944) is an Irish actress, political activist and the wife of the current President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. Coyne grew up on a small farm near Ballindine, County Mayo. Her mother would tell stories from Charles Dickens while milking the cows, an influence on her later decision to take up acting, in which she trained using Stanislavski's system. She was a bridesmaid at the wedding of singer Luke Kelly to Deirdre O'Connell, who trained her in this. She met Higgins in 1969 at a party in the family home of journalist