This Aemilia was daughter of
Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus Livianus, wife of
Metellus Scipio and former fiancée of
Cato. Her daughter was
Cornelia Metella, last wife and widow of
Pompey the Great. Although
Aemilia Lepida was engaged to be married to
Cato the Younger, she in fact married someone else, leaving Cato to marry
Atilia. In the words of
Plutarch: When [Cato] thought that he was old enough to marry — and up to that time he had consorted with no woman — he engaged himself to Lepida, who had formerly been betrothed to Metellus Scipio, but was now free, since Scipio had rejected her and the betrothal had been broken. However, before the marriage Scipio changed his mind again, and by dint of every effort got the maid. Cato was greatly exasperated and inflamed by this, and attempted to go to law about it; but his friends prevented this, and so, in his rage and youthful fervour, he betook himself to iambic verse, and heaped much scornful abuse upon Scipio, adopting the bitter tone of
Archilochus, but avoiding his license and puerility. Lepida and Cato were first cousins with Lepida's father and Cato's mother being blood siblings. ==Aemilia Lepida, wife of Domitius Ahenobarbus==