Agrippina the Younger
Encyclopedia
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina (Minor Latin for the ‘younger’, Classical Latin
: IVLIA•AGRIPPINA; IVLIA•AVGVSTA•AGRIPPINA, 7 November 15 or 6 November 16 – 19/23 March 59) was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty
. She was a great-granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus
, great-niece and adoptive granddaughter of the Emperor Tiberius
, sister of the Emperor Caligula
, niece and fourth wife of the Emperor Claudius
, and mother of the Emperor Nero
.
Agrippina the Younger has been described by both the ancient and modern sources as ‘ruthless, ambitious, violent and domineering’. She was a beautiful and reputable woman and according to Pliny the Elder
, she had a double canine in her upper right jaw, a sign of good fortune. Many ancient historians accuse Agrippina of poisoning Emperor Claudius, though accounts vary.
and Germanicus
. She had three elder brothers, Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar and the future Emperor Caligula
, and two younger sisters, Julia Drusilla
and Julia Livilla
. Agrippina's two elder brothers and her mother were victims of the intrigues of the Praetorian Prefect Lucius Aelius Sejanus.
She was the namesake of her mother. Agrippina the Elder was remembered as a modest and heroic matron, who was the second daughter and fourth child of Julia the Elder
and the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
. The father of Julia the Elder was the Emperor Augustus
, and Julia was his only natural child from his second marriage to Scribonia
, who had close blood relations with Pompey the Great and Lucius Cornelius Sulla
. Maternally, Agrippina was a direct descendant of Augustus.
Germanicus, Agrippina's father, was a very popular general and politician. His mother was Antonia Minor
and his father was the general Nero Claudius Drusus
. He was Antonia Minor's first child. Germanicus had two younger siblings; a sister, named Livilla, and a brother, the future Emperor Claudius
. Claudius was Agrippina's paternal uncle and third husband.
Antonia Minor was a daughter to Octavia the Younger by her second marriage to triumvir Mark Antony
, and Octavia was the second eldest sister and full-blooded sister of Augustus. Germanicus’ father, Drusus the Elder
, was the second son of the Empress Livia
Drusilla by her first marriage to praetor Tiberius Nero
, and was the Emperor Tiberius
’s younger brother and Augustus’s stepson. In the year 9, Augustus ordered and forced Tiberius to adopt Germanicus, who happened to be Tiberius's nephew, as his son and heir. Germanicus was a favorite of his great-uncle Augustus, who hoped that Germanicus would succeed his uncle Tiberius, who was Augustus's own adopted son and heir. This in turn meant that Tiberius was also Agrippina's adoptive grandfather in addition to her paternal great-uncle.
, Germany
. As a small child, she travelled with her parents throughout the Empire until she and her siblings (apart from Caligula) returned to Rome to live with and be raised by Antonia. Her parents, in the meantime, journeyed to Syria
to complete official duties. One year later in October, Germanicus died suddenly in Antioch
(modern Antakya
, Turkey
).
Germanicus’ death in the year 19 caused much public grief in Rome, and gave rise to rumors that he had been murder
ed by Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso
and Munatia Plancina
on the orders of Tiberius, as his widow Agrippina the Elder returned to Rome with his ashes. Agrippina the Younger was thereafter supervised by her mother, her paternal grandmother Antonia Minor, and her great-grandmother, Livia
, all of them notable, influential, and powerful figures from whom she learnt how to survive. She lived on the Palatine Hill
in Rome
. Her great-uncle Tiberius had already become emperor and the head of the family after the death of the Emperor Augustus in 14.
. Domitius came from a distinguished family of consular rank
. Through his mother Antonia Major
, Domitius was a great nephew of Augustus, first cousin to Claudius, and second cousin to Agrippina and Caligula. He had two sisters; Domitia Lepida the Elder and Domitia Lepida the Younger. Domitia Lepida the Younger was the biological mother of the Empress Valeria Messalina.
Antonia Major was the elder sister to Antonia Minor, and the first daughter of Octavia Minor and Mark Antony. According to Suetonius, Domitius was a wealthy man with a despicable and dishonest character, who, according to Suetonius, was “A man who was in every aspect of his life detestable," and served as consul in 32. Agrippina and Domitius lived between Antium (Anzio
) and Rome. Not much is known about the relationship between them.
Tiberius died on March 16, 37 and Agrippina's only surviving brother, Caligula
, became the new emperor. Being the emperor's sister gave Agrippina some influence.
Agrippina and her younger sisters Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla received various honors from their brother, which included but were not limited to:
Around the time that Tiberius died, Agrippina had become pregnant. Domitius had acknowledged the paternity of the child. In the early morning hours in Antium of December 15, 37, Agrippina gave birth to her first child and the first child born to Domitius, a son. Agrippina and Domitius named their son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, after the Domitius's recently deceased father. This child would grow up to become the Emperor Nero
. Nero was Agrippina's only natural child. Suetonius states that Domitius was congratulated by friends on the birth of his son, whereupon he replied "I don't think anything produced by me and Agrippina could possibly be good for the state or the people."
Caligula and his sisters were accused of having incestuous relationships. On June 10, 38, Drusilla died, possibly of a fever, rampant in Rome at the time. He was particularly fond of Drusilla, claiming to treat her as he would his own wife
, even though Drusilla had a husband
. Following her death, Caligula's relationship with Agrippina and Livilla changed, showing no special love or respect toward them after Drusilla's death. After this point, he was said to have gone insane.
In 39, Agrippina and Livilla, with their maternal cousin, Drusilla's widower Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
, were involved in a failed plot to murder Caligula, a plot known as the Plot of the Three Daggers, which was to make Lepidus the new emperor. Lepidus, Agrippina and Livilla were contended to be lovers. Not much is known concerning this plot and the reasons behind it. At the trial of Lepidus, Caligula felt no compunction about denouncing them as adulteresses, producing handwritten letters discussing how they were going to kill him.
Lepidus was executed. Agrippina and Livilla were exiled by their brother to the Pontine Islands
. Caligula sold their furniture, jewellery, slaves and freedmen. In January 40, Domitius died of edema
(dropsy) at Pyrgi. Nero had gone to live with his second paternal aunt Domitia Lepida the Younger after Caligula had taken his inheritance away from him. Caligula, his wife Milonia Caesonia and their daughter Julia Drusilla
were murdered on January 24, 41. Agrippina's paternal uncle, Claudius
, brother of her father Germanicus
, became the new Roman Emperor.
Claudius ordered Agrippina and Livilla to return from exile. Livilla returned to her husband, while Agrippina was reunited with her estranged son. After the death of her first husband, Agrippina tried to make shameless advances to the future emperor Galba
, who showed no interest in her and was devoted to his wife Aemilia Lepida
. On one occasion, Galba's mother-in-law gave Agrippina, in a whole bevy of married women, a public reprimand and a slap in the face.
Claudius had Nero’s inheritance reinstated and arranged for Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus
and Domitia Lepida the Elder (Lucius' first paternal aunt) to divorce so that Crispus could marry Agrippina. When Agrippina returned, she had nothing to return to. Agrippina married Crispus as her second husband and he became a step father to Nero. Crispus was a prominent, influential, witty, wealthy and powerful man, who served twice as consul. He was the adopted grandson and biological great, great nephew of the historian Sallust
. Little is known on their relationship.
In the first years of Claudius’ reign, Claudius was married to the infamous Empress Valeria Messalina. Although Agrippina was very influential, she kept a very low profile and stayed away from the imperial palace and the court of the emperor. Messalina was Agrippina’s second paternal cousin. Among the victims of Messalina's intrigues were Agrippina's surviving sister Livilla, who was charged with having adultery with Seneca the Younger
. Seneca was later called back from exile to be a tutor to Nero.
When Agrippina returned from exile, Messalina realised that Agrippina’s son was a threat to her son’s position and sent assassins to strangle Lucius during his siesta. The assassins left in terror, when a snake suddenly darted from beneath Nero’s pillow—but it was only a sloughed-off snake-skin in his bed, near his pillow.
In 47, Crispus died, and at his funeral, the rumor spread around that Agrippina poisoned Crispus to gain his estate. After being widowed a second time, Agrippina was left very wealthy. Later that year at the Secular Games
, at the performance of the Troy Pageant, Messalina attended the event with her son Britannicus. Agrippina was also present with Lucius. Agrippina and Lucius received greater applause from the audience than Messalina and Britannicus
did. Many people began to show pity and sympathy to Agrippina, due to the unfortunate circumstances in her life. Agrippina wrote a memoir that recorded the misfortunes of her family (casus suorum) and wrote an account of her mother’s life.
to overthrow her husband, Claudius considered remarrying for the fourth time. Around this time, Agrippina became the mistress to one of Claudius’ advisers, the former Greek Freedman Marcus Antonius Pallas
. At that time Claudius’ advisers were discussing which noblewoman Claudius should marry. Claudius had a reputation that he was easily controlled by his wives and freedmen. His freedmen, according to legend, presented him three possible candidates.
The freedman Tiberius Claudius Narcissus
suggested Claudius to remarry his second wife Aelia Paetina
, with whom he had a daughter, Claudia Antonia
. Narcissus also stated that Paetina would cherish Claudia Octavia
and Britannicus
, Claudius's children with Messalina, in addition to Antonia.
Another freedman, Gaius Julius Callistus
, was against Claudius remarrying Paetina and stated to Claudius that he divorced her before and that remarrying Paetina would make her more arrogant. Callistus suggested Lollia Paulina
, Caligula's third wife and Agrippina's former sister-in-law instead.
Pallas advised Claudius that he should marry Agrippina. Pallas stated to the emperor that as Lucius was the grandson to Claudius's late brother Germanicus, by marrying Agrippina, Claudius would ally the two branches of the Claudian house and imperial family. In more recent times, it has been suggested that the Senate may have pushed for the marriage between Agrippina and Claudius to end the feud between the Julian and Claudian branches. This feud dated back to Agrippina's mother's
actions against Tiberius after the death of Germanicus, actions which Tiberius had gladly punished.
Regardless, for Agrippina’s seduction, it was a help that she had the niece’s privilege of kissing and caressing her paternal uncle. Claudius was seduced by her passions.
Claudius made references to her in his speeches: "my daughter and foster child, born and bred, in my lap, so to speak". When Claudius decided to marry her, he persuaded a group of senators that the marriage should be arranged in the public interest]. In Roman society, an uncle (Claudius) marrying his niece (Agrippina) was considered an incestuous relationship, and a subject of controversy at the time.
Agrippina and Claudius married on New Year’s Day, 49. This marriage caused widespread disapproval. This was a part of Agrippina’s scheming plan to make Lucius the new emperor. Her marriage to Claudius wasn’t based on love, but on power. She quickly eliminated her rival Lollia Paulina
. In 49, shortly after marrying Claudius, Agrippina charged Paulina with black magic
. Paulina did not receive a hearing. Her property was confiscated, she left Italy and on Agrippina's orders, she committed suicide.
In the months leading up to her marriage to Claudius, Agrippina's maternal second cousin, the praetor
Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus
, was betrothed to Claudius’ daughter Claudia Octavia
. This betrothal was broken off in 48 when Agrippina, scheming with consul Lucius Vitellius the Elder, the father of the future Emperor Aulus Vitellius, had falsely charged Silanus with having open incest with his sister Junia Calvina
. Agrippina did this hopefully to secure Octavia to marry her son. Consequently, Claudius broke off the engagement and forced Silanus to resign from public office. Silanus committed suicide on the day that Agrippina married her uncle and Calvina was exiled from Italy
in early 49. Calvina was called back from exile after Agrippina had died. Towards the end of 54, Agrippina would order the murder of Silanus' eldest brother Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus without Nero's knowledge, so that he wouldn't be able to seek revenge against her over his brother's death.
On the day that Agrippina married her uncle Claudius as her third husband/his fourth wife, she became an Empress and the most powerful woman in the Roman Empire
. She also was a stepmother to Claudia Antonia
, Claudius' daughter and only child from his second marriage to Aelia Paetina
, and to the young Claudia Octavia
and Britannicus
, Claudius' children with Valeria Messalina. Agrippina removed or eliminated anyone from the palace or the imperial court who she thought was loyal and dedicated to the memory of the late Messalina. She also eliminated or removed anyone who she considered was a potential threat to her position and the future of her son, one of her victims being Nero's second paternal aunt and Messalina's mother Domitia Lepida the Younger.
In 49, Agrippina presided over the exercises of Roman legions. The Celtic King Caratacus
assumed that she, along with Claudius, was the martial leader and bowed before her throne with the same homage and gratitude as he accorded the emperor. In 50, Agrippina was granted the honorific title of Augusta
, a title which, up until this point, no other imperial woman had ever received in the lifetime of her husband. She was only the third Roman woman (Livia
Drusilla and Antonia Minor
received this title) and only the second living Roman woman (the first being Livia) to receive this title. Also that year, Claudius had founded a Roman colony and called the colony Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis or Agrippinensium, today known as Cologne
, after Agrippina who was born there. This colony was the only Roman colony to be named after a Roman woman. In 51, she was given a carpentum which she used. A carpentum was a sort of ceremonial carriage usually reserved for priests, such as the Vestal Virgin
s, and sacred statues. That same year she appointed Sextus Afranius Burrus
as the head of the Praetorian Guard
, replacing the previous head of the Praetorian Guard, Rufrius Crispinus
.
Agrippina successfully manipulated and influenced Claudius into adopting her son and having him become his successor. Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus in 50 was adopted by his great maternal uncle and stepfather. Lucius’ name was changed to Nero
Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus and he became Claudius’s adopted son, heir and recognised successor. Agrippina and Claudius betrothed Nero to Octavia and Agrippina arranged to have Seneca the Younger
return from exile to tutor the future emperor. Claudius chose to adopt Nero because of his Julian and Claudian lineage. Agrippina deprived Britannicus of his heritage and further isolated him from his biological father and succession for the throne in every way possible. For instance, in 51, Agrippina ordered the execution of Britannicus’ tutor Sosibius because he had confronted her and was outraged by Claudius’ adoption of Nero and his choice of Nero as successor, instead of choosing his own natural son Britannicus, although it should be noted that Tiberius had chosen Caligula as successor along with his grandson Tiberius Gemellus
without any approbation, at the time - Caligula later had his co-successor killed.
Nero and Octavia were married on June 9, 53. Claudius later repented of marrying Agrippina and adopting Nero, began to favor Britannicus, and started preparing him for the throne. This was the motive that is claimed by many that Agrippina needed to eliminate Claudius. The ancient sources credited her with poisoning Claudius on October 13, 54 with a plate of poisoned mushroom
s at a banquet, thus enabling Nero
to quickly take the throne as emperor. Accounts vary wildly with regard to this private incident and according to more modern sources, it is quite possible that Claudius died of natural causes, a more likely cause considering that he was 63 years old.
Agrippina was named a priestess of the cult of the deified Claudius. She was allowed to visit senate meetings, watch and hear the meetings behind a curtain. This evidently shows that she had real power.
In the first months of Nero’s reign Agrippina controlled her son and the Empire. She lost control over Nero when he began to have an affair with the freedwoman Claudia Acte
, which Agrippina strongly disapproved of and violently scolded him for. Agrippina began to support Britannicus
in her attempt to make him emperor. Britannicus was secretly poisoned on Nero’s orders during a banquet in February 55. The power struggle between Agrippina and her son had begun.
Agrippina between 55 and 58 became very watchful and had a critical eye over her son. In 55, Agrippina was forced out of the palace by her son to live in imperial residence. Nero deprived his mother of all honors and powers, and even removed her Roman and German bodyguards. Nero even threatened his mother he would abdicate the throne and would go to live on the Greek Island of Rhodes
, a place where Tiberius
had lived after divorcing Julia the Elder
. Pallas also was dismissed from the court. The fall of Pallas and the opposition of Burrus and Seneca, contributed to Agrippina's loss of authority.
Towards 57, Agrippina was expelled from the palace and went to live in a riverside estate in Misenum. While Agrippina lived there or when she went on short visits to Rome, Nero had sent people to annoy her. Although living in Misenum, she was still very popular, powerful and influential. Agrippina and Nero would see each other on short visits.
, in 58, Nero became involved with the noble woman Poppaea Sabina
. With the reasoning that a divorce from Octavia and a marriage to Poppaea was not politically feasible with Agrippina alive, Nero decided to kill Agrippina. Yet, Nero did not marry Poppaea until 62, calling into question this motive. Additionally, Suetonius
reveals that Poppaea's husband, Otho
, was not sent away by Nero until after Agrippina's death in 59, making it highly unlikely that already married Poppaea would be pressing Nero. Some modern historians theorize that Nero's decision to kill Agrippina was prompted by her plotting to set Gaius Rubellius Plautus
(Nero's maternal second cousin) or Britannicus
(Claudius' biological son) on the throne.
Tacitus claims that Nero considered poisoning or stabbing her, but felt these methods were too difficult and suspicious, so he settled on building a self-sinking boat. Though aware of the plot, Agrippina embarked on this boat and was nearly crushed by a collapsing lead ceiling only to be saved by the side of a sofa breaking the ceiling's fall. Though the collapsing ceiling missed Agrippina, it crushed her attendant who was outside by the helm. The boat failed to sink from the lead ceiling, so the crew then sank the boat, but Agrippina swam to shore. Her friend, Acerronia Polla
, was attacked by oarsmen while still in the water, and was either bludgeoned to death or drowned. Agrippina was met at the shore by crowds of admirers. News of Agrippina's survival reached Nero so he sent three assassins to stab her.
, Nero was annoyed at his mother being too watchful and tried three times to poison Agrippina, but she took the antidotes in time and survived. He then tried to crush her with a mechanical ceiling over her bed at her residence. After this failed, he devised a collapsable boat, which would either have its cabin fall in or become shipwrecked. Nero then ordered captains of a different boat to ram this boat while Agrippina was aboard. Nero heard Agrippina survived the wreck so he ordered her to be executed and framed it as a suicide.
s to ask about her son’s future. The astrologers had rather accurately predicted that her son would become emperor and would kill her. She replied, "Let him kill me, provided he becomes emperor," according to Tacitus
.
Gaius- Agrippina's brother (Dio.)
Aemilius Lepidus -her sisters Drusilla's husband (Tac. Suet. Dio)
Tigellinus- later prefect of the guard under Nero (Dio)
Seneca -Nero’s tutor (Dio.Tac)
Claudius -her uncle before their marriage (Tac. Suet. Dio)
Rufus -later prefect of the guard (Tac)
Pallas -Claudius’ freedmen (Tac. Dio.)
Aulus Plautius -young nobleman (Suet.)
Rubellius Plautus- son of Julia, granddaughter of Tiberius (Tac.)
Nero -her son (Tac. Suet. Dio)
47
1. Passienus Crispus Agrippina’s 2nd husband poisoned (suet.)
49
2. Lollia Paulina as she was a rival for Claudius’ hand in marriage as proposed by the freedman Callistus. (Tac. & Dio)
3. Lucius Silanus was betrothed to Octavia, Claudius’ daughter before his marriage of Agrippina. He committed suicide on their wedding day.
4. Sosibius Britannicus’ tutor executed for plotting against Nero
5. Calpurnia banished (Tac.) executed (Dio) because Claudius had commented on her beauty
53
6. Statilius Taurus was forced to suicide because Agrippina wanted his gardens (Tac.)
54
7. Claudius her husband poisoned (Tac. Sen. Juv. Suet. Dio.)
8. Domitia Lepida mother of Messalina executed (Tac.)
9. Marcus Junius Silanus potential rival to Nero poisoned (Pliny, Tac. Dio)
10. Cadius Rufus was executed on the charge of extortion
Handel's 1709 opera, Agrippina
with a libretto by Vincenzo Grimani
.
I, Claudius 1976 Agrippina is played by Barbara Young
A.D 1985 Miniseries Agrippina is played by Ava Gardner
Classical Latin
Classical Latin in simplest terms is the socio-linguistic register of the Latin language regarded by the enfranchised and empowered populations of the late Roman republic and the Roman empire as good Latin. Most writers during this time made use of it...
: IVLIA•AGRIPPINA; IVLIA•AVGVSTA•AGRIPPINA, 7 November 15 or 6 November 16 – 19/23 March 59) was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty
Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The Julio-Claudian dynasty normally refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula , Claudius, and Nero, or the family to which they belonged; they ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line,...
. She was a great-granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, great-niece and adoptive granddaughter of the Emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
, sister of the Emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, niece and fourth wife of the Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, and mother of the Emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
.
Agrippina the Younger has been described by both the ancient and modern sources as ‘ruthless, ambitious, violent and domineering’. She was a beautiful and reputable woman and according to Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, she had a double canine in her upper right jaw, a sign of good fortune. Many ancient historians accuse Agrippina of poisoning Emperor Claudius, though accounts vary.
Family
Agrippina was the first daughter and fourth living child of Agrippina the ElderAgrippina the elder
Vipsania Agrippina or most commonly known as Agrippina Major or Agrippina the Elder was a distinguished and prominent granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus. Agrippina was the wife of the general, statesman Germanicus and a relative to the first Roman Emperors...
and Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
. She had three elder brothers, Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar and the future Emperor Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, and two younger sisters, Julia Drusilla
Julia Drusilla
Julia Drusilla was the only child and daughter of Roman Emperor Gaius and of his fourth and last wife Milonia Caesonia....
and Julia Livilla
Julia Livilla
Julia Livilla was the youngest child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder and the youngest sister of the Emperor Caligula.-Life:Livilla was the youngest great granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, great-niece and adoptive granddaughter...
. Agrippina's two elder brothers and her mother were victims of the intrigues of the Praetorian Prefect Lucius Aelius Sejanus.
She was the namesake of her mother. Agrippina the Elder was remembered as a modest and heroic matron, who was the second daughter and fourth child of Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
and the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus...
. The father of Julia the Elder was the Emperor Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, and Julia was his only natural child from his second marriage to Scribonia
Scribonia
Scribonia was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Augustus and the mother of his only natural child, Julia the Elder. She was the mother-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, great-grandmother of the Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger, grandmother-in-law of the Emperor Claudius, and...
, who had close blood relations with Pompey the Great and Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
. Maternally, Agrippina was a direct descendant of Augustus.
Germanicus, Agrippina's father, was a very popular general and politician. His mother was Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor , also known as Antonia the Younger or simply Antonia was the younger of two daughters of Roman politician Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. Tacitus Ann. 4.44.2 and 12.54.2 may have confused the two Antonia sisters...
and his father was the general Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus , born Decimus Claudius Drusus also called Drusus, Drusus I, Nero Drusus, or Drusus the Elder was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a fully patrician Claudian on his father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family...
. He was Antonia Minor's first child. Germanicus had two younger siblings; a sister, named Livilla, and a brother, the future Emperor Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
. Claudius was Agrippina's paternal uncle and third husband.
Antonia Minor was a daughter to Octavia the Younger by her second marriage to triumvir Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
, and Octavia was the second eldest sister and full-blooded sister of Augustus. Germanicus’ father, Drusus the Elder
Nero Claudius Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus , born Decimus Claudius Drusus also called Drusus, Drusus I, Nero Drusus, or Drusus the Elder was a Roman politician and military commander. He was a fully patrician Claudian on his father's side but his maternal grandmother was from a plebeian family...
, was the second son of the Empress Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
Drusilla by her first marriage to praetor Tiberius Nero
Tiberius Nero
Not to be confused with his son Tiberius or his grandson Germanicus, who both had the name 'Tiberius Claudius Nero' at one time or another. Tiberius Claudius Nero was a member of the Claudian Family of ancient Rome. He was a descendant of the original Tiberius Claudius Nero a consul, son of...
, and was the Emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
’s younger brother and Augustus’s stepson. In the year 9, Augustus ordered and forced Tiberius to adopt Germanicus, who happened to be Tiberius's nephew, as his son and heir. Germanicus was a favorite of his great-uncle Augustus, who hoped that Germanicus would succeed his uncle Tiberius, who was Augustus's own adopted son and heir. This in turn meant that Tiberius was also Agrippina's adoptive grandfather in addition to her paternal great-uncle.
Birth and early life
Agrippina was born at Oppidum Ubiorum, a Roman outpost on the Rhine River located in present day CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. As a small child, she travelled with her parents throughout the Empire until she and her siblings (apart from Caligula) returned to Rome to live with and be raised by Antonia. Her parents, in the meantime, journeyed to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
to complete official duties. One year later in October, Germanicus died suddenly in Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
(modern Antakya
Antakya
Antakya is the seat of the Hatay Province in southern Turkey, near the border with Syria. The mayor is Lütfü Savaş.Known as Antioch in ancient times, the city has historical significance for Christianity, as it was the place where the followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians for the first...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
).
Germanicus’ death in the year 19 caused much public grief in Rome, and gave rise to rumors that he had been murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed by Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso
Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso
Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso , Roman statesman, was consul in 7 BC; subsequently, he was governor of Hispania and proconsul of Africa.In AD 17 Tiberius appointed him governor of Syria...
and Munatia Plancina
Munatia Plancina
Munatia Plancina was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the early times of the Empire founded by Augustus. She was the wife of the governor of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso. The couple was accused to have poisoned Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of the Emperor Tiberius...
on the orders of Tiberius, as his widow Agrippina the Elder returned to Rome with his ashes. Agrippina the Younger was thereafter supervised by her mother, her paternal grandmother Antonia Minor, and her great-grandmother, Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
, all of them notable, influential, and powerful figures from whom she learnt how to survive. She lived on the Palatine Hill
Palatine Hill
The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Her great-uncle Tiberius had already become emperor and the head of the family after the death of the Emperor Augustus in 14.
First marriage to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
After her thirteenth birthday in 28, Tiberius arranged for Agrippina to marry her paternal second cousin Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and ordered the marriage to be celebrated in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Domitius came from a distinguished family of consular rank
Ahenobarbus
Ahenobarbus was the name of a plebeian family of the Domitia gens in the late Republic and early Principate of ancient Rome. The name means "red-beard" in Latin...
. Through his mother Antonia Major
Antonia Major
Antonia Major , also known as Antonia the Elder, was a daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor and a relative of the first Roman Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
, Domitius was a great nephew of Augustus, first cousin to Claudius, and second cousin to Agrippina and Caligula. He had two sisters; Domitia Lepida the Elder and Domitia Lepida the Younger. Domitia Lepida the Younger was the biological mother of the Empress Valeria Messalina.
Antonia Major was the elder sister to Antonia Minor, and the first daughter of Octavia Minor and Mark Antony. According to Suetonius, Domitius was a wealthy man with a despicable and dishonest character, who, according to Suetonius, was “A man who was in every aspect of his life detestable," and served as consul in 32. Agrippina and Domitius lived between Antium (Anzio
Anzio
Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
) and Rome. Not much is known about the relationship between them.
Reign of Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, became the new emperor. Being the emperor's sister gave Agrippina some influence.
Agrippina and her younger sisters Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla received various honors from their brother, which included but were not limited to:
- They were given the rights of the Vestal VirginVestal VirginIn ancient Roman religion, the Vestals or Vestal Virgins , were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The College of the Vestals and its well-being was regarded as fundamental to the continuance and security of Rome, as embodied by their cultivation of the sacred fire that could not be...
s like the freedom to view public games from the upper seats in the stadium. - Coins were issued depicting images of Caligula and his sisters. Roman coins like these were never issued beforehand. The coins depicted Caligula on one side and his sisters on the opposite.
- Caligula added his sister's names in to motions. In loyalty oaths, it was, "I will not value my life or that of my children less highly than I do the safety of the Emperor and his sisters," or, if in consular motions: "Good fortune attend to the Emperor and his sisters."
Around the time that Tiberius died, Agrippina had become pregnant. Domitius had acknowledged the paternity of the child. In the early morning hours in Antium of December 15, 37, Agrippina gave birth to her first child and the first child born to Domitius, a son. Agrippina and Domitius named their son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, after the Domitius's recently deceased father. This child would grow up to become the Emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
. Nero was Agrippina's only natural child. Suetonius states that Domitius was congratulated by friends on the birth of his son, whereupon he replied "I don't think anything produced by me and Agrippina could possibly be good for the state or the people."
Caligula and his sisters were accused of having incestuous relationships. On June 10, 38, Drusilla died, possibly of a fever, rampant in Rome at the time. He was particularly fond of Drusilla, claiming to treat her as he would his own wife
Lollia Paulina
Lollia Paulina was a noble Roman woman who lived in the 1st century, and for six months in AD 38 was a Roman Empress as the third wife of the Emperor Caligula.-Life:...
, even though Drusilla had a husband
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (executed 39)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, was the son of consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus. He and his sister Aemilia Lepida were both married to siblings of the Emperor Caligula...
. Following her death, Caligula's relationship with Agrippina and Livilla changed, showing no special love or respect toward them after Drusilla's death. After this point, he was said to have gone insane.
In 39, Agrippina and Livilla, with their maternal cousin, Drusilla's widower Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (executed 39)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, was the son of consul Lucius Aemilius Paullus. He and his sister Aemilia Lepida were both married to siblings of the Emperor Caligula...
, were involved in a failed plot to murder Caligula, a plot known as the Plot of the Three Daggers, which was to make Lepidus the new emperor. Lepidus, Agrippina and Livilla were contended to be lovers. Not much is known concerning this plot and the reasons behind it. At the trial of Lepidus, Caligula felt no compunction about denouncing them as adulteresses, producing handwritten letters discussing how they were going to kill him.
Lepidus was executed. Agrippina and Livilla were exiled by their brother to the Pontine Islands
Pontine Islands
The Pontine Islands are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the archipelago are Palmarola, Zannone,...
. Caligula sold their furniture, jewellery, slaves and freedmen. In January 40, Domitius died of edema
Edema
Edema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...
(dropsy) at Pyrgi. Nero had gone to live with his second paternal aunt Domitia Lepida the Younger after Caligula had taken his inheritance away from him. Caligula, his wife Milonia Caesonia and their daughter Julia Drusilla
Julia Drusilla
Julia Drusilla was the only child and daughter of Roman Emperor Gaius and of his fourth and last wife Milonia Caesonia....
were murdered on January 24, 41. Agrippina's paternal uncle, Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
, brother of her father Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
, became the new Roman Emperor.
Return from exile
Galba
Galba , was Roman Emperor for seven months from 68 to 69. Galba was the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, and made a bid for the throne during the rebellion of Julius Vindex...
, who showed no interest in her and was devoted to his wife Aemilia Lepida
Aemilia Lepida
Aemilia Lepida is a Roman woman belonging to the gens Aemilia. All but the first Aemilia Lepida lived in the imperial era. The name was given to daughters of men belonging to the Lepidus branch of the gens Aemilia. The first Aemilia Lepida to be mentioned by Roman historians was the former fiancee...
. On one occasion, Galba's mother-in-law gave Agrippina, in a whole bevy of married women, a public reprimand and a slap in the face.
Claudius had Nero’s inheritance reinstated and arranged for Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus
Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus
Gaius Sallustius Passienus Crispus was a prominent figure in the Roman Empire during the 1st century. He was the adopted grandson and biological great, great nephew of the historian Sallust....
and Domitia Lepida the Elder (Lucius' first paternal aunt) to divorce so that Crispus could marry Agrippina. When Agrippina returned, she had nothing to return to. Agrippina married Crispus as her second husband and he became a step father to Nero. Crispus was a prominent, influential, witty, wealthy and powerful man, who served twice as consul. He was the adopted grandson and biological great, great nephew of the historian Sallust
Sallust
Gaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...
. Little is known on their relationship.
In the first years of Claudius’ reign, Claudius was married to the infamous Empress Valeria Messalina. Although Agrippina was very influential, she kept a very low profile and stayed away from the imperial palace and the court of the emperor. Messalina was Agrippina’s second paternal cousin. Among the victims of Messalina's intrigues were Agrippina's surviving sister Livilla, who was charged with having adultery with Seneca the Younger
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
. Seneca was later called back from exile to be a tutor to Nero.
When Agrippina returned from exile, Messalina realised that Agrippina’s son was a threat to her son’s position and sent assassins to strangle Lucius during his siesta. The assassins left in terror, when a snake suddenly darted from beneath Nero’s pillow—but it was only a sloughed-off snake-skin in his bed, near his pillow.
In 47, Crispus died, and at his funeral, the rumor spread around that Agrippina poisoned Crispus to gain his estate. After being widowed a second time, Agrippina was left very wealthy. Later that year at the Secular Games
Secular games
The Secular Games were a religious celebration, involving sacrifices and theatrical performances, held in ancient Rome for three days and nights to mark the end of a saeculum and the beginning of the next...
, at the performance of the Troy Pageant, Messalina attended the event with her son Britannicus. Agrippina was also present with Lucius. Agrippina and Lucius received greater applause from the audience than Messalina and Britannicus
Britannicus
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
did. Many people began to show pity and sympathy to Agrippina, due to the unfortunate circumstances in her life. Agrippina wrote a memoir that recorded the misfortunes of her family (casus suorum) and wrote an account of her mother’s life.
Rise to power
After Messalina was executed in 48 for conspiring with Gaius SiliusGaius Silius
Gaius Silius was the name of two consuls of the Roman Empire, during the 1st century. The elder was a consul and commander in the Roman Army during the reign of Emperors Augustus and Tiberius and the younger a consul in the reign of Emperor Claudius....
to overthrow her husband, Claudius considered remarrying for the fourth time. Around this time, Agrippina became the mistress to one of Claudius’ advisers, the former Greek Freedman Marcus Antonius Pallas
Pallas (freedman)
Marcus Antonius Pallas was a prominent Greek freedman and secretary during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Claudius and Nero. His younger brother was Marcus Antonius Felix, a procurator of Iudaea Province...
. At that time Claudius’ advisers were discussing which noblewoman Claudius should marry. Claudius had a reputation that he was easily controlled by his wives and freedmen. His freedmen, according to legend, presented him three possible candidates.
The freedman Tiberius Claudius Narcissus
Tiberius Claudius Narcissus
Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was one of the freedmen who formed the core of the imperial court under the Roman emperor Claudius. He is described as praepositus ab epistulis ....
suggested Claudius to remarry his second wife Aelia Paetina
Aelia Paetina
Aelia Paetina or Paetina was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Her biological father was consul of 4, Sextus Aelius Catus while her mother is unknown. She was born into the family of the Aelii Tuberones, and thus apparently descended from the consul of 11 BC...
, with whom he had a daughter, Claudia Antonia
Claudia Antonia
Claudia Antonia was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Claudius and his second wife Aelia Paetina...
. Narcissus also stated that Paetina would cherish Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
and Britannicus
Britannicus
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
, Claudius's children with Messalina, in addition to Antonia.
Another freedman, Gaius Julius Callistus
Gaius Julius Callistus
Gaius Julius Callistus was a Greek imperial freedman during the reigns of Roman Emperors Caligula and Claudius. Callistus was originally a freedman of Caligula, and was given great authority during his reign, which he used to amass even greater wealth...
, was against Claudius remarrying Paetina and stated to Claudius that he divorced her before and that remarrying Paetina would make her more arrogant. Callistus suggested Lollia Paulina
Lollia Paulina
Lollia Paulina was a noble Roman woman who lived in the 1st century, and for six months in AD 38 was a Roman Empress as the third wife of the Emperor Caligula.-Life:...
, Caligula's third wife and Agrippina's former sister-in-law instead.
Pallas advised Claudius that he should marry Agrippina. Pallas stated to the emperor that as Lucius was the grandson to Claudius's late brother Germanicus, by marrying Agrippina, Claudius would ally the two branches of the Claudian house and imperial family. In more recent times, it has been suggested that the Senate may have pushed for the marriage between Agrippina and Claudius to end the feud between the Julian and Claudian branches. This feud dated back to Agrippina's mother's
Agrippina the elder
Vipsania Agrippina or most commonly known as Agrippina Major or Agrippina the Elder was a distinguished and prominent granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus. Agrippina was the wife of the general, statesman Germanicus and a relative to the first Roman Emperors...
actions against Tiberius after the death of Germanicus, actions which Tiberius had gladly punished.
Regardless, for Agrippina’s seduction, it was a help that she had the niece’s privilege of kissing and caressing her paternal uncle. Claudius was seduced by her passions.
Claudius made references to her in his speeches: "my daughter and foster child, born and bred, in my lap, so to speak". When Claudius decided to marry her, he persuaded a group of senators that the marriage should be arranged in the public interest]. In Roman society, an uncle (Claudius) marrying his niece (Agrippina) was considered an incestuous relationship, and a subject of controversy at the time.
Agrippina and Claudius married on New Year’s Day, 49. This marriage caused widespread disapproval. This was a part of Agrippina’s scheming plan to make Lucius the new emperor. Her marriage to Claudius wasn’t based on love, but on power. She quickly eliminated her rival Lollia Paulina
Lollia Paulina
Lollia Paulina was a noble Roman woman who lived in the 1st century, and for six months in AD 38 was a Roman Empress as the third wife of the Emperor Caligula.-Life:...
. In 49, shortly after marrying Claudius, Agrippina charged Paulina with black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
. Paulina did not receive a hearing. Her property was confiscated, she left Italy and on Agrippina's orders, she committed suicide.
In the months leading up to her marriage to Claudius, Agrippina's maternal second cousin, the praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus
Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus
In the 1st century, lived two noblemen uncle and nephew, that shared the name Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus who were two descendants of Roman Emperor Augustus....
, was betrothed to Claudius’ daughter Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
. This betrothal was broken off in 48 when Agrippina, scheming with consul Lucius Vitellius the Elder, the father of the future Emperor Aulus Vitellius, had falsely charged Silanus with having open incest with his sister Junia Calvina
Junia Calvina
Junia Calvina was a noble Roman woman. She was the first born daughter and among the children of Aemilia Lepida and Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus, a member of the Junii Silani, a family of Ancient Rome. Her maternal grandparents were the princess Julia the Younger and consul Lucius Aemilius...
. Agrippina did this hopefully to secure Octavia to marry her son. Consequently, Claudius broke off the engagement and forced Silanus to resign from public office. Silanus committed suicide on the day that Agrippina married her uncle and Calvina was exiled from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in early 49. Calvina was called back from exile after Agrippina had died. Towards the end of 54, Agrippina would order the murder of Silanus' eldest brother Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus without Nero's knowledge, so that he wouldn't be able to seek revenge against her over his brother's death.
Empress of Rome
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. She also was a stepmother to Claudia Antonia
Claudia Antonia
Claudia Antonia was the daughter of the Roman Emperor Claudius and his second wife Aelia Paetina...
, Claudius' daughter and only child from his second marriage to Aelia Paetina
Aelia Paetina
Aelia Paetina or Paetina was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Her biological father was consul of 4, Sextus Aelius Catus while her mother is unknown. She was born into the family of the Aelii Tuberones, and thus apparently descended from the consul of 11 BC...
, and to the young Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
and Britannicus
Britannicus
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
, Claudius' children with Valeria Messalina. Agrippina removed or eliminated anyone from the palace or the imperial court who she thought was loyal and dedicated to the memory of the late Messalina. She also eliminated or removed anyone who she considered was a potential threat to her position and the future of her son, one of her victims being Nero's second paternal aunt and Messalina's mother Domitia Lepida the Younger.
In 49, Agrippina presided over the exercises of Roman legions. The Celtic King Caratacus
Caratacus
Caratacus was a first century British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who led the British resistance to the Roman conquest....
assumed that she, along with Claudius, was the martial leader and bowed before her throne with the same homage and gratitude as he accorded the emperor. In 50, Agrippina was granted the honorific title of Augusta
Augusta (honorific)
Augusta was the imperial honorific title of empresses. It was given to the women of the Roman and Byzantine imperial families. In the third century, Augustae could also receive the titles of Mater castrorum and Mater Patriae .The title implied the greatest prestige, with the Augustae able to...
, a title which, up until this point, no other imperial woman had ever received in the lifetime of her husband. She was only the third Roman woman (Livia
Livia
Livia Drusilla, , after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14 also known as Julia Augusta, was a Roman empress as the third wife of the Emperor Augustus and his adviser...
Drusilla and Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor
Antonia Minor , also known as Antonia the Younger or simply Antonia was the younger of two daughters of Roman politician Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. Tacitus Ann. 4.44.2 and 12.54.2 may have confused the two Antonia sisters...
received this title) and only the second living Roman woman (the first being Livia) to receive this title. Also that year, Claudius had founded a Roman colony and called the colony Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis or Agrippinensium, today known as Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, after Agrippina who was born there. This colony was the only Roman colony to be named after a Roman woman. In 51, she was given a carpentum which she used. A carpentum was a sort of ceremonial carriage usually reserved for priests, such as the Vestal Virgin
Vestal Virgin
In ancient Roman religion, the Vestals or Vestal Virgins , were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The College of the Vestals and its well-being was regarded as fundamental to the continuance and security of Rome, as embodied by their cultivation of the sacred fire that could not be...
s, and sacred statues. That same year she appointed Sextus Afranius Burrus
Sextus Afranius Burrus
Sextus Afranius Burrus , Praetorian prefect, was advisor to Roman Emperor Nero and, together with Seneca the Younger, very powerful in the early years of Nero's reign....
as the head of the Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
, replacing the previous head of the Praetorian Guard, Rufrius Crispinus
Rufrius Crispinus
Rufrius Crispinus was a knight who lived during the later Julio-Claudian dynasty. The satirist Juvenal spitefully described him as one the "dregs" of the "Nile", indicating his Egyptian origin. It is believed he came to Rome as a fish merchant. Under the Roman Emperor Claudius he was the commander...
.
Agrippina successfully manipulated and influenced Claudius into adopting her son and having him become his successor. Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus in 50 was adopted by his great maternal uncle and stepfather. Lucius’ name was changed to Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus and he became Claudius’s adopted son, heir and recognised successor. Agrippina and Claudius betrothed Nero to Octavia and Agrippina arranged to have Seneca the Younger
Seneca the Younger
Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and in one work humorist, of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He was tutor and later advisor to emperor Nero...
return from exile to tutor the future emperor. Claudius chose to adopt Nero because of his Julian and Claudian lineage. Agrippina deprived Britannicus of his heritage and further isolated him from his biological father and succession for the throne in every way possible. For instance, in 51, Agrippina ordered the execution of Britannicus’ tutor Sosibius because he had confronted her and was outraged by Claudius’ adoption of Nero and his choice of Nero as successor, instead of choosing his own natural son Britannicus, although it should be noted that Tiberius had chosen Caligula as successor along with his grandson Tiberius Gemellus
Tiberius Gemellus
Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero Gemellus, known as Tiberius Gemellus was the son of Drusus and Livilla, the grandson of the Emperor Tiberius, and the cousin of the Emperor Caligula. Gemellus is a nickname meaning "the twin"...
without any approbation, at the time - Caligula later had his co-successor killed.
Nero and Octavia were married on June 9, 53. Claudius later repented of marrying Agrippina and adopting Nero, began to favor Britannicus, and started preparing him for the throne. This was the motive that is claimed by many that Agrippina needed to eliminate Claudius. The ancient sources credited her with poisoning Claudius on October 13, 54 with a plate of poisoned mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s at a banquet, thus enabling Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
to quickly take the throne as emperor. Accounts vary wildly with regard to this private incident and according to more modern sources, it is quite possible that Claudius died of natural causes, a more likely cause considering that he was 63 years old.
Power struggle between mother and son
In the first months of Nero’s reign Agrippina controlled her son and the Empire. She lost control over Nero when he began to have an affair with the freedwoman Claudia Acte
Claudia Acte
Claudia Acte was a freedwoman of ancient Rome who became a mistress of the emperor Nero. She came from Asia Minor and might have become a slave of the Emperor Claudius, following his expansion of the Roman Empire into Lycia and Pamphylia; or she might have been purchased later, by Octavia,...
, which Agrippina strongly disapproved of and violently scolded him for. Agrippina began to support Britannicus
Britannicus
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
in her attempt to make him emperor. Britannicus was secretly poisoned on Nero’s orders during a banquet in February 55. The power struggle between Agrippina and her son had begun.
Agrippina between 55 and 58 became very watchful and had a critical eye over her son. In 55, Agrippina was forced out of the palace by her son to live in imperial residence. Nero deprived his mother of all honors and powers, and even removed her Roman and German bodyguards. Nero even threatened his mother he would abdicate the throne and would go to live on the Greek Island of Rhodes
Rhodes
Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, a place where Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
had lived after divorcing Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
. Pallas also was dismissed from the court. The fall of Pallas and the opposition of Burrus and Seneca, contributed to Agrippina's loss of authority.
Towards 57, Agrippina was expelled from the palace and went to live in a riverside estate in Misenum. While Agrippina lived there or when she went on short visits to Rome, Nero had sent people to annoy her. Although living in Misenum, she was still very popular, powerful and influential. Agrippina and Nero would see each other on short visits.
Death and aftermath
The circumstances that surround Agrippina's death are uncertain due to historical contradictions and anti-Nero bias. All surviving stories of Agrippina's death contradict themselves and each other, and are generally fantastical.Tacitus's account
According to TacitusTacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, in 58, Nero became involved with the noble woman Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina
Poppaea Sabina and sometimes referred to as Poppaea Sabina the Younger to differentiate her from her mother of the same name, was a Roman Empress as the second wife of the Emperor Nero. Prior to this she was the wife of the future Emperor Otho...
. With the reasoning that a divorce from Octavia and a marriage to Poppaea was not politically feasible with Agrippina alive, Nero decided to kill Agrippina. Yet, Nero did not marry Poppaea until 62, calling into question this motive. Additionally, Suetonius
Suetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
reveals that Poppaea's husband, Otho
Otho
Otho , was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors.- Birth and lineage :...
, was not sent away by Nero until after Agrippina's death in 59, making it highly unlikely that already married Poppaea would be pressing Nero. Some modern historians theorize that Nero's decision to kill Agrippina was prompted by her plotting to set Gaius Rubellius Plautus
Rubellius Plautus
Gaius Rubellius Plautus was a Roman noble and a political rival of Emperor Nero. Through his mother Julia, he was a relative of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He was the grandson of Drusus , and the great-grandson of Tiberius and his brother Drusus...
(Nero's maternal second cousin) or Britannicus
Britannicus
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus was the son of the Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. He became the heir-designate of the empire at his birth, less than a month into his father's reign. He was still a young boy at the time of his mother's downfall and Claudius'...
(Claudius' biological son) on the throne.
Tacitus claims that Nero considered poisoning or stabbing her, but felt these methods were too difficult and suspicious, so he settled on building a self-sinking boat. Though aware of the plot, Agrippina embarked on this boat and was nearly crushed by a collapsing lead ceiling only to be saved by the side of a sofa breaking the ceiling's fall. Though the collapsing ceiling missed Agrippina, it crushed her attendant who was outside by the helm. The boat failed to sink from the lead ceiling, so the crew then sank the boat, but Agrippina swam to shore. Her friend, Acerronia Polla
Acerronia Polla
Acerronia Polla was a servant and friend of Agrippina the Younger, the mother of Nero. She was drowned in AD 59, when an unsuccessful attempt was made at the same time to drown Agrippina...
, was attacked by oarsmen while still in the water, and was either bludgeoned to death or drowned. Agrippina was met at the shore by crowds of admirers. News of Agrippina's survival reached Nero so he sent three assassins to stab her.
Suetonius's account
According to SuetoniusSuetonius
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
, Nero was annoyed at his mother being too watchful and tried three times to poison Agrippina, but she took the antidotes in time and survived. He then tried to crush her with a mechanical ceiling over her bed at her residence. After this failed, he devised a collapsable boat, which would either have its cabin fall in or become shipwrecked. Nero then ordered captains of a different boat to ram this boat while Agrippina was aboard. Nero heard Agrippina survived the wreck so he ordered her to be executed and framed it as a suicide.
Cassius Dio's account
The tale of Cassius Dio is also somewhat different. It starts again with Poppaea as the motive behind the murder. Nero designed a ship that would open at the bottom while at sea. Agrippina was put aboard and after the bottom of the ship opened up, she fell into the water. Agrippina swam to shore so Nero sent an assassin to kill her. Nero then claimed Agrippina plotted to kill him and committed suicide. Her reputed last words, uttered as the assassin was about to strike, were "Smite my womb", the implication here being she wished to be destroyed first in that part of her body that had given birth to so "abominable a son."Burial
After Agrippina's death, Nero viewed her corpse and commented how beautiful she was, according to some. Her body was cremated that night on a dining couch. At his mother's funeral, Nero was witless, speechless and rather scared. When the news spread that Agrippina had died, the Roman army, senate and various people sent him letters of congratulations that he had murdered his mother.Aftermath
During the remainder of Nero's reign, Agrippina's grave was not covered or enclosed. Her household later on gave her a modest tomb in Misenum. Nero would have his mother’s death on his conscience. He felt so guilty he would sometimes have nightmares about his mother. He even saw his mother’s ghost and got Persian magicians to scare her away. Years before she died, Agrippina had visited astrologerAstrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
s to ask about her son’s future. The astrologers had rather accurately predicted that her son would become emperor and would kill her. She replied, "Let him kill me, provided he becomes emperor," according to Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
.
Agrippina's Lovers
Gaius- Agrippina's brother (Dio.)
Aemilius Lepidus -her sisters Drusilla's husband (Tac. Suet. Dio)
Tigellinus- later prefect of the guard under Nero (Dio)
Seneca -Nero’s tutor (Dio.Tac)
Claudius -her uncle before their marriage (Tac. Suet. Dio)
Rufus -later prefect of the guard (Tac)
Pallas -Claudius’ freedmen (Tac. Dio.)
Aulus Plautius -young nobleman (Suet.)
Rubellius Plautus- son of Julia, granddaughter of Tiberius (Tac.)
Nero -her son (Tac. Suet. Dio)
Agrippina's Victims
47
1. Passienus Crispus Agrippina’s 2nd husband poisoned (suet.)
49
2. Lollia Paulina as she was a rival for Claudius’ hand in marriage as proposed by the freedman Callistus. (Tac. & Dio)
3. Lucius Silanus was betrothed to Octavia, Claudius’ daughter before his marriage of Agrippina. He committed suicide on their wedding day.
4. Sosibius Britannicus’ tutor executed for plotting against Nero
5. Calpurnia banished (Tac.) executed (Dio) because Claudius had commented on her beauty
53
6. Statilius Taurus was forced to suicide because Agrippina wanted his gardens (Tac.)
54
7. Claudius her husband poisoned (Tac. Sen. Juv. Suet. Dio.)
8. Domitia Lepida mother of Messalina executed (Tac.)
9. Marcus Junius Silanus potential rival to Nero poisoned (Pliny, Tac. Dio)
10. Cadius Rufus was executed on the charge of extortion
Ancestry
In later literature
The Empress, by Robert DeMaria, Vineyard Press (ISBN 1-930067-05-4)Handel's 1709 opera, Agrippina
Agrippina
Agrippina may refer to:In people:* Vipsania Agrippina , daughter of Caecilia Attica and first wife of the Emperor Tiberius* Vipsania Marcella Agrippina , daughter of Claudia Marcella Major and first wife of general Publius Quinctilius Varus* Julia the Younger or Vipsania Julia Agrippina , daughter...
with a libretto by Vincenzo Grimani
Vincenzo Grimani
Vincenzo Grimani was an Italian cardinal, diplomat, and opera librettist.Grimani was born either in Venice or Mantua....
.
Agrippina In Film
Imperium: Nero 2005 Agrippina is played by Laura MoranteI, Claudius 1976 Agrippina is played by Barbara Young
A.D 1985 Miniseries Agrippina is played by Ava Gardner
Ancient
- Note that most ancient Roman sources are quite critical of Agrippina the Younger, because she was seen as stepping outside the conservative Roman ideals regarding the roles of women in society.
- TacitusTacitusPublius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
: Critical view, considered her vicious and had a strong disposition against her due to her femininity and influential role in politics. Perhaps the most comprehensive of Ancient sources. Others are SuetoniusSuetoniusGaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius , was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era....
and Cassius Dio.
Modern
(edd.), Prosopographia Imperii Romani saeculi I, II et III, Berlin, 1933 –. (PIR2)- ScullardHoward Hayes ScullardHoward Hayes Scullard was a British historian specializing in ancient history, notable for editing the Oxford Classical Dictionary and for his many books....
: A critical view of Agrippina, suggesting she was ambitious and unscrupulous and a depraved sexual psychopathPsychopathyPsychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
. "Agrippina struck down a series of victims; no man or woman was safe if she suspected rivalry or desired their wealth." - FerreroGuglielmo FerreroGuglielmo Ferrero was an Italian historian, journalist and novelist, author of the Greatness and Decline of Rome . Ferrero devoted his writings to liberalism....
: Sympathetic and understanding, suggesting Agrippina has been judged harshly by history. Suggesting her marriage to Claudius was to a weak emperor who was, because of his hesitations and terrors, a threat to the imperial authority and government. She saw it her duty to compensate for the innumerable deficiencies of her strange husband through her own intelligence and strength of will. Pages 212ff.; 276ff. - Barrett: A reasonable view, comparing Scullard's criticisms to Ferrero's apologies. (See Barrett, Anthony A., Agrippina: Sex, Power and Politics in the Early Roman Empire, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1996.)
- Annelise Freisenbruch "The first ladies of Rome"
- Wood, S. "Diva Drusilla Panthea and the Sisters of Caligula American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 99, No. 3 (Jul., 1995)
- Rogers, R. S. The Conspiracy of Agrippina Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 62 (1931)
- Godolphin, F. R. B. A Note on the Marriage of Claudius and Agrippina Classical Philology, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Apr., 1934)
- Grimm-Samuel, V On the Mushroom That Deified the Emperor Claudius The Classical Quarterly, New Series, Vol. 41, No. 1 (1991)
- McDaniel, W. B Bauli the Scene of the Murder of Agrippina The Classical Quarterly, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr., 1910)
- Salmonson, Jessica AmandaJessica Amanda SalmonsonJessica Amanda Salmonson, born January 6, 1950, is an author, editor and writer of fantasy and horror fiction.-Author:Salmonson is the author of the Tomoe Gozen trilogy, a fantasy version of the tale of the historical female samurai Tomoe Gozen...
. (1991) The Encyclopedia of Amazons. Paragon House. Pages 4–5. - Donna Hurley, Agrippina the Younger (Wife of Claudius)., Agrippina. Keizerin van Rome, Leuven, 2006.
- Opera by G.F. Händel: AgrippinaAgrippina (opera)Agrippina is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel, from a libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani. Composed for the Venice Carnevale season, the opera tells the story of Agrippina, the mother of Nero, as she plots the downfall of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the installation of...