Agrippina the Younger

Roman noblewoman

• Born: November 6, c. 15 c.e.
• Birthplace: Oppidum Ubiorum (now Cologne, Germany)
• Died: March, 59 c.e.
• Place of death: Baiae, Campania (now near Naples, Italy)

Julia Agrippina accumulated and exercised extensive political power during the reign of two Roman emperors in the mid-first century c.e.

Early Life

Little is known concerning the early life of Julia Agrippina (ag-reh-PEEN-ah), or Agrippina the Younger, as she is more commonly known. The accounts of her life and deeds were recorded by ancient authors such as Cornelius Tacitus (Ab excessu divi Augusti, c. 116 c.e., also known as Annales; Annals, 1598), Seutonius (De vita Caesarum, c. 120 c.e.; History of the Twelve Caesars, 1606), Dio Cassius (Romaika, probably c. 202 c.e.; Roman History, 1914-1927), and Pliny the Elder (Naturalis historia, 77 c.e.; Natural History, 1938-1963). Each of these writers was highly critical of Agrippina, and the principate in general, and should be considered hostile. She was the eldest daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder. As a daughter of Germanicus, a member of the Imperial household, and possible successor to the emperor Tiberius, she would have been highly educated. Several ancient authors refer to her memoirs (now lost), attesting to her literacy and education at a time when many women were not educated beyond what was needed to manage their households.

As a child, she often accompanied her father as he traveled throughout the Empire on official duty. In fact, it was while Germanicus was serving in Germany that Agrippina was born, at the town of Oppidum Ubiorum (modern Cologne) around the year 15 c.e. She returned to Rome, along with her family, in 17 c.e. in order to celebrate her father’s victories over the German tribes. Later that same year, Germanicus was sent to the East, leaving Agrippina the Younger in Rome. Germanicus died in the East in 19 c.e., having possibly been poisoned by a political rival.

After the death of her father, Agrippina the Younger lived with her mother until her marriage to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus in 28 c.e., with whom she had one son, the future emperor Nero. During the intervening years, her mother, Agrippina the Elder, worked diligently to promote the sons of Germanicus as possible candidates for the throne. In doing so, Agrippina’s mother ran afoul of the sitting emperor, Tiberius. The elder Agrippina was exiled in 29 c.e., at which time Agrippina the Younger went to live with Livia, the mother of Tiberius, and wife of the late emperor Augustus. Agrippina the Elder died in exile in 33 c.e.

At the death of the emperor Tiberius in 37, Agrippina the Younger’s brother Gaius Caligula became emperor. Early in Caligula’s reign, Agrippina, along with her two sisters, received honors on coins, and their names were included in oaths to the welfare of the emperor. In 39 c.e., however, Agrippina was thought to have conspired against Caligula and was exiled to the island of Pontia.

Caligula was assassinated in 41 c.e. and was succeeded by Agrippina’s uncle, Tiberius Claudius Caesar, commonly known as Claudius. That same year she was allowed to return to Rome. Shortly after her return, she married the wealthy Gaius Sallustus Crispus Passienus (Domitius having died the year before). The marriage was short-lived, as Passienus died sometime in the 40’s. A critical event in her life occurred in 49 c.e., when she married Claudius, shortly after the execution of his third wife, Messallina. The marriage between a man and his niece was illegal according to Roman law; however, the senate quickly passed legislation allowing the emperor to marry his niece.

Life’s Work

During the period of her marriage to the emperor Claudius, and thereafter, Agrippina’s political skill and ambition became apparent in a variety of ways. The marriage was purely a political arrangement that helped both parties. In the years before the marriage, there were several plots against Claudius’s life that created an atmosphere of political instability. Several senators were executed for treason, probably at the instigation of Claudius’s third wife, Messallina. Ultimately, this political instability resulted in the execution of Messallina by Claudius because of her involvement in a conspiracy against the emperor. Claudius certainly recognized Agrippina’s political skills and the stability that she would bring to his government. For Agrippina, the marriage brought her substantial political power and the chance to promote her young son, Nero, as a possible successor to the aging Claudius.

Her rising influence, and power, can best be illustrated by the many exceptional honors bestowed on her at this time. In the year 50 c.e. she received the title Augusta, which was the feminine form of the honorific title Augustus adopted by emperors. This was a signal honor in that it had never before been granted to the wife of a living emperor. Although Agrippina’s image had appeared on coins during the reign of her brother, Caligula, her image was now placed, with the designation of Augusta, on the reverse side of coins bearing the image of Claudius. Such an honor demonstrated that she was viewed as a partner in the administration of the government. Also, her birthplace of Ubiorum Oppidum was at this time designated a Roman colony and renamed Colonia Claudia Ara Augusta Agrippinensium.

An additional honor bestowed on her was that of the salutatio. The salutatio was a daily obligation to visit, and pay respects to, important individuals in Roman society. When the important clients of the emperor came to the palace each day, they were obliged to pay their respects to Agrippina as well as Claudius.

Agrippina was able to convince Claudius to adopt her son, Nero, in 50, thus promoting Nero as a possible successor to the throne. Claudius had a son, Britannicus, by Messallina. However, Britannicus was three years younger than the thirteen-year-old Nero and therefore was not as viable a candidate for the throne. Claudius also realized that Nero, as the grandson of Germanicus, would be popular among the people of Rome. In 53 c.e., Nero’s position as successor was further strengthened by his marriage to Claudius’s daughter Octavia. Claudius died the following year at age sixty-four. Tacitus and Suetonius claimed that Agrippina murdered her husband by feeding him poisoned mushrooms in order to ensure that Nero would succeed before Britannicus came of age.

Agrippina was a farsighted woman. She was able to exert her influence over Nero after he became emperor through his tutors, who were, at the time, among her loyal followers. She had earlier convinced Claudius to allow the exiled poet, Seneca, and the commander of the Imperial bodyguard, Burrus, to become the young boy’s tutors, and they continued in this capacity after Nero became emperor. Nero purportedly allowed all of his private and public business affairs to be handled by Agrippina, while his tutors catered to his baser instincts. Even though this may be an exaggeration, it was at this time that Agrippina was at the height of her power. Women, in the highly patriarchal society of ancient Rome, were forbidden to attend senate meetings; Agrippina was said to have observed meetings of the senate from behind a curtain. In addition, she was accorded the honor of being attended by two lictors. Lictors preceded Roman magistrates on official business and carried the fasces, a symbol of authority.

Another indication of Agrippina’s political power during this time is reflected in coinage. Whereas earlier her image had appeared on the reverse of the Caligula coins, now she was the first woman accorded the honor of having her image appear on the same side as that of the emperor. Her image appeared facing the image of Nero, on the coins minted in Rome. She had, in fact, appeared on coins in this manner along with her husband Claudius, but those coins were minted outside Rome.

Agrippina was certainly aware that her political power depended on her influence over her son, as well as her son remaining emperor. Several ancient authors write that Agrippina was influential in eliminating possible rivals to Nero and, therefore, rivals to her own power.

However, as the influence of Nero’s tutors grew, Agrippina’s influence over her son began to decrease. During the reign of Claudius, Agrippina had accompanied the emperor when he met with foreign delegations. Nero discontinued this practice and did not allow his mother this honor. Coins depicting Nero and his mother began to show Nero’s head superimposed over that of Agrippina’s, indicating a decline in her political power.

Some ancient writers claimed that in an attempt to regain power, Agrippina turned her attentions toward promoting Claudius’s son Britannicus. Whether this is true or not, Britannicus was murdered. Some say he was poisoned at a dinner party in front of Agrippina. This violent act was purportedly carried out at the instigation of Nero to demonstrate his own power and to further indicate a decline in Agrippina’s influence.

In 55 c.e. Nero had Agrippina removed from the palace, supposedly because of the number of friends and clients who visited her on a daily basis. Nero claimed that these visitations disrupted the daily routine of the palace. His motives may have been to reduce her influence within the palace. At the same time, he dismissed her Imperial guard, thus reducing her influence among the guard as well. These two actions resulted in a substantial decline in Agrippina’s political power. Shortly thereafter, she was charged with treason. An investigation was held, but she was cleared of the charges. As a result of being cleared of the charges, it is believed that she may have had a brief resurgence of political power.

Unfortunately, Agrippina disappears from the historical record from 55 to 59 c.e., the year of her death. It is not known precisely why Nero decided that his mother should be murdered. What is known is that Nero’s first attempts to kill Agrippina failed miserably. Nero pretended that he wanted to be reconciled with her and invited her to a festival in Baiae, near Naples. One account states that she was to stay in a bedroom that had been constructed with a collapsible ceiling. When this attempt on her life failed, Nero placed Agrippina on a boat that was designed to fall apart at sea. Agrippina, however, swam to shore. After these two failed attempts, Nero dispatched a contingent of soldiers, who executed Agrippina.

Significance

Agrippina the Younger was one of a few Roman women who were able to accumulate substantial power, and have an influence on politics, in the highly patriarchal society of ancient Rome. Through her influence with two emperors, she demonstrated that some Roman women were just as intelligent and ambitious as Roman men. Although she exercised power indirectly through men, her power was publicly recognized in the Imperial coinage of the time. She served as a model for later Roman empresses, such as Pulcheria and Eudocia, who also commanded significant political power through their influence with powerful male leaders. Agrippina’s exceptional abilities to form successful political alliances, and her influence on politics and governance, have earned her the right to be considered an early stateswoman.

Bibliography

Balsdon, J. P. V. D. Roman Women: Their History and Habits. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1962. Discusses the role of women in Roman society.

Barrett, Anthony A. Agrippina: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Early Empire. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1996. An objective and comprehensive modern work concerning Agrippina the Younger. The book has helpful appendices, a bibliography, and a complete list of known citations regarding her in ancient texts.

Lefkowitz, Mary R., and Maureen B. Fant. Women’s Life in Greece and Rome. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982. The authors provide an overview of women’s role in classical society and the general attitudes toward women.

Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars. Translated by Robert Graves. New York: Welcome Rain, 2001. Written in the late first century or early second century c.e., Suetonius’s biography of the early emperors of Rome is an important source of information about the lives of the emperors and their families. It should, however, be noted that Suetonius, like Tacitus, was biased against the Imperial families.

Tacitus. The Annals of Imperial Rome. Translated by Michael Grant. New York: Penguin Books, 1989. Written in the late first century or early second century c.e., Tacitus’s history of the early Roman Empire is one of the few ancient accounts that survives. His bias against the Imperial family should, however, be noted.