Agrippina the Younger Essay

Claudius, as emperor, was told it was politically necessary to have a partner, upon Messalina’s death, to help function and protect the Principate, one of few reasons for his marriage to Agrippina. It was Pallas who presented Agrippina’s case (as she was an eligible woman) convincingly. Claudius could not ignore her ambitious nature, the fact she was politically skilled, and importantly; a woman of the Julian bloodline. Agrippina’s motives were concentrated solely on herself, and her son, Nero. Agrippina married her uncle in hope that Nero would inherit the Principate. She wanted to promote her son to become emperor (Suetonius), and aspired for political power for herself in regards to the Principate and Claudius. The power gave her the ability to dispose of any enemies who got in her way.

Many of Agrippina’s strengths were also her greatest weaknesses. Her political ability and ambition were great strengths of character, as was her determination, but at times she aimed too high and was ultimately brought down by the very traits that had enabled her to achieve positions of power. Agrippina was able to become one of the most significant women of the Ancient Roman World, but at the same time she was considered manipulative, and was despised by many, including eventually her son - the Emperor Nero, who had her killed in the year 59 CE. Despite holding no official political status, and being limited by her gender, Agrippina reached unprecedented heights and helped stabilise the Claudius Regime, demonstrating her strength as a

once the romans overthrew the Italian conquerors in 509 B.C.E, they were free then established a republic. that meant that they could(citizens) elect representatives on their own behalf. In their Republic each national play a active role in governing the state. Whoever was elective were known as “consuls”. Consuls solely ruled for a year. If they didn't meet their expectations, they might be kicked out of successive election. Like our government our president governs for four years and is merely allowed 2 terms. similar to our government that they had a senate that will discuss and projected new laws. conjointly issued monetary problems touching

Tacitus, perhaps the greatest Roman historian, provides us with an account of the fire of Rome.1 It is within this account, recorded in The Annals, that Tacitus mentions Jesus. In chapters 38 through 45 of Annals 15, Tacitus discusses how Nero implicated Christians as those responsible for the fire.

Nero, even today, is renowned for allegedly setting fire to his own kingdom (for his

The Flames of Rome by Paul Maier is a documentary-fiction that has not only brought to life the evolution of Christianity in Rome but has also painted a clear picture of what it was like to live in Rome at the time. Understanding the Roman’s way of life and reasoning behind their actions plays a major role in the reasoning for Maier writing this book. The Flames of Rome is equivalent to reading a textbook but Maier makes it much more enjoyable and intriguing by adding plausible details of his own. Maier’s portrayal of the death of Claudius Caesar, in chapter nine of the novel, closely follows the primary sources of Tacitus and Suetonius but also loosely follows that of the secondary sources. It is important to compare Maier’s version to other

Agrippina the Younger had four main factors that highly influenced her power before her marriage to Claudius. She was born into the Julio-Claudian bloodline making her an Imperial woman of a noble dynasty, she was as a result of her family background reasonably wealthy and educated, she had the backing of the Roman Army as her father Germanicus was the commander of the 5th legion of the army in Germany and finally her two marriages which provided her with wealth and a son to be heir of the throne.

In this essay I will summarize Julia Hejduk's argument that she lays out in her article, “Jupiter’s Aeneid: Fama and Imperium”. This essay will summarize the argument Hejduk makes in her work, catalogue her evidentiary archive including the secondary and primary sources she utilizes, as well as describe the fit between her argument and the evidence she employs, and discuss her disciplinary identity, including her training, previous works and how she fits into her discourse community. I am doing this to connect what the author asserts about Virgil's Jupiter to what this means in terms of Virgil's opinions on Augustus and the Roman Empire.

According to document F, members of the Roman Senate consisted of about 300 men that served the duration of a lifetime. The Senate had primary responsibilities for foreign relations, making treaties, and creating alliances. They were responsible for war policy, and controlled lands. By the 3rd century BCE they had full governing power in Rome. Not all senators held equal status however. Those selected by Censor did not have a right to vote or speak on the Senate floor. Senators earned the proper dignity and nobility to vote and speak on the floor by virtue of holding various offices such as Consul. In contrast to the Roman Empire, the Athenian empire dealt with economic affair. They passed laws and had the power to declare war. Rome’s Senate was more effective in terms of pleasing the citizens due to the foreign relation position opening a way of trade. Making alliances was very vital for keeping peace among the other

Sejanus rose to fame as commander and chief of the praetorian guard from 14 CE until his death in 31 CE. In the 20s CE Sejanus gradually grew powerful by exerting his influence over Tiberius and eliminating any political opponents. When apparently under Sejanus’ encouragement and instructions Tiberius retired to Capri in 26 CE, Sejanus was left to handle the administration of the empire, his ruling imperium thus becoming authoritative. In 31 CE he became consul and had aspirations of also acquiring tribunician power. But during that same year he swiftly fell from grace amongst general suspicion and accusations of scheming against the life of Tiberius and the future emperor Caligula; he was quickly arrested, trialled in the senate, and executed

Nero and Tiberius were two leaders who were liked by the public. Both starting their reigns young, Nero and Tiberius accomplished many things. Gaining the public’s eye, Nero gave Claudius a lavish funeral and personally delivered the oration in person. He founded a colony at Antium consisting of praetorian veterans, he gave the public an immense variety of entertainments, and even introduced his own style of architecture. These accomplishments all played a role in how the public adored him. Giving the public positive ideas will gain their trust, but unfortunately, he does not keep their trust. As Nero became older, his accomplishments became less and less, he began turning into someone who was in it for the money. His turning point was when he bankrupted Rome, once this happened Nero was neither trusted or liked.

Only the highly educated and wealthy class made up the Senate. The Concilium Plebis only consisted of representatives for the Plebeians, and the Comitia Centuriata represented most of the landowning class. Both the popular assemblies were given pre-discussed debates, and any disagreements with the Senate were rare. Furthermore, the Consuls, who were the most prestigious magistrates and “the military and political heads of state” were also advised by the Senate (Gwynn, 20).

Nero, who took the throne after his mother poisoned Claudius, the current emperor, ruled from 54 to 68 AD. At first, Nero was the picture-perfect emperor. He lowered taxes, allowed more freedom to the Senate, granted permission to slaves who wanted to sue their unfair owners, and rid Rome of capital punishment. Eventually, Nero

Plutarch outlines that Tiberius and his brother Gaius were ``the most gifted young men of their generation in Rome, their education was generally held to have a played a more important part than nature in forming their qualities.'' Plutarch further emphasises the prominence of Tiberius by stating, "Soon after reaching maturity, his fame was great enough to earn him entry into the so-called priesthood of augurs, an honor he owed to his excellence, rather than to his noble birth."

Nero’s rise to power was a “long road full of treachery.” (T.V.) It was also full of change such as his name he was not always know as Nero his name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus until his dad had died and his mom married her widowed uncle, who was the emperor of the time, and they changed it to Nero Claudius Divi Claudius Filius Caesar Agustus Germanicus. Later she convinced him to name Nero heir to the throne and allow him take his daughter Octavia as his wife. His adopted brother was reaching age to take the throne but he mysteriously died, “Many suspect that Nero poisoned him.” (biograpy.com, 2017) So, as one can see Nero was a very shady character who would stop at nothing to seize and hold the throne.