Julia Agrippina's Role In The Julio-Claudian Dynasty

In conclusion, Claudius was a very good emperor since a very young age. He helped a lot of people and also many communities/towns. When something bad happened he knew what to do and then saved the day. He was a very important ruler, that changed a lot of things and did a lot of good

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

Around 71 B.C.,a few years before Augustus was born, Gaius Octavius started pursuing a job within the senate, but because of his latin instead of roman descent the pursuit of the job was very difficult for him. He continued pursuing the job in senate till around 70 B.C. when he won a quaestorship, a lower place in the government that entails supervising tax collection and doing special tasks for consuls in Rome, and joined the senate. Based on his latin descent winning a questorship was no small feat so it was no surprise when he was offered a spouse from one of Rome’s great trician clans. The only problem with this was he was already married to Ancharia who is not very well recorded in history so people have no firm evidence for why Gaius Octavius suddenly married Atia, a member of the Julian family making Julius Caesar his great-uncle. Together Atia and Gaius had two children, Octavius the younger and Gaius Octavian, named after his father, along with the one from Ancharia the second of the two being who we know as Augustus.

“the events that led to her downfall, which happened alongside that of her son Nero, are extremely difficult to disentangle and contradictory versions have come down in the sources” Barrett

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.

During her time, Agrippina the Younger was able to achieve unprecedented recognition and transcended the boundaries of imperial women to establish herself as a political player. Through her marriage to the Emperor Claudius, she formed a co-ruling alliance that allowed her to manipulate the order of succession to aid her son Nero in becoming Princeps. To a negligible extent, historians agree with Ferrero’s interpretation of Agrippina. Where Ferrero praises Agrippina’s personality, both ancient and modern sources oppose his description of her as ‘intelligent and simple’, often describing her as opportunistic and manipulative. Although they do agree that her upbringing amidst political affairs set her up to becoming a formidable and politically

There are other interpretations claiming that the citizens of Rome and senators saying that it wasn’t a plan however, it was Augustus spiritually wanting to give his power to the Senate. Moreover, After Augustus has been issued with a very serious illness. Augustus decided diverse basis to not have the authority for the consulate and to presume instead of these two powers, proconsul authority over the whole empire, which the senatorial provinces and the city of Rome, and Tribuncian power, which is now appearing in his titles. Therefore, the illness of Augustus in 23 BC, he was very treated because after his death there had to be a successor to his power who was able to control and run the system, most likely a successor which was from his family. Julia, was the only daughter from three of his marriages, he had to make his daughter marry his nephew, Marcellus, then to a trusted friend of his, Agrippa. Tiberius, the son of Gaius and Lucius, Augustus adopted him (stepson), whom his adoptive father Julius Caesar, after the death of Augustus was adoration as a god. Agrippa was a blessing for

Family background and status • Agrippina the Younger lived during the Julio-Causian Dynasty . • Agrippina the Younger was born in modern day city of Cologne in Germany on November the 6th, 15AD in • She was the eldest daughter of Agrippina the Elder and Germanicus but the fourth child in the family. • She came from imperial blood, she was Augustus’s great-granddaughter through her maternal side and her father Germanicus was adopted by Tiberius. • Her elder brothers Nero, Drusus and Gaius, and her younger sisters, Drusilla and Julia Livilla. • Her third brother Gaius, succeeded Tiberius and became emperor, he was also known as Caligula • When Agrippina was 13 years old, she was married her first husband Domitius Ahenobarbus by Tiberius

Agrippina the Younger had a fairly difficult but calculated life, she had many key times in her life that both assisted her life and others that significantly impacted her during this time. Agrippina was born into royalty, given opportunities for power, and readily looking for ways to gain power and influence, while also having to deal with deaths, murder plots and criticism. Agrippina the Younger during AD 28 after her 13th birthday, was given an arranged marriage by Tiberius to Gnaeus Dominitus Ahenobarbus also ordering Rome to celebrate. This marriage would have set up Agrippina with a source of power and influence as Gnaeus Dominitus Ahenobarbus came from a distinguished family of consular rank, Domitius was directly related to Augustus giving him great influence thus furthering Agrippina’s power during the marriage.

Tiberius, who served as emperor from 14 to 37 AD, began his rule after the death of his father-in-law, Augustus. Tiberius was a weak ruler, and he understood that ruling Rome was like “holding a wolf by the ears.” When conflict arose in Europe, Tiberius sent his nephew, Germanicus, to deal with it. Germanicus did his job, and this resulted in Tiberius fearing the newest war-hero. To avoid the issue, Germanicus was appointed governor of the remote eastern provinces by his uncle. After the sudden death of Germanicus, people believed that Tiberius had poisoned him. He denied this, but the accusations never died. When he was in need of advice, Tiberius sought the assistance of Sejanus, a cavalry officer and town cheat. Tiberius sought the

Agrippina was willing to do anything to get what she desired, including marrying her uncle, Emperor Claudius and poisoning him only a few years later, for acclaim for the throne for her son. However, when Nero was appointed ruler, he was still too young, so too Agrippina’s advantage, by the Senate's ruling, she was able to co-rule, side by side with her son. Appendix 1 shows a coin produced during early in Nero’s reign showing this relationship of power. Depicted are both Nero and his mother’s bust, facing one another, each head the same size, symbolising their equal power and importance. This power acclaimed by a woman was something rare in ancient Roman culture as it was far beyond what a woman was expected to behave like. Nevertheless, Nero can be seen in the 35-month episode between his orders to kill his mother in 59 and his alike handling of his wife Octavia (also step sister) in June 62 (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018). Nero was led into this immorality by his frustration with his mother’s own controlling nature and her fury in her losing control of her son, by Nero falling in love with Poppaea Sabina, who is suggested to have persuaded Nero to take full control of the

Nero was born on december 15,37. His father Domituis Ahenobrbus was not in the best health when he was born so his mother Agrippina told her brother Caligula to give him a name. They thought he should have the name Claudias first name Tiberius or his cognomen Nero. Caligula was very upset at the name Nero because he would not be able to succeed as much as his uncle did. His mother didn’t care what they said his name should be she thought she should name him in tradition of her father's side of the family. She also didn't care what the emperor said either. She later decided to name his Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. But later on in his life in 50 he would be adopted by Claudias. His mother side of the family, her father was the most liked prince of the town. Agrippina kept a very low key life. All they know about her is her marriage and the birth of her son. Neros grandparents were caught up in the wealth, gladiator games. His grandfather was admonish by Augustus because it was so gruesome. Neros father was also very short tempered and brutal. These traits were already becoming of Neros in his early life. They would follow him. Domitus almost got himself killed because he got all wrapped up in the political affair but he didn't die because it was after the rule and death of Tiberius.When Caligula was reign Aprippina was the lady of the ruling house. Her two sisters Drusilla and Julia Livilla were the vestal virgin. Aprippina was caught in a scandal a year before her husband's

Tiberius created a family of his own with his wife Vipsania Agrippina and had a son named Drusus Julius Caesar. Tiberius also adopted his nephew, Germanicus, and raised him as his own. Tiberius

One of the first things that Tiberius did when he came in to power was to reverse the laws that Augustus put in to place trying to protect the morality of Rome. Tiberius spent very little time in Rome during his reign as Emperor and retired to the country to spend the last eleven years of his life. While living in the country Tiberius set new standards of debauchery, going as far as creating a new government office "for the originating of unfamiliar carnal pleasures (Cawthorne 67)." Also at his villa in the country Tiberius housed young boys and girls to peform sexual acts in front of him to arouse his wanning sex drive. The historian Suetonius lays several scandolus allegations at the feet of Tiberius including raping two young boys at a sacrifice. It is said that when the two boys objected to the way Tiberius treated them that he had their legs broken. It is also said that Tiberius was awful. When one woman showed that she did not want to do what he told her to, Tiberius had informers lay false accusations against her and then showed at her trial shouting "Are you sorry now (68)?" Luckily for Rome, Tiberius accomplished very little in his time as Emperor and spent the majority of his time in isolation. Unfortunatly for Rome the man that would become Tiberius' heir would be much worse.