ducavalentinos:history week meme → day 3 : one womanAgrippina the Younger was the eldest daughter of
ducavalentinos:history week meme → day 3 : one womanAgrippina the Younger was the eldest daughter of the popular general Germanicus, emperor Tiberius’ adopted son and heir, and of the elder Agrippina, emperor Augustus’ granddaughter.She was born in November 6, 15 AD, Cologne, Germany and for the most part known as Julia Agrippina or Agrippinilla (little Agrippina) and as a small child travelled the Empire with her parents until she and her siblings with the exception of Caligula returned to Rome to be raised by Antonia. After her father’s death in suspicious circumstances, Agrippina’s mother and older brothers were targeted by Tiberius and his advisor Sejanus, which resulted in their deaths.Agrippina first gained importance when her only surviving brother, Caligula, became emperor. He honored all his three sisters extensively. It was also during this time that Agrippina gave birth to her first and only child, a son, the future emperor Nero. She was 22 at the time. Agrippina’s favor in her brother’s court, however, did not last long: as Caligula proved himself more and more inapt to be emperor, Agrippina was caught in a conspiracy against him and was exiled.With Caligula’s death and the rise of their uncle Claudius to the imperial throne, Agrippina was allowed to return to Rome. She kept a low profile during the most turbulent years of Claudius’ rule, only returning to court around the time of the downfall of Claudius’ wife, the empress Messalina (it’s uncertain if Agrippina’s timing was simple luck, if she was informed by spies about the atmosphere in the court, or if she herself had some hand in Messalina’s execution). Claudius then married Agrippina, who, as a great-granddaughter of Augustus and daughter of the still beloved Germanicus, helped to bring legitimacy to his reign.As empress consort Agrippina enjoyed great powers and cultivated the loyalty of the praetorian guard and of powerful freedmen in Claudius’ court. Agrippina also was granted the title of Augusta, being the third Roman woman to be honored so. Her biggest triumph, however, was when she succeeded in convincing Claudius to adopt her son Nero and make him his heir. Around this time she arranged to have the philosopher Seneca the Younger tutor the future emperor.Claudius died not long after Nero’s rise within the imperial court: reportedly, poisoned by Agrippina. Although it’s impossible to know the truth, it is certain that Agrippina arranged Nero’s accession to go as swiftly as possible, ensuring the support of both army and senate. It was during the first years of Nero’s reign that Agrippina’s influence reached its peak, as she, along with Seneca, was the true power behind the young emperor.Relations between mother and son soon became sour. Nero started to resent his mother’s influence in both the government and his personal life. The breaking point came 5 years into Nero’s reign: the son arranged his mother’s assassination. As Agrippina’s assassin was about to strike, her reputed last words were “Smite my womb”: the part of her body which had, for 9 months, carried Nero. She was 43. -- source link