[Home]Agrippina the younger

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Agrippina, the "younger" (A.D. 16-59), daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina the elder, sister of Caligula, sister-in-law of Tiberius and mother of Nero was born at Oppidum Ubiorum on the Rhine, afterwards named in her honour Colonia Agrippinae (modern Cologne, Germany). Her life was notorious for intrigue and perfidy. By her first husband, [Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus]?, she was the mother of the emperor Nero. She was the niece of the Emperor Claudius whom she seduced and married circa 47 AD. She persuaded Claudius to adopt Nero--thereby placing him the the line of succession to the the Imperial throne. She then poisoned Claudius in 54 AD and Nero became emperor. For a time she ruled the Empire through Nero, but he broke away from her influence. According to Roman historians, she regained her influence for a time by permitting him to commit incest with her, but he soon tired of her and conspired against her life, just as she had conspired against her husband, the emperor Claudius. When the Emperor's soldiers came to kill her, Agrippina pulled back her clothes and ordered them to stab her in the belly which had housed so monstrous a son.

see:

Julio-Claudian Family Tree

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Last edited November 8, 2001 10:22 pm by MichaelTinkler (diff)
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