Agripinilla Minor (Agripinilla)

Agripinilla Minor (Latin for "the younger") ( 16-59 AD), often called "Agripinilla" to distinguish her from her mother, was the daughter of Germanicus and Agripinilla Major. She was sister of Caligula, sister-in-law of Tiberius, niece and wife of Claudius, and the mother of Nero. She was born at Oppidum Ubiorum on the Rhine, afterwards named in her honour Colonia Agripinillae (modern Cologne, Germany).

When Caligula became emperor, he decided he was a god and imitated the domestic lives of the gods by sleeping with his three sisters, Drusilla, Livilla and Agrippina. He also setup a brothel in the palace where he sold his sisters and charged high rates. Ultimately he got tired of having them around the court and exiled Livilla and Agrippina to a small island where they were forced to earn their bread by diving for sponges. Claudius, who was kind hearted, allowed the girls to return to Rome when he took the throne.

Her first husband was Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. From this marriage she sired Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, who became emperor Nero. As a widow, she wooed her uncle, Emperor Claudius and became his favourite councillor. They were married on New Years day of 49 AD, after the death of Messalina. She then proceeded to persuade Claudius to adopt her son, thereby placing him in the line of succession to the Imperial throne. Later in his life, Claudius is reported to often repent these decisions in public. Her star was beginning to fade. But Agripinilla was a true Imperial politician that did not reject murder as a way to win her battles. She is believed to have poisoned Claudius in 54 AD, and thus making Nero emperor.

For some time, Agripinilla influenced Nero, her son, as she had controlled her diseased husband. She thwarted Nero's love affairs, forbid him to do as he chose and often threatened him that she would expose his treatment of her and make Britannicus emperor in his place. Nero ended this threat by poisoning 14 year old Britannicus at the imperial table. He bypassed the boy's taster appointed to protect him by handing him a cup in which the liquid was too hot, after having tasted it, a servant poured in poisoned cold water in the drink which was then handed to the boy. After one sip Britannicus went into convulsions and died instantly. Nero "lay back unconcernedly," claiming that Britannicus was merely having an epileptic fit.

Now Nero had nothing to fear of his mother, and was fed up with her constant criticizing. He deprived her from her honours and exiled her from the palace, but that wasn't enough. Three times he tried to poison her, but she had been raised in the Imperial family and was accustomed to take antidotes. Then he built a machine attached to the roof of her bedroom, destined to make the ceiling collapse – the device failed. Soon enough hired informers accused her of plotting Nero's death, but Agrippina faced down the charges declaring they were false. Nero had at this time fallen in love with Sabina Poppae (who desperately wanted to be empress). Agripinilla fiercely opposed this union and the two women fought for control of the emperor. Agripinilla went as far as to sleep with her son to retain her influence, but Nero knew the only way to be rid of her was to kill her. Finally he planned a shipwreck . He had a ship built that would collapse at sea, then gave a banquet of reconciliation for his mother. He treated her with great respect, then ushered her to her ship and bade her farewell, kissing her affectionately on the eyes and bosom. Undoubtedly, at this point, Nero thought his problems were over.

When the planned accident occurred, only some of the crew were in on the plot and their efforts were hampered by the rest of the crew trying to save the ship. As it went down one of her handmaidens thought to save herself by crying that she was Agripinilla, thinking they would take special care of her. Instead the maid was instantly beaten to death with oars and chains. The real Agripinilla realised then what was happening and in the confusion managed to swim away where a passing fisherman picked her up. Her past as a sponge diver proved handy. She sent a messenger to inform her son of her escape pretending to have no suspicions of his guilt so that she would have time to plan her revenge. The terrified Nero, knowing his cover had been blown, and that his mother's revenge was sure to be deadly, framed the messenger by accusing him of attacking the emperor and then sent freedmen to charge her with treason and summarily execute her. When the Emperor's soldiers came to kill her, Agripinilla pulled back her clothes and ordered them to "Strike here!" in the belly that had housed such a monstrous son.

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Of all the people who influenced Agripinilla the one who affected her life the most was someone she hardly knew: Germanicus. His reputation and the magic of his name became his daughter’s birthright to power. Agripinilla was born on November 6, 15 C.E. at the Rhine settlement of Ara Ubiorum, and since she was the first daughter born to her parents, she was named after her mother. One unusual feature, noted by Pliny the Elder, was that on the right side of her upper jaw Agripinilla had a double set of canine teeth, a sign of Fortune’s favor. Following the death of her father Agripinilla lived with her great-grandmother Livia until Tiberius selected Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus to be her husband. Tacitus. mentioned the marriage at the end of his book covering the year 28 but only as an uncollected scrap of information so the actual date is not certain.

In 37, Agripinilla gave birth to a son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, the future Nero, nine years after her marriage. In 39, she was connected to the conspiracy hatched by Gaetulicus against her brother, Gaius, through Marcus Lepidus, with whom she was romantically linked. Possibly, Agripinilla contemplated marriage with Lepidus since her husband was fatally ill with dropsy. Gaetulicus needed a strong ally in Rome if his coup was to succeed. Lepidus, Gaius’ brother-in-law (widower of Drusilla,) had hopes of becoming the new princeps and readily joined the conspiracy. He had been considered Gaius’ heir apparent until the birth of his daughter Julia Drusilla. Lepidus needed a connection with a princess of the Julian house if he was to be a credible successor to Gaius. To remedy this, Lepidus had been playing a dangerous sexual game, none too discreetly, carrying on affairs with both Agripinilla and Livilla. From Agripinilla’s point of view, Lepidus as princeps could secure her son a place in the succession.

For her part in the conspiracy Agripinilla was exiled to the to the Pontia islands to be recalled by Claudius less than two years later. To stay clear of Messalina, Agripinilla kept a low profile and sought a new husband. Her first choice fell upon Galba, the future emperor, who was already married. This did not seem to be an obstacle to Agripinilla but Galba passed on the opportunity. Instead, she married Gaius Sallastius Passienus Crispus, who had previously been married to Domitia, the sister of Domitius Ahenobarbus and so was Agripinilla’s brother-in-law. He was a witty man with a lively sense of humor and was responsible for the famous comment on the relationship between Tiberius and Gaius, that the world had never known a better slave or a worse master. It is interesting that Pliny describes the marriage as making Passienus more distinguished, a probable reference to his new connection to the principate.

There is no information of how well or poorly the marriage fared. Passienus died during the 40s and received a public funeral. After his death, rumors circulated that Agripinilla had poisoned her husband, it being fortunate for her to be free to marry Claudius, but there is no evidence that Passienus was murdered. Agripinilla had the good sense to avoid dangerous situations that Messalina could turn to her advantage. The only clash between the women came in 47 during the Secular Games that Claudius held 64 years after those of Augustus. During the games young men performed the Lusus Troiae, a parade staged by boys from the aristocracy. Taking part were Britannicus (aged 6) and Nero (aged 9,) who was greeted by spontaneous applause far more enthusiastic than was Britannicus.

The Messalina affair had proved that Claudius’ regime was vulnerable. Although the emperor announced to the praetorians that he had taken a pledge to remain a widower, it was clear that Claudius would not remain unmarried. Tacitus claims Claudius could not remain celibate and needed a wife to rule him. An unmarried Claudius would have been far from celibate and that he needed to be ruled was only more sneering. Tacitus says that there was a competition for Claudius’ fourth wife each favored by one of the imperial freedmen. Narcissus favored Claudius’ former wife, Aelia Paetina, Gaius’ ex-wife Lollia Paulina was favored by Callistus and Agripinilla was supported by Pallas.

Agripinilla had overwhelming advantages. She was a Julian through her mother and a Claudian through her father. She could play a role in bridging the unpopularity that had bedeviled Claudius from the start of his reign. A coup against the regime would be almost out of the question. She also brought with her a grandson of Germanicus who would be an unimpeachable candidate for the principate. Claudius was clearly aware that the succession of his natural son would never guarantee the survival of his regime. Even before her marriage took place Agripinilla began to strengthen Nero’s position in the succession by proposing her son be joint heir with Britannicus (only 7 years old in 48.) There were several precedents for this arrangement. Augustus had adopted his grandsons, Gaius and Lucius, as join heirs and caused Tiberius to select Germanicus and his own son, Drusus, as a pair. Tiberius eventually left two candidates: Gaius Caligula and Tiberius Gemellus.

As a way to cement the new family relationship, another marriage was proposed: Octavia and Nero. The obstacle was that Octavia was already betrothed to Lucius Silanus. The fact that Claudius had allowed the proposed marriage to stand reflects the power and status of the Junii Silani. Octavia was still not yet of marriageable age and this second betrothal was hatched, even before Agripinilla and Claudius had made their own official. Claudius had given Lucius Silanus many honors: Silanus had been granted triumphal insignia in connection with the British triumph, he had been allowed to appear with Claudius on the Capitol stairs during the triumphal procession and been allowed an accelerated questorship. Silanus would be a tough opponent for Agripinilla but she had the backing of many freedmen who feared Britannicus after their involvement in the fall of his mother. Vitellius handled the attack on Silanus but was directed by Agripinilla.

Vitellius was censor in 48 and one of his duties was to scrutinize the Senate for those guilty of moral turpitude. Lucius Silanus had a sister, Junia Calvina, who was described as "rather wild" and for whom he had a great affection, referring to her as Juno. She had been Vitellius’ daughter-in-law but he set aside such family concerns and accused Silanus of incest with his sister, she playing Juno to his Jupiter. Silanus had no incentive for plotting against Claudius unless he felt himself in danger and tried to take some countermeasure that could easily be misconstrued. He found himself suddenly expelled from the Senate and forced to resign his praetorship on the day he took office.

It is likely that Claudius and Agripinilla put off announcement of their marriage until Silanus’ expulsion. Roman law and tradition forbade marriages between an uncle and niece, and no one was likely to turn a blind eye toward such a union. Tacitus noted that the marriage represented the depths of Agripinilla’s moral degradation. The legal obstacle was enough for the marriage to be postponed but Vitellius came to the rescue with a plan that would make it seem that Claudius was yielding to the will of the people.

Early in 49, Vitellius delivered a speech before the Senate aimed at winning approval for the marriage. After preparing his ground by arguing the connections and abilities of Agripinilla, he claimed that marriage to a brother’s child was not incestuous but simply novel, and was customary in other countries. Vitellius pointed out that at first cousins had not been permitted to marry but that was no longer prohibited. Moral standards changed as society changed.

By the end of his speech, primed by the friends and allies of Agripinilla, the senators went pouring out of the house declaring that if Claudius would not listen to their appeal they would force him. They were joined by other insistent crowds.

This demonstration of support for an emperor who was not popular suggests that there was general approval of Claudius’ marriage to the daughter of Germanicus. Claudius came down from the palace to meet the crowd in the Forum and listen to the shouts of encouragement. Following this, a hasty meeting of the Senate took place where Claudius formally asked the senators for a decree to allow marriage between and uncle and niece not just for him but on general principle. This freedom remained in force until 342. That this legislation was not repealed for such a long time suggests that Claudius’ marriage was not so shocking. However, the union between a man and his uterine niece (the daughter of a sister) remained prohibited.

The marriage of Claudius and Agripinilla took place soon after, Tacitus dryly remarking that the state was now in the hands of a woman who, unlike Messalina, lusted after power. For him, Agripinilla was an austere woman free from any promiscuous conduct unless it contributed to her power. The marriage had one embarrassing development. As pontifex maximus, Claudius prescribed expiatory sacrifices to be carried out by the priests to purge the supposed incest of Lucius Silvanus and his sister. Some would have felt Claudius a hypocrite, and the hard feelings would have been aggravated by the suicide (the Apocolocyntosis says Claudius had him murdered) of the humiliated Silvanus timed to coincide with Claudius’ wedding.

Agripinilla brought a keen political sense to Claudius’ reign. His reign falls into two distinct parts, from his accession to the death of Messalina, followed by his marriage to Agripinilla to his death in 54. The success of Claudius’ reign could be gauged by the intensity of the opposition. During Claudius’ reign 35 senators and from 221 to over 300 equestrians were executed. During the "Messalina years" the names of victims seem endless from Appius Silanus to Gaius Silius. During the years following his marriage to Agripinilla this list of victims shrinks remarkably despite Dio’s claim that Agripinilla used murder for profit. Those executed were given a public trial. The recorded victims were: Lollia, Gaius’ ex-wife, the ex-consul Statilius Taurus, Sosibus, Britannicus’ tutor and Lepida, Agripinilla’s former sister-in-law. From this, it can be gleaned that Claudius’ reign improved measurably and there are recorded instances of co-operation between the Senate and palace.

Shortly after the marriage, a motion was introduced in the Senate to call upon Claudius to betroth Octavia to Nero, made using the same canvassing method. Sometime before this Agripinilla engineered the recall of Seneca to assume the duties of Nero’s tutor. Seneca was selected because he shared Agripinilla’s political views and the way to rule the Roman state was with a "constitutional" form of principate operating with a consensus. In 50, Seneca was elected to the praetorship. Agripinilla and Seneca had a close association since 39 and it is not inconceivable that they had an affair although there is no indication of when, and the example of Messalina would not be lost on Claudius’ new wife. The ending of their love affair may explain their increasing estrangement during Nero’s reign.

Claudius’ desire to be succeeded by his natural son was secondary to the survival of his regime. Britannicus was not excluded from power, he was too young to hold any offices. He also suffered from epilepsy since childhood which if a serious form of the disease could jeopardize his chances to succeed his father. Doubts of Britannicus’ paternity represent the standard calumny against imperial children too young to assume their rightful place in power, the same was said of Tiberius Gemellus. There is no reason to believe that Claudius turned against his son. Although she worked hard to establish her son’s primacy Agripinilla had nothing to gain by antagonizing her stepson. On the contrary, should anything happen to Nero the succession must pass to Britannicus.

Agripinilla’s son was adopted on February 25, 50 and became Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus Caesar. At the same time, Agripinilla was granted the title Augusta and became Iulia Augusta Agripinilla, the first woman since Livia to be allowed the title, but Livia received the title only on Augustus’ death. Tacitus informs us that the adoption had been the work of Pallas but Claudius saw the importance of promoting Nero early. The popularity of Nero demanded his inclusion as a successor to the principate because his selection would help to ensure the survival of the regime. If prevented from holding power Nero would be a potent threat to Britannicus. At the time of his adoption Nero was made consul-designate (the office to be held in his 20th year.) He also received the title princeps iuventutis. The remarkable feature of Nero’s advancement was that as consul-designate he was granted proconsular authority outside the limits of Rome. This gave him power independent from his status as Claudius’ son and must have been deemed essential as a safeguard to the succession. In the games that followed the ceremony, Nero wore magisterial robes while Britannicus wore the white and purple toga of youth. To the crowd it must have been clear which was preferred for the succession.

In 51, Nero assumed the toga virilis a few months ahead of schedule, planned, no doubt, to correspond with Claudius’ holding of the office of consul which enhanced the ceremony and as Augustus had been in 5 and 2 BCE for Gaius and Lucius. This same year saw a startling innovation in the gold and silver coinage. Agripinilla’s portrait appeared on the reverse with Claudius on the obverse and so did Nero, with cos design among his titles. The appearance of a successor as a reverse type on the coinage of his predecessor was unprecedented. It is probably that Claudius and Agripinilla disagreed over Nero becoming the sole successor. For a while, Narcissus would have supported Agripinilla since Nero could save him from the wrath of Britannicus. However, the failure of the scheme to drain the Fucine Lake which placed Claudius in danger of drowning and made the regime look silly doomed the freedman.

There was friction between the imperial brothers. On a chance meeting, Nero greeted his stepbrother as "Britannicus" but was answered with "Domitius." Agripinilla exploited the insult, perhaps an innocent mistake, and convinced Claudius of the danger of factions within the palace. She began to slowly remove Britannicus’ tutors and loyal freedmen. The most important, Sosibus, was executed for potting against Nero. Britannicus’ retainers would have remained loyal to the memory of Messalina and it was probably prudent that they were removed. Tacitus claims that Agripinilla also got rid of officers of the praetorian guard who were sympathetic toward Britannicus by promoting them out of the guards and into the legions. Epigraphical evidence shows that it was a regular practice of the praetorians for a centurion or tribune to join a legion at a higher centurionate following service in the guards. Agripinilla merely devised a stratagem to remove any officers she did not trust by appearing to promote them. She was able to persuade Claudius that the efficiency of the guards was in jeopardy from the two commanders, Geta and Crispinus. They were replaced by a single commander Sextus Afranius Burrus, destined to play and important role during the next decade.

During 51, in a last effort to thwart Agripinilla, some conservative senators led by Junius Lupus brought a charge of maiestas against Vitellius, who by now was very ill. Tacitus claims that Claudius was persuaded to take the charges seriously but was convinced by Agripinilla they were false, another attempt to show the old emperor was under his wife’s thumb. The attempt to bring down Vitellius was courageous, if suicidal, but the motive becomes clear since Lupus was a relative of Lucius Junius Silvanus. It has been suggested that Claudius was responsible for the charges in order to curb Agripinilla’s unbridled power and keep Vitellius in check but the evidence is that emperor and empress were acting in concert. Fortunately for Lupus, he was only exiled as a result.

The last recorded victim of Agripinilla was Domitia Lepida, the mother of Messalina and her former sister-in-law. Tacitus brushes off the entire affair saying it arose from "female reasons" and their jealousy over Nero. It was to Domitia that Nero was entrusted when his mother was sent into exile in 39 and she remained close to him. She also was the grandmother of Britannicus and could serve to remind people of his Julian family links even if they were not as strong as Nero’s. Domitia was accused of magical acts against Agripinilla and threatening the security of Italy by failing to keep her slaves in order. The latter charge seems to suggest she was training armed bands with the intent to stage a coup. Domitia was executed despite the entreaties of Narcissus.