Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina , most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger , and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina ( " Minor " Latin for the " ‘ younger ’ " , 7 November 15 or 6 November 16 – 19 / 23 March 59 ) was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio - Claudian dynasty . She was a great - granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus , great - niece and adoptive granddaughter of the Emperor Tiberius , sister of the Emperor Caligula , niece and fourth wife of the Emperor Claudius , and mother of the Emperor Nero . Agrippina the Younger has been described by the ancient and modern sources as " ruthless , ambitious , violent and domineering " . She was a beautiful and reputable woman and according to Pliny the Elder , she had a double canine in her upper right jaw , a sign of good fortune . Many ancient historians accuse Agrippina of poisoning Emperor Claudius , though accounts vary . Family . Agrippina was the first daughter and fourth living child of Agrippina the Elder and Germanicus . She had three elder brothers , Nero Caesar , Drusus Caesar and the future Emperor Caligula , and two younger sisters , Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla . Agrippina ' s two elder brothers and her mother were victims of the intrigues of the Praetorian Prefect Lucius Aelius Sejanus . She was the namesake of her mother . Agrippina the Elder was remembered as a modest and heroic matron , who was the second daughter and fourth child of Julia the Elder and the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa . The father of Julia the Elder was the Emperor Augustus , and Julia was his only natural child from his second marriage to Scribonia , who had close blood relations with Pompey the Great and Lucius Cornelius Sulla . Maternally , Agrippina descended directly from Augustus . Germanicus , Agrippina ' s father , was a very popular general and politician . His mother was Antonia Minor and his father was the general Nero Claudius Drusus . He was Antonia Minor ' s first child . Germanicus had two younger siblings ; a sister , named Livilla , and a brother , the future Emperor Claudius . Claudius was Agrippina ' s paternal uncle and third husband . Antonia Minor was a daughter to Octavia the Younger by her second marriage to triumvir Mark Antony , and Octavia was the second eldest sister and full - blooded sister of Augustus . Germanicus ’ father , Drusus the Elder , was the second son of the Empress Livia Drusilla by her first marriage to praetor Tiberius Nero , and was the Emperor Tiberius ’ s younger brother and Augustus ’ s stepson . In the year 9 , Augustus ordered and forced Tiberius to adopt Germanicus , who happened to be Tiberius ' s nephew , as his son and heir . Germanicus was a favorite of his great - uncle Augustus , who hoped that Germanicus would succeed his uncle Tiberius , who was Augustus ' s own adopted son and heir . This in turn meant that Tiberius was also Agrippina ' s adoptive grandfather in addition to her paternal great - uncle . Birth and early life . Agrippina was born at Oppidum Ubiorum , a Roman outpost on the Rhine River located in present day Cologne , Germany . As a small child , she travelled with her parents throughout the Empire until she and her siblings ( apart from Caligula ) returned to Rome to live with and be raised by Antonia . Her parents , in the meantime , journeyed to Syria to complete official duties . One year later in October , Germanicus died suddenly in Antioch ( modern Antakya , Turkey ) . Germanicus ’ death in the year 19 caused much public grief in Rome , and gave rise to rumors that he had been murdered by Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso and Munatia Plancina on the orders of Tiberius , as his widow Agrippina the Elder returned to Rome with his ashes . Agrippina the Younger was thereafter supervised by her mother , her paternal grandmother Antonia Minor , and her great - grandmother , Livia , all of them notable , influential , and powerful figures from whom she learnt how to survive . She lived on the Palatine Hill in Rome . Her great - uncle Tiberius had already become emperor and the head of the family after the death of Augustus in 14 . First marriage to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus . After her thirteenth birthday in 28 , Tiberius arranged for Agrippina to marry her paternal second cousin Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and ordered the marriage to be celebrated in Rome . Domitius came from a distinguished family of consular rank . Through his mother Antonia Major , Domitius was a great nephew of Augustus , first cousin to Claudius , and second cousin to Agrippina and Caligula . He had two sisters ; Domitia Lepida the Elder and Domitia Lepida the Younger . Domitia Lepida the Younger was the mother of the Empress Valeria Messalina . Antonia Major was the elder sister to Antonia Minor , and the first daughter of Octavia Minor and Mark Antony . According to Suetonius , Domitius was a wealthy man with a despicable and dishonest character , who , according to Suetonius , was “ a man who was in every aspect of his life detestable " and served as consul in 32 . Agrippina and Domitius lived between Antium ( Anzio ) and Rome . Not much is known about the relationship between them . Reign of Caligula . Tiberius died on March 16 , 37 and Agrippina ' s only surviving brother , Caligula , became the new emperor . Being the emperor ' s sister gave Agrippina some influence . Agrippina and her younger sisters Julia Drusilla and Julia Livilla received various honors from their brother , which included but were not limited to : Around the time that Tiberius died , Agrippina had become pregnant . Domitius had acknowledged the paternity of the child . In the early morning hours in Antium of December 15 , 37 , Agrippina gave birth to a son . Agrippina and Domitius named their son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus , after the Domitius ' recently deceased father . This child would grow up to become the Emperor Nero . Nero was Agrippina ' s only natural child . Suetonius states that Domitius was congratulated by friends on the birth of his son , whereupon he replied " I don ' t think anything produced by me and Agrippina could possibly be good for the state or the people " . Caligula and his sisters were accused of having incestuous relationships . On June 10 , 38 , Drusilla died , possibly of a fever , rampant in Rome at the time . He was particularly fond of Drusilla , claiming to treat her as he would his own wife , even though Drusilla had a husband . Following her death , Caligula ' s relationship with Agrippina and Livilla changed , showing no special love or respect toward them after Drusilla ' s death . After this point , he was said to have gone insane . In 39 , Agrippina and Livilla , with their maternal cousin , Drusilla ' s widower Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , were involved in a failed plot to murder Caligula , a plot known as the " Plot of the Three Daggers " , which was to make Lepidus the new emperor . Lepidus , Agrippina and Livilla were accused of being lovers . Not much is known concerning this plot and the reasons behind it . At the trial of Lepidus , Caligula felt no compunction about denouncing them as adulteresses , producing handwritten letters discussing how they were going to kill him . Exile . Lepidus was executed . Agrippina and Livilla were exiled by their brother to the Pontine Islands . Caligula sold their furniture , jewellery , slaves and freedmen . In January 40 , Domitius died of edema ( dropsy ) at Pyrgi . Lucius had gone to live with his second paternal aunt Domitia Lepida the Younger after Caligula had taken his inheritance away from him . Caligula , his wife Milonia Caesonia and their daughter Julia Drusilla were murdered on January 24 , 41 . Agrippina ' s paternal uncle , Claudius , brother of her father Germanicus , became the new Roman Emperor . Reign of Claudius . Return from exile . Claudius lifted the exiles of Agrippina and Livilla . Livilla returned to her husband , while Agrippina was reunited with her estranged son . After the death of her first husband , Agrippina tried to make shameless advances to the future emperor Galba , who showed no interest in her and was devoted to his wife Aemilia Lepida . On one occasion , Galba ' s mother - in - law gave Agrippina , in a whole bevy of married women , a public reprimand and a slap in the face . Claudius had Lucius ' inheritance reinstated . Lucius became more wealthy despite his youth shortly after Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus divorced Lucius ' aunt , Domitia Lepida the Elder ( Lucius ' first paternal aunt ) so that Crispus could marry Agrippina . They married , and Crispus became a step - father to Lucius . Crispus was a prominent , influential , witty , wealthy and powerful man , who served twice as consul . He was the adopted grandson and biological great , great nephew of the historian Sallust . Little is known on their relationship , but Crispus soon died and left his estate to Nero . In the first years of Claudius ’ reign , Claudius was married to the infamous Empress Valeria Messalina . Although Agrippina was very influential , she kept a very low profile and stayed away from the imperial palace and the court of the emperor . Messalina was Agrippina ’ s second paternal cousin . Among the victims of Messalina ' s intrigues were Agrippina ' s surviving sister Livilla , who was charged with having adultery with Seneca the Younger . Seneca was later called back from exile to be a tutor to Nero . Messalina considered Agrippina ’ s son a threat to her son ’ s position and sent assassins to strangle Lucius during his siesta . The assassins fled in terror when they saw a snake suddenly dart from beneath Lucius ’ pillow — but it was only a sloughed - off snake - skin in his bed , near his pillow . In 47 , Crispus died , and at his funeral , the rumor spread around that Agrippina poisoned Crispus to gain his estate . After being widowed a second time , Agrippina was left very wealthy . Later that year at the Secular Games , at the performance of the Troy Pageant , Messalina attended the event with her son Britannicus . Agrippina was also present with Lucius . Agrippina and Lucius received greater applause from the audience than Messalina and Britannicus did . Many people began to show pity and sympathy to Agrippina , due to the unfortunate circumstances in her life . Agrippina wrote a memoir that recorded the misfortunes of her family ( casus suorum ) and wrote an account of her mother ’ s life . Rise to power . After Messalina was executed in 48 for conspiring with Gaius Silius to overthrow her husband , Claudius considered remarrying for the fourth time . Around this time , Agrippina became the mistress to one of Claudius ’ advisers , the former Greek Freedman Marcus Antonius Pallas . At that time Claudius ’ advisers were discussing which noblewoman Claudius should marry . Claudius had a reputation that he was easily persuaded . In more recent times , it has been suggested that the Senate may have pushed for the marriage between Agrippina and Claudius to end the feud between the Julian and Claudian branches . This feud dated back to Agrippina ' s mother ' s actions against Tiberius after the death of Germanicus , actions which Tiberius had gladly punished . Regardless , for Agrippina ’ s seduction , it was a help that she had the niece ’ s privilege of kissing and caressing her paternal uncle . Claudius was seduced by her passions . Claudius made references to her in his speeches : " my daughter and foster child , born and bred , in my lap , so to speak " . When Claudius decided to marry her , he persuaded a group of senators that the marriage should be arranged in the public interest . In Roman society , an uncle ( Claudius ) marrying his niece ( Agrippina ) was considered incestuous , and obviously immoral . Marriage to Claudius . Agrippina and Claudius married on New Year ’ s Day , 49 . This marriage caused widespread disapproval . This was a part of Agrippina ’ s scheming plan to make Lucius the new emperor . Her marriage to Claudius was not based on love , but on power . She quickly eliminated her rival Lollia Paulina . In 49 , shortly after marrying Claudius , Agrippina charged Paulina with black magic . Paulina did not receive a hearing . Her property was confiscated . She left Italy and , on Agrippina ' s orders , committed suicide . In the months leading up to her marriage to Claudius , Agrippina ' s maternal second cousin , the praetor Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus , was betrothed to Claudius ’ daughter Claudia Octavia . This betrothal was broken off in 48 when Agrippina , scheming with the consul Lucius Vitellius the Elder , the father of the future Emperor Aulus Vitellius , falsely accused Silanus of incest with his sister Junia Calvina . Agrippina did this hoping to secure a marriage between Octavia and her son . Consequently , Claudius broke off the engagement and forced Silanus to resign from public office . Silanus committed suicide on the day that Agrippina married her uncle , and Calvina was exiled from Italy in early 49 . Calvina was called back from exile after the death of Agrippina . Towards the end of 54 , Agrippina would order the murder of Silanus ' eldest brother Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus without Nero ' s knowledge , so that he would not seek revenge against her over his brother ' s death . Empress of Rome . On the day that Agrippina married her uncle Claudius as her third husband / his fourth wife , she became an Empress and the most powerful woman in the Roman Empire . She also was a stepmother to Claudia Antonia , Claudius ' daughter and only child from his second marriage to Aelia Paetina , and to the young Claudia Octavia and Britannicus , Claudius ' children with Valeria Messalina . Agrippina removed or eliminated anyone from the palace or the imperial court who she thought was loyal and dedicated to the memory of the late Messalina . She also eliminated or removed anyone who she considered was a potential threat to her position and the future of her son , one of her victims being Lucius ' second paternal aunt and Messalina ' s mother Domitia Lepida the Younger . In 49 , Agrippina presided over the exercises of Roman legions . The Celtic King Caratacus assumed that she , along with Claudius , was the martial leader and bowed before her throne with the same homage and gratitude as he accorded the emperor . In 50 , Agrippina was granted the honorific title of Augusta , a title which , up until this point , no other imperial woman had ever received in the lifetime of her husband . She was only the third Roman woman ( Livia Drusilla and Antonia Minor received this title ) and only the second living Roman woman ( the first being Antonia ) to receive this title . Also that year , Claudius had founded a Roman colony and called the colony " Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis " or " Agrippinensium " , today known as Cologne , after Agrippina who was born there . This colony was the only Roman colony to be named after a Roman woman . In 51 , she was given a " carpentum " which she used . A carpentum was a sort of ceremonial carriage usually reserved for priests , such as the Vestal Virgin s , and sacred statues . That same year she appointed Sextus Afranius Burrus as the head of the Praetorian Guard , replacing the previous head of the Praetorian Guard , Rufrius Crispinus . Agrippina successfully manipulated and influenced Claudius into adopting her son and having him become his successor . Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus in 50 was adopted by his great maternal uncle and stepfather . Lucius ’ name was changed to Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus and he became Claudius ’ s adopted son , heir and recognised successor . Agrippina and Claudius betrothed Nero to Octavia , and Agrippina arranged to have Seneca the Younger return from exile to tutor the future emperor . Claudius chose to adopt Nero because of his Julian and Claudian lineage . Agrippina deprived Britannicus of his heritage and further isolated him from his father and succession for the throne in every way possible . For instance , in 51 , Agrippina ordered the execution of Britannicus ’ tutor Sosibius because he had confronted her and was outraged by Claudius ’ adoption of Nero and his choice of Nero as successor , instead of choosing his own son Britannicus . Nero and Octavia were married on June 9 , 53 . Claudius later repented of marrying Agrippina and adopting Nero , began to favor Britannicus , and started preparing him for the throne . His actions allegedly gave Agrippina a motive to eliminate Claudius . The ancient sources say she poisoned Claudius on October 13 , 54 with a plate of deadly mushroom s at a banquet , thus enabling Nero to quickly take the throne as emperor . Accounts vary wildly with regard to this private incident and according to more modern sources , it is possible ( but exceedingly convenient ) that Claudius died of natural causes ; Claudius was 63 years old . Reign of Nero . Power struggle between mother and son . Agrippina was named a priestess of the cult of the deified Claudius . She was allowed to visit senate meetings , watch and hear the meetings behind a curtain . This evidently shows that she had real power . In the first months of Nero ’ s reign Agrippina controlled her son and the Empire . She lost control over Nero when he began to have an affair with the freedwoman Claudia Acte , which Agrippina strongly disapproved of and violently scolded him for . Agrippina began to support Britannicus in her attempt to make him emperor . Britannicus was secretly poisoned on Nero ’ s orders during a banquet in February 55 . The power struggle between Agrippina and her son had begun . Agrippina between 55 and 58 became very watchful and had a critical eye over her son . In 55 , Agrippina was forced out of the palace by her son to live in imperial residence . Nero deprived his mother of all honors and powers , and even removed her Roman and German bodyguards . Nero even threatened his mother he would abdicate the throne and would go to live on the Greek Island of Rhodes , a place where Tiberius had lived after divorcing Julia the Elder . Pallas also was dismissed from the court . The fall of Pallas and the opposition of Burrus and Seneca , contributed to Agrippina ' s loss of authority . Towards 57 , Agrippina was expelled from the palace and went to live in a riverside estate in Misenum . While Agrippina lived there or when she went on short visits to Rome , Nero had sent people to annoy her . Although living in Misenum , she was still very popular , powerful and influential . Agrippina and Nero would see each other on short visits . Death and aftermath . The circumstances that surround Agrippina ' s death are uncertain due to historical contradictions and anti - Nero bias . All surviving stories of Agrippina ' s death contradict themselves and each other , and are generally fantastical . Tacitus ' s account . According to Tacitus , in 58 , Nero became involved with the noble woman Poppaea Sabina . With the reasoning that a divorce from Octavia and a marriage to Poppaea was not politically feasible with Agrippina alive , Nero decided to kill Agrippina . Yet , Nero did not marry Poppaea until 62 , calling into question this motive . Additionally , Suetonius reveals that Poppaea ' s husband , Otho , was not sent away by Nero until after Agrippina ' s death in 59 , making it highly unlikely that already married Poppaea would be pressing Nero . Some modern historians theorize that Nero ' s decision to kill Agrippina was prompted by her plotting to set Gaius Rubellius Plautus ( Nero ' s maternal second cousin ) or Britannicus ( Claudius ' biological son ) on the throne . Tacitus claims that Nero considered poisoning or stabbing her , but felt these methods were too difficult and suspicious , so he settled on building a self - sinking boat . Though aware of the plot , Agrippina embarked on this boat and was nearly crushed by a collapsing lead ceiling only to be saved by the side of a sofa breaking the ceiling ' s fall . Though the collapsing ceiling missed Agrippina , it crushed her attendant who was outside by the helm . The boat failed to sink from the lead ceiling , so the crew then sank the boat , but Agrippina swam to shore . Her friend , Acerronia Polla , was attacked by oarsmen while still in the water , and was either bludgeoned to death or drowned , since she was exclaiming that she was Agrippina , with the intention of being saved . She did not know , however , that this was an attempt on her own life , not a mere accident . Agrippina was met at the shore by crowds of admirers . News of Agrippina ' s survival reached Nero so he sent three assassins to kill her . Suetonius ' s account . According to Suetonius , Nero was annoyed at his mother being too watchful and tried three times to poison Agrippina , but she took the antidotes in time and survived . He then tried to crush her with a mechanical ceiling over her bed at her residence . After this failed , he devised a collapsable boat , which would either have its cabin fall in or become shipwrecked . Nero then ordered captains of a different boat to ram this boat while Agrippina was aboard . Nero heard Agrippina survived the wreck so he ordered her to be executed and framed it as a suicide . Cassius Dio ' s account . The tale of Cassius Dio is also somewhat different . It starts again with Poppaea as the motive behind the murder . Nero designed a ship that would open at the bottom while at sea . Agrippina was put aboard and after the bottom of the ship opened up , she fell into the water . Agrippina swam to shore so Nero sent an assassin to kill her . Nero then claimed Agrippina plotted to kill him and committed suicide . Her reputed last words , uttered as the assassin was about to strike , were " Smite my womb " , the implication here being she wished to be destroyed first in that part of her body that had given birth to so " abominable a son . " Burial . After Agrippina ' s death , Nero viewed her corpse and commented how beautiful she was , according to some . Her body was cremated that night on a dining couch . At his mother ' s funeral , Nero was witless , speechless and rather scared . When the news spread that Agrippina had died , the Roman army , senate and various people sent him letters of congratulations that he had been saved from his mother ' s plots . Aftermath . During the remainder of Nero ' s reign , Agrippina ' s grave was not covered or enclosed . Her household later on gave her a modest tomb in Misenum . Nero would have his mother ’ s death on his conscience . He felt so guilty he would sometimes have nightmares about his mother . He even saw his mother ’ s ghost and got Persia n magicians to scare her away . Years before she died , Agrippina had visited astrologers to ask about her son ’ s future . The astrologers had rather accurately predicted that her son would become emperor and would kill her . She replied , " Let him kill me , provided he becomes emperor , " according to Tacitus . In later literature . " The Empress " , by Robert DeMaria , Vineyard Press ( ISBN 1 - 930067 - 05 - 4 ) Handel ' s 1709 opera , Agrippina with a libretto by Vincenzo Grimani .