Agrippina

Question 1

Who was Agrippina’s great grandfather?

Answer 1

Augustus

Question 2

Which of her brothers became the second emperor after the death of Augustus?

Answer 2

Caligula

Question 3

Who considered her mother a threat after the death of germanicus?

Answer 3

The principate, in particular Sejanus

Question 4

Who helped raise Agrippina after her mother was exiled?

Answer 4

Her grandmother Antonia

Question 5

At what age was Agrippina’s first marriage, and who to?

Answer 5

At age 13 to Ahenobarbus

Question 6

How long was Agrippina married to Ahenobarbus and did they have children?

Answer 6

Agrippina was married to Ahenobarbus for 9 years and had a son Nero 9 months after the death of Tiberius.

Question 7

What rights were her and her sisters given after Caligula became princep?

Answer 7

They became Vestal Virgins and were given the rights to more freedom, exempt from male guardianship and access to seats in imperial enclosures and games. Also sharing a coin with their brother depicted along side her sisters and their brother on the obverse side.

Question 8

How does Agrippina view relationships?

Answer 8

She views relationships as stepping stones to more power. They offer her protection and power.

Question 9

Who does she have a relationship with that causes her brother to exile her from Rome?

Answer 9

Agrippina has a relationship with Lepidus and is suspected to be playing to overthrow Caligula.

Question 10

Why did Agrippina want to marry Claudius?

Answer 10

She wanted to be in closer proximity to power.

Question 11

The law did not allow her marriage to Claudius, how did she change this?

Answer 11

Agrippina got Vitellius to speak to the senate on her behalf and convince them that the marriage was not incest and would enhance the rule.

Question 12

When did Agrippina marry Claudius?

Answer 12

AD 49

Question 13

Who were Agrippina’s two main allies?

Answer 13

Seneca and Burrus

Question 14

What happened too Rome’s finances when Agrippina was close to power?

Answer 14

They were well attended to and suffered no loss.

Question 15

How did Agrippina help Nero rise in position?

Answer 15

She made Claudius adopt Nero even though he already had a son of his own Brittanicus. Claudius gave Nero precedence over Brittanicus.

Question 16

Who did Agrippina make Nero marry?

Answer 16

Claudius’s daughter Octavia, to accomplish this she made Octavia’s fiancé commit suicide.

Question 17

How did she destroy Brittanicus?

Answer 17

She removed his friends, tutors, supporters and sympathy from the praetorian guard. Which enhanced Nero’s public image before the death of Claudius.

Question 18

What titles and honours did Agrippina receive as wife of Claudius?

Answer 18

She was portrayed on coins, statues and in portraits.
In AD 50 she received the tittle of Augusta which was given to Julia claudian women typically when widowed as it meant Empress, even though she could not lay claim to the throne it symbolised equality and association to the emperors office.

She was also allowed to ride in the Carpentum a ceremonial carriage rides in by priests.

Question 19

Why do people believe Agrippina killed Claudius?

Answer 19

It was said he had become sympathetic towards his son Brittanicus and debated given him back his claim to the throne, so she poisoned him to prevent him from changing her plan for Nero to have sole claim.

Question 20

What did Claudius get out of his marriage to Agrippina ?

Answer 20

He gained a connection to the Julian line and removed the possibility of others gaining the advantage.

Question 21

How did she learn from Caligula’s mistakes?

Answer 21

She made sure she was careful of how she portrayed herself to the public and how she managed the senate to palace relations. Also promoting Pallas who helped with finance and administration.

Question 22

What did she do for public works?

Answer 22

She drained the lake Fucine, helped in the construction of the Domus Tiberiana and the temple of Claudius.

Question 23

How did she show her status in relation to Nero and motherhood?

Answer 23

She is seen in a statue next to Nero. To Romans she appears as a mother which is one of Roman women’s greatest attributes it also shows her closeness to Nero asserting herself as not only was a mother but mother to a future emperor.

Question 24

How is Agrippina viewed by Tacitus?

Answer 24

Tacitus speaks of Agrippina’s relentless ambition, how it led to the adoption of Nero and destruction of Brittanicus. She also named a and established a settlement after her near her birthplace. This demonstrates her ability to seek power and control and manage it showing her participation in ‘running’ Rome.

Tacitus speaks positively of her assertion of the empire in relation to her ancestors powerful history.

Question 25

How does Dio Cassius speak of Agrippina?

Answer 25

Dio Cassius speaks negatively of Agrippina showing her ambition, does indeed have a dark side, in her quest to seek power and proximity to the throne Agrippina was swift in removing anyone she saw as a threat, murdering women out of jealousy, as she thought they could remove her connection to power through Claudius.

Question 26

How does the Gemma Claudia depict Agrippina?

Answer 26

It shows the benefits of Agrippina’s position, it acts as political propaganda and gives forth the newly forged link Claudius now has to the Julian line, as the representations of Agrippina’s parents aluminates their noble history.

The symbolism of the cornucopia represents a great bounty in his contribution to Rome as well as his stronger link to Augustus suggesting he too will make great additions to Rome.

Agrippina being portrayed as the goddess of fertility shows her link to motherhood.

Question 27

Who were Agrippina’s parents?

Answer 27

Agrippina the elder and Germanicus a highly popular military commander.