The role of Agrippina

1
The role of Agrippina

• Dr David W.J. Gill

University of Wales Swansea
2
Introduction

• Agrippinas role
• The people behind Nero
• Agrippinas death

3
The role of Agrippina

• Suetonius probably read her memoirs (now lost)
• Tacitus Ann. 13 The senate voted her two
  official attendants and the Priesthood of
  Claudius
• appears on coinage with Nero

4
The role of Agrippina

• favoured Claudius son Britannicus in 55
• 59 opposed Neros affair with Poppaea Sabina
• prefect of Misenum to drown her
• this marked the end of the golden age

5
The death of M. Junius Silanus

• Tacitus, Ann. 13 The first casualty of the new
  reign was the governor of Asia, M. Junius
  Silanus. His death was treacherously contrived by
  Agrippina, without Neros knowledge ... Agrippina
  was afraid that he would avenge her murder of his
  brother ...

6
Death of Narcissus

• Tacitus, Ann. 13
• Equally hurried was the death of Claudius
  freedman Narcissus. Imprisoned and harshly
  treated, the threat of imminent execution drove
  him to suicide. The emperor, however, was sorry
  Narcissus greed and extravagance harmonized
  admirably with his own still latent vices

7
Restraints on Agrippina

• Tacitus Ann. 13.2
• Sex. Afranius Burrus
• by a soldiers attention to detail and
  strictness of behaviour
• L. Annaeus Seneca
• by his lessons in eloquence and his combination
  of dignity with affability
• Agrippinas violence, inflamed by all the
  passions of ill-gotten tyranny, encountered their
  united opposition

8
Sex. Afranius Burrus

• equestrian procurator of Livia Drusilla, Tiberius
  and Claudius
• from Gallia Narbonensis
• favourite of Iulia Agrippina
• sole prefect of Praetorian Guard in 51 (Claudius)
• continued under Nero

9
Sex. Afranius Burrus

• 55 survived charge of conspiracy
• 59 controlled Neros affairs after murder of his
  mother
• opposed Neros divorce from Octavia
• died in 62
• Suetonius and Cassius Dio suggest that he was
  poisoned

10
L. Annaeus Seneca

• from Corduba in southern Spain, 4BC-AD 1
• equestrian family
• second son of Elder Seneca
• brother was Gallio, governor of Achaia
• exiled for adultery in 41 under Claudius
• recalled through Iulia Agrippina 49
• appointed tutor to Nero

11
Responsibilities of Seneca

• amicus principis
• write the emperors speeches
• exercise patronage
• manage intrigue!

12
Senecas fall from power

• compromised by murder of Britannicus (55)
• 59 criticised for murder of Agrippina
• 59 criticised in the Senate
• Tac. Ann. 13.42 how did he made 300 million HS
  in four years?
• 62 death of Burrus
• 65 forced to commit suicide for alleged links
  with Pisos conspiracy

13
Jealousy over Acte

• Nero had affair with a slave Acte
• Agrippina saw her as a rival (Tac. Ann. 13)
• Nero tried to win back his mothers favour

14
Britannicus

• Agrippina claimed that Britannicus was the true
  heir
• son of Claudius
• When Britannicus acquired the toga virilis Nero
  invited him to sing
• growing jealousy and hated him (Tac. Ann. 13)
• afraid that the common people might be less
  attached to Claudius adopted son than to his
  real one (Suet. Nero 33)

15
Britannicus

• Britannicus poisoned at dinner
• assisted by Locusta, a poisoner (Suet. Ner. 33)
• Nero lay back unconcernedly
• here was Nero murdering a relation
• the poor boy had long been subject to these
  epileptic seizures (Suet. Nero 33)

16
Murdering relations

• Nero later referred to mushrooms as food of the
  gods
• Suet. Ner. 33

17
Agrippinas reaction

• supported Octavia, Neros wife
• Nero tried to alienate her by
• removing her bodyguard
• giving her a separate palace
• Nero started plotting to kill his mother

18
Neros reaction

• Suet. Nero. 34
• The over-watchful, over critical eye that
  Agrippina kept on whatever Nero said or did
  proved more than he could stand. He first tried
  to embarrass her by frequent threats to abdicate
  and go into retirement in Rhodes

19
The plot to kill Agrippina

• Suet. Nero 34
• tried to poison her 3 times
• he rigged up a machine in the ceiling of her
  bedroom which would dislodge the panels and drop
  them on her while she slept
• a collapsible cabin-boat
• accidental collision with her galley near Baiae
• and offered her a collapsible boat for return
  trip!
• but Agrippina swam to safety
• eventually had her killed

20
Death of Agrippina

• Tacitus, Ann. 13
• Anicetus broke into her home
• Strike here! - pointing to her womb