Agrippina the Elder
Vipsania Agrippina ( 14 BC *, † October 18, 33 AD), often just called Agrippina maior ( Agrippina the Elder ), was a member of the Julio- Claudian dynasty and the mother of the Roman emperor Caligula.
Life
Childhood and family
Agrippina was the daughter of Augustus ' friend and potential successor Marcus Agrippa and Iulia Vipsanius, the daughter of the emperor. She was probably born in Mytilene, while their parents toured the eastern provinces. After her father's death in 12 BC and the remarriage of her mother with Tiberius, she grew up with her four siblings at the imperial court. Augustus himself took as with all his grandchildren major impact on their education according to the old Roman virtues. In a letter he praised her talents and good facilities. While Augustus to Agrippina always had a good relationship, he banished her mother already 2 BC, allegedly because of her immoral life, a fate that two of her children, Agrippa Postumus and Julia, a few years later also suffered. Agrippina's two older brothers Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar, who had adopted as his successor her imperial grandfather, died 2 or 4 AD, whereupon Augustus Tiberius, the son of his wife Livia Drusilla adoptees, which in turn his nephew Germanicus as a son had to accept.
Wife of Germanicus
In Augustus ' transfer towards Agrippina later than 5 AD was married to one years older potential successor Emperor Germanicus. With him she had nine children, of whom Nero Caesar, Drusus Caesar, Gaius ( the future Emperor Caligula ), Agrippina survived the Younger ( the wife of Claudius and mother of Nero ), Drusilla and Julia Livilla toddlerhood.
She accompanied her husband during the years 14 to 16 into Germany, where they are liable if their exemplary virtue and fidelity to Germanicus, but also because of her indomitable will, had great reputation among the soldiers. As threatened to put over the Rhine bridge during the Battle of the Pontes longi a Germanic army, took himself the command of the troops in the hand and prevented the destruction of the bridge, so that the troops of Aulus Caecina Severus could withdraw to the left bank of the Rhine. Caecina it did not thank her, however, but spoke - but only after Germanicus ' death - would prefer that governors should not take their wives with them to their provinces. They also played a crucial role in the suppression of the mutiny of the Rhine legions after the death of Augustus, which earned her the envy of Tiberius.
After Augustus ' death in AD 14 Germanicus was recalled to Rome, and honored with a triumph. In the year 17 he was sent to the East of the Empire. Also on this trip Agrippina accompanied him and gave birth on the island of Lesbos her last child, Iulia Livilla. 19 AD Germanicus died under mysterious circumstances in Antioch.
Widow of Germanicus
Agrippina brought Germanicus ' ashes back to Rome. For the death of her husband she made the governor of the province of Syria, Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso, and his wife Munatia Plancina, a friend of the Empress Livia, who is responsible and thus accused ultimately, like Tacitus assumed the Emperor himself, the popular competitors out of the way managed to have. From then on she fought for the right of their sons. Your relationship with Tiberius remained tense, even after the Emperor had adopted in the year 23 her two eldest sons after the death of his own son Drusus as his successor. He refused her permission to remarry.
26 undertook the praetorian prefect Sejanus, which drew more and more power in Rome itself, an indirect attack on Agrippina, in which he led Gnaeus Domitius Afer, to accuse her friend and cousin Claudia Pulchra for alleged poisoning of the Emperor, witchcraft, and fornication. Despite Agrippina protest at Tiberius Claudia was convicted and sent into exile, from which they did not return to Rome. 27 Agrippina persuaded Sejanus, Tiberius was trying to poison them. She pointed out at a banquet all the food back, even the ones Tiberius personally handed her. Tiberius did not forgive her this insult and held it the following years under house arrest. In the year 29 after Tiberius had retired to Capri and Livia died, Agrippina was accused of conspiring with her eldest son Nero Caesar and banished to the island Pandataria, where even her mother had spent some years of their exile. Their second son, Drusus Caesar suffered a year later the same fate. After the death of her two sons, who starved to death in prison, Drusus Nero in Rome and also to Pandataria, also died in AD 33 Agrippina voluntary or forced starvation.
Only after the death of Tiberius began four years later his successor, her only surviving son, Gaius Caligula, her urn and that of his brothers in the Mausoleum of Augustus in, organized in memory of her celebrations and Circus games and minted coins with her portrait. Her daughter Agrippina wrote her biography, according to Suetonius.
Character
Tacitus wrote Agrippina a passionate mind, but also moral purity and love in marriage. As a mother, she led her tasks even in remote army camps on the Rhine. Several actions speak of great independence and were, although uncommon, mostly positive construed for Roman women. However, your trait to have led in some provinces to problems.