While Burns Episode 13 – The Rise and Fall of The Younger

We started this season with a look at the and put forward some of the theories regarding whether or not was indeed to blame for the Great Fire. We also covered the death of Nero and the end of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty. We shall now end season 1 of While Rome Burns with a portrait of the woman who gave birth to Nero. We will take a look at her unlikely rise to power in the imperial court and her tragically sad downfall at the hands of her own son. Today’s story is about Julia Agrippina, also known as Agrippina the Younger.

Sit Back, Relax, and Let me tell you a story… While Rome Burns.

Julia Agrippina was born into the Julio-Claudian dynasty in either 14 or 15 CE, sources differ. She was the fourth child and first daughter of Agrippina the Elder and Germanicus Julius Caesar. Agrippina the Younger also had 2 younger sisters and her brother was the future emperor Gaius . Needless to say, when she was born, her future seemed bright and full of the comforts afforded to an imperial princess. She grew up and spent most of her early childhood in Germany, travelling through the Roman frontier with her parents and living in the legion camp. Eventually, she was sent to Rome to live with her grandparents, joined by her other sisters. The first major heartbreak in her life came when she was just 4 or 5, when her father, Germanicus, was killed in Anatolia, modern day Turkey in October of 19 CE. Germanicus’ death sent shockwaves of grief through the people of Rome, as he was a well-liked and admired Roman citizen. It is rumored that it was this affection by the mob that motivated to order the murder of Germanicus, though it cannot be 100% verified whether this is what happened. The Young Agrippina then spent the next 8 to 9 years living with her mother, Agrippina the Elder, Her paternal grandmother, Antonia Minor, and her great-grandmother, Livia, the widow of . These years were the most influential on her, as this was when she learned at a young age how to survive the intrigues and plots that constantly took place in the imperial court. In 28 CE, she was betrothed to the Roman Praetor Gnaeus Domitius , more commonly known as Domitius. This would eventually be the source of another heartbreak for Agrippina the Younger. After roughly 9 years of marriage, Agrippina gave birth to her and Domitius’ son, Nero, the future Emperor. When Nero was born, some imperial astrologers allegedly prophesied that Nero would become Emperor but kill his mother. Agrippina is supposed to have responded by saying “Let him kill me, but let him rule.” Agrippina the younger’s life wasn’t all bad news, foreboding prophecies, and murdered relatives though. In 37 CE, the emperor Tiberius died and Agrippina the Younger’s brother Gaius Caligula ascended to the imperial throne. Agrippina’s influence in court expanded vastly as did the prospects for her own son’s advancement. Caligula is said to have loved and doted upon his sisters, with some rumors from historians and Seutonius expanding that love into something a bit more salacious and scandalous. However, these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, as accusations of incest are a popular trope in Roman stories to help explain away the moral failings and despicable character of a particular figure and Caligula was nothing, if not despicable. Regardless of the true nature of their relationship, Caligula is said to have increased the prominence of his sisters at court, giving them the rights of the Vestal Virgins, including them in the coins minted during his reign, and including them in the oaths of loyalty that Roman soldiers made annually. One such loyalty oath was “I will not value my life or that of my children less highly than I do the safety of the Emperor and his sisters.” Sadly, the doting and love would not last. In 38 CE, Agrippina’s sister, Drusilla, who was Caligula’s favorite of the three sisters, died of a fever. Our sources indicate that Drusilla’s death was a turning point in Caligula’s reign and that the love and affection shown towards his other two sisters withered away. A year after the death of Drusilla, Agrippina, her younger sister Livilla, and Drusilla’s Widower Lepidus, were involved in a plot to murder Caligula and install Lepidus as the new Emperor. Unfortunately for all involved, the plot was discovered and the conspirators were placed on trial. Lepidus was executed as a result of his attempted treason, but the two sisters were exiled to small islands in the Mediterranean sea. Their treasures, slaves and freedmen were sold off and all hope of returning to the posh lifestyle of Rome evaporated before them. Nero was sent to live with an aunt after being disinherited from Tiberius’ will. Agrippina’s husband, Domitius, died shortly after their exile. In 41 CE, Caligula, his wife and daughter were all murdered by the and Agrippina’s uncle was installed as the new Emperor.

Claudius wanted to strike a different tone to the one that Caligula had struck and set about reversing some of the decisions and orders that Caligula had made during his rule. One such order was that the Exiled Livilla and Agrippina be returned to Rome and their wealth and prosperity restored to them. After just a few short years away, Agrippina was back in Rome, reunited with her sister and her son, and back in the halls of power. She soon remarried to a prominent Roman named Crispus, who died shortly after their marriage and left his vast estate and wealth to Nero. Agrippina again found marriage, this time to the Emperor himself. She was married to her uncle Claudius in 49 CE. Publicly this would have been scandalous, due to the familial nature of their relationship and the marriage was condemned by huge swaths of the Roman public, for good reason. But this marriage was based not on any love or affection between the two imperial house members, it was instead based on power, for Agrippina had her sights set on the Throne itself. Agrippina the Younger, after marrying Claudius, set about removing her rivals at court. A prominent Praetor named Junius Silanus was one of her first victims, along with the third wife and former consort of her brother Caligula, Lollia Paulina. Agrippina then made herself indispensable to Claudius. She became his most trusted advisor and was even given the right to make decisions on behalf of the empire. She listened in on meetings of the senate, entertained foreign dignitaries, and even had a Roman colony named after her, Agrippinensium. In 54 CE, Claudius died and the seat of power shifted to Agrippina’s son, Nero. Technically, according to Claudius’ will, Nero was supposed to rule Jointly along with Claudius’ son Britannicus. However, the will was set aside after the death of Claudius and Nero was installed as sole ruler of Rome. Nero was only 16 at the time of his ascendency, meaning that Rome now had a boy-Emperor. As history has shown us far too often, a young child placed in power before their time is a prime target for manipulation and Agrippina saw her chance. Agrippina knew that she could not rule the Roman world in her own name, based on the views that people in had about women, but luckily through her son, she could wield the same power and influence that she had had over Claudius. For the first year, Agrippina got her exact wish. She almost single-handedly ruled over the , making decisions for the emperor, giving out orders, holding court with foreign diplomats. She continued attending meetings of the Senate and appeared on the same side of the Roman coins as The Emperor himself, a place of significant honor and prestige. But unfortunately, like so many times before in Agrippina’s life, the good times could not last. After the first year of his Rule, Agrippina became critical of an affair that Nero had begun to have with a freedwoman by the name of Claudia Acte. Eventually, the disapproval became so overwhelming that Agrippina tried to flex her imperial influence over Nero by implying that perhaps Britannicus should rule instead of Nero. She began showing Britannicus favor at Rome and implied that what had been done with the setting aside of Claudius’ will, could be undone. Shortly after she started showing these affections toward Britannicus the unfortunate man was poisoned at a public banquet, with Nero continuing to eat and remarking that Britannicus was just having a fit. Later in 56 CE, Agrippina was forced to leave the imperial palace but still exercised some influence over public matters, though she was eventually eclipsed at court by other influential forces. In 58 CE, she was involved in a plot to overthrow Nero, but only succeeded in ruining his popularity by revealing his affair with another Roman noblewoman, Poppaea Sabina. The final heartbreak of Agrippina’s life and the fulfillment of the prophecy made when her son, Nero was born, finally came in March of 59 CE. Nero had grown tired of his mother’s influence at court. He wished to continue his studies as a musician, he wished to divorce his wife and marry Poppaea Sabina. He wished to break free from the influences of his mother. All of these factors, our sources say, brought Nero to the decision to murder Agrippina. He thought up various methods, such as poisoning or stabbing, but ruled them out as either too suspicious, too brutal, or both. Nero then consulted one of his freedmen, Anicetus. Anicetus suggested the building of a boat that was designed to collapse once it was out to sea. Nero preferred this plan, probably due to the fact that it could be staged as an accident and ordered the craft to be built.

On the night of the plotted death, Nero is said to have met with his mother, talking longingly about reconciliation, forgiveness, and a return to court. It is said that they talked long into the night, but that eventually the time for parting came. It is said that Agrippina was aware of the plot, but still boarded the boat anyway. As the boat set off and Nero returned to Rome, the ceiling of the cabin collapsed, crushing one of Agrippina’s attendants under its weight. The ship sank and Agrippina tried to swim for safety. Another one of Agrippina’s Attendants, seeing what appeared to be a rescue boat coming, called out saying “I am Agrippina, I am over here.” Unfortunately for the servant, the boat consisted of hired assassins who were there to finish the job if Agrippina had survived the accident. The servant was bludgeoned to death by the men on the boat. Agrippina saw this attack happen and silently swam to shore and fled to a nearby villa.

Upon learning of the failed assassination attempt, Nero despaired and vacillated on what to do. Once again, Anicetus volunteered his services and offered to finish the job. Nero ordered Anicetus to lead a squad of soldiers to Agrippina’s villa to carry out the execution order. Agrippina was then killed by Anicetus, her body brought to Nero who is said to have looked over her body and remarked that he had never known how beautiful she was. At her funeral, Nero is said to have acted scared, witless and didn’t even speak. Agrippina the Younger died at the age of 43.

The story of Julia Agrippina the Younger, Empress of Rome, shows us the heights that some imperial women could reach during the reign of the Emperors. Agrippina had power, influence, and even de-facto rule over the Roman Empire for several years in her life. She was a mother, wife and sister to various Emperors. She was a noblewoman of impeccable lineage and was well educated. She is said to have written her own biography, though that has been lost to sands of history. While certainly not perfect and while she certainly engaged in actions that could be looked down upon through the lens of history, at the time she was a force to be reckoned with and a target of both admiration and scorn throughout the Roman world.

This concludes Season 1 of While Rome Burns. We will return in Summer of 2021 with 13 new episodes in Season 2. While Rome Burns is part of the 1up Podcast Network. Find more of our shows, including the award-nominated Actual Play Podcast, Are We Dead Yet? At https://www.1upPodcasts.com/ Cover art by Igor Nunes. Find more of his work by going to Whyccan.Artstation.com or contact him on twitter for commissions by going to https://www.twitter.com/whyccan that’s W-H-Y-C- C-A-N. Background music provided by Monplaisir under a public domain dedication. Find more of their work at https://www.FreeMusicArchive.org/music/monplaisir and follow them on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/MonplaisirMusic. That’s M-O-N-P-L-A-I-S-I-R.

Thank you so much for checking out this show! We hope to bring you back for season 2! Have a safe and happy new year.