Agrippīna
1.
The daughter of M. Vipsanius
Agrippa (q.v.) and
of Iulia, the infamous daughter of the emperor
Augustus,
and married to Germanicus (q.v.), by whom she had nine children, among whom were the
emperor Caligula, and Agrippina, the mother of Nero. She was distinguished for her virtues
and heroism, and shared all the dangers of her husband's campaigns. On his death, in A.D. 17,
she returned to Italy; but the favour with which she was received by the people increased the
hatred which Tiberius and his mother, Livia, had long entertained towards her. At length, in A.D. 30, Tiberius banished her to the island of Paudataria, where she died
three years afterwards. See the portrait on p. 729.
2.
Daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina (supra), and mother of the emperor Nero, was born at
Oppidum Ubiorum, afterwards called, in honour of her, Colonia Agrippina, now Cologne. She was
beautiful and intelligent, but licentious, cruel, and ambitious. She was first married to Cn.
Domitius Ahenobarbus (A.D. 28), by whom she had a son, afterwards the emperor Nero; next to
Crispus Passienus; and thirdly to the emperor Claudius (A.D. 49), although she was his niece.
In A.D. 50 she prevailed upon Claudius to adopt her son, to the prejudice of his own son
Britannicus; and, in order to secure the succession for Nero, she poisoned the emperor in
A.D. 54. The young emperor soon became tired of the ascendency of his mother, and, after
making several attempts to shake off her authority, he caused her to be assassinated in A.D.
59.
