Xavier Hicks

Feb 21, 2019

The latter part of the Julio-Claudian dynasty was an important period in Ancient Roman

history. The first five emperors of Rome belonged to the same family, and the last two, Claudius

and Nero, are the ones that the focus will be on. Even with the emperor holding the power, there

was still a multitude of ways for others to gain and exert influence in Roman society. Many men

did this, but there were also prominent females who played important roles in shaping the Julio-

Claudian dynasty.

One of the first prominent women to affect this period of rule was Messalina, who was

the emperor Claudius’ cousin and wife. She used her position to great benefit for herself,

eliminating her enemies and satisfying her pleasures up until time inevitably ran out. Tacitus

mentions Messalina also when he first makes mention of Claudius in his Annals, showing her

influence over him and others during that time period. Around six years into Claudius’ rule,

Messalina was overcome with jealousy of a woman name Poppaea Sabina. Messalina also

believed that a former consul, Decimus Valerius Asiaticus, was Sabina’s lover. Asiaticus had a

park which Messalina wanted as well, so she saw a way to eliminate both of her enemies and

gain coveted assets at the same time. A rumor was started that Asiaticus had been the one to

murder the previous emperor, Caligula. This rumor also used the angle of Asiaticus not being a

true Roman, as he was born in a different country. “For his birth at Vienna in Gaul, and his

powerful connections in that country, make it easy for him to rouse his own people’s tribes (Tac.

Ann. XI.1).” Asiaticus was quickly captured and brought to Rome for an examination. In the

midst of that, Messalina sent threats to Sabrina of imprisonment and humiliation, which

intimidated her so much she was moved to commit suicide. Asiaticus was also sentenced to death

by suicide, and thus Messalina’s plan worked to fruition. This story can show its importance in

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multiple ways. For one, it showed how Roman society was set up to reward power and

scheming. If you had the right amount of power and a somewhat believable story, it could make

it a lot easier for you to either elevate or denigrate people of your choosing. As the emperor’s

wife and cousin, Messalina had that power. It also shows how this successful scheme may have

given her extra confidence to continue acting this way, which eventually led to her downfall.

Years later, she was involved in multiple affairs outside of her marriage to Claudius. In one of

those affairs, with Gaius Silius, she went so far as to be formally married to him, and that

brazenness is what called Claudius’ attention to her. “‘While a ballet-dancing actor violated the

emperor’s bedroom’, they said, ‘it was humiliating enough. Yet it did not threaten Claudius’ life.

Here, on the other hand, is a young, handsome, intelligent nobleman, consul to be - but with a

loftier destiny in mind. For where such a marriage will lead is clear enough (Tac. Ann. XI.27).’”

Of course, this could not be allowed. Messalina had power, but not power outstripping that of the

Emperor. Silius was put to death along with many of her other former lovers, and Messalina was

killed also. Her death opened the door for others to take important roles, including other females

such as Agrippina.

After Messalina was killed, the emperor Claudius needed a new wife. Agrippina, who

was Claudius’ niece, was his pick. She had a son already who she brought with her into the

marriage, and that son was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, who we know as Nero. As mentioned

before, to be wife to the emperor meant influence, power, and the possibility to play key roles in

major events. Messalina desired that, and becoming the emperor’s wife was the perfect

foundation. Not only is her position secured with this marriage, but her son Nero was also

adopted by Claudius and became a rival of Britannicus, Nero’s biological son. “Authorities noted

that this was the first known adoption into the patrician branch of the Claudii, which had come

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down without a break from Attus Clausus. And now Agrippina, too, was honoured with the title

of Augusta (Tac. Ann. XII. 23).” This adoption is a showcase of Agrippina’s cunning and guile

on her quest for power. With securing her marriage to Claudius, she was able to amass quite a bit

of power immediately. However, Agrippina was not merely content with resting on her laurels.

By convincing Claudius to adopt Nero, there was now a good chance that her son could also

ascend to the position of emperor. As his mother, Agrippina would be able to keep a hold on her

influence and power, and maybe even increase it.

Claudius, by many accounts, was not considered to be the smartest of the Roman

emperors and was said to be easily controlled by his wives and advisors. In spite of this,

Claudius showed regret and dread about the actions he had taken regarding Agrippina and the

adoption of Nero. “For example, when his freedmen congratulated him on having found a certain

woman guilty of adultery, he remarked that he himself seemed fated to marry wives who ‘were

unchaste but remained unchastened’, and when he came across Britannicus he embraced him

repeatedly with deep affection (Suet. Claud. 43).” His fears would become founded, as he was

killed by poison. There are conflicting reports and theories, but one of those theories is that

Agrippina was the mastermind behind it all. Britannicus was kept away from all the proceedings,

and Nero was soon proclaimed the next emperor. Just as Agrippina had worked for.

Immediately after Nero was proclaimed emperor, Agrippina used that new secure power

to silence a few of her enemies that she had made while plotting to get Nero on the throne. The

governor of Asia, Marcus Junius Silanus, was the first to go. Also eliminated was Claudius’ ex-

slave Narcissus. In the grand scheme of things, these deaths are not really that important. For this

paper, though, they are important for showing Agrippina's enhanced role once Nero took the title

of emperor. She had a fair bit of control over Claudius, of course, but it wasn’t anything close to

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free reign. Claudius still had the ultimate power, and there were limits to what she could do or

who she could threaten or eliminate. With Nero, at least for the beginning of his reign, her

enemies were his enemies, so she could act without fear of retribution. Who would dare to attack

the emperor’s mother? For a short time, Agrippina ran unchecked, and it might not be a stretch to

call her the second most powerful person in Roman society at the time. She had resources,

intelligence, and powerful allies in court and the legislature. Her plan, set in motion from her

marriage to Claudius, was coming to fruition nicely.

Agrippina’s influence on the emperor of the time could arguably be considered her

greatest asset. That is why it was so alarming to her when she slowly started to lose that

influence over Nero. The first sign of this came in a love pursuit for Nero. Agrippina had hoped

to arrange a marriage between Nero and Octavia, who was Claudius’ daughter and of noble birth.

However, Nero started to develop feelings for a former slave girl, Acte. “Agrippina, however,

displayed feminine rage at having an ex-slave as her rival and a servant girl as her daughter-in-

law, and so on. She refused to wait until her son regretted the association, or tired of it. But her

violent scoldings only intensified his affection for Acte (Tac. Ann. XIII.9).” At this point, Nero is

in his very late teens, on the cusp of manhood. Alarmed by the direction Nero seemed to be

going, Agrippina turned to Britannicus as a second option. Nero, though, inherited his mother’s

intelligence and ruthlessness. Noticing his mother’s threats, along with a general increase in

popularity for Britannicus, he had Britannicus poisoned at a dinner they were all present at. Two

things occurred from this, as this action by Nero really embodied the phrase “killing two birds

with one stone”. First, he secured his spot on the throne by eliminating the only other person who

had a legitimate claim to the throne. Secondly, this took away his mother’s leverage. Agrippina

was looking to use Britannicus as insurance, but with his death, Nero was making a clear

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statement that he was the ultimate power. Yet even this did not stop or slow Agrippina’s taste for

power and influence. She became a supporter of Octavia, and slowly the relationship between

her and her son deteriorated.

Years later into Nero’s reign, things were moving along quite nicely. Nero had won a few

military campaigns, ended up marrying Octavia, and Agrippina was still alive and holding a

decent amount of power. At this point, though, things started to change and Agrippina’s luck was

starting to run out. For many reasons, one of them being the continued marriage to Octavia,

Nero’s patience with his mother had finally run out. He decided to kill Agrippina. His first plot

was to send her on a ship, and he would then arrange for the ship to capsize, killing her. It went

wrong and Agrippina lived, seeing that it was a plot by Nero to kill her. Feigning innocence, she

sent word to Nero letting him know what happened. Nero was wracked with fear from this news.

Believing that she would come back with more people to try and kill him now, he conjured up a

work of fiction about her making an attempt on his life. This gave him all the permission he

needed. Sending an armed column, they finished the job and killed Agrippina once and for all.

“The murders closed round her bed. First the captain hit her on the head with a truncheon. Then

as the lieutenant was drawing his sword to finish her off, she cried out: ‘Strike here!’ - pointing

to her womb. Blow after blow fell and she died (Tac. Ann. XIV.7).”

Both of these women, Messalina and Agrippina, were very similar. Both wanted power,

both found a way to achieve it by marrying the emperor. Once that role was secured, their power

and influence really shaped the events that happened during the reign of the emperors Claudius

and Nero.