Sister of Caligula. Wife of Claudius. Mother of Nero. The story of Agrippina, at the center of imperial power for three generations, is the story of the Julio-Claudia dynasty—and of Rome itself, at its bloody, extravagant, chaotic, ruthless, and political zenith.
In her own time, she was recognized as a woman of unparalleled power. Beautiful and intelligent, she was portrayed as alternately a ruthless murderer and helpless victim, the most loving mother and the most powerful woman of the Roman empire, using sex, motherhood, manipulation, and violence to get her way, and single-minded in her pursuit of power for herself and her son, Nero.
This book follows Agrippina as a daughter, born in Cologne, to the expected heir to Augustus’s throne; as a sister to Caligula who raped his sisters and showered them with honors until they attempted rebellion against him and were exiled; as a seductive niece and then wife to Claudius who gave her access to near unlimited power; and then as a mother to Nero—who adored her until he had her assassinated.
Through senatorial political intrigue, assassination attempts, and exile to a small island, to the heights of imperial power, thrones, and golden cloaks and games and adoration, Agrippina scaled the absolute limits of female power in Rome. Her biography is also the story of the first Roman imperial family—the Julio-Claudians—and of the glory and corruption of the empire itself.
ISBN-13: 9781643136103
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication Date: 10-13-2020
Pages: 352
Product Dimensions: 5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Emma Southon has a PhD in Ancient History from the University of Birmingham and researches subjects of sex, the family, gender, and religion. She holds a long running obsession with the bad guys of the Roman empire, blogs at Agrippinilla.com, and tweets at @NuclearTeeth. She lives in England.
Table of Contents
Introduction: History and Fiction xv
A Very Brief History of Rome xxiii
Chapter 1 Daughter 1
Julia Agrippina Minor 3
Return to Rome 15
Agrippina the Elder 21
The First Husband 29
Chapter 2 Sister 39
Gaius Caligula 41
Gaius Caesar Augustus and his Sisters 45
Agrippina Mater 53
The Incest 59
The Plot 63
The Exile 75
Chapter 3 Niece 79
The Return to Rome 81
The Situation in Rome 85
The Second Marriage 89
The Emperor's Niece 99
Messalina and Agrippina 109
The Aftermath 115
Chapter 4 Wife 125
A Masculine Tyranny 127
Agrippina Augusta 135
Empress of Rome 147
Mother and Stepmother 153
Ruling the Empire 169
The Murderer 185
Chapter 5 Mother 193
The Empress Regent 195
The First Crisis 207
The Second Crisis 217
The Disappearance 231
The Murder 237
Afterwards 247
Extra Bits 251
Dramatis Personae 253
Timeline 259
Glossary 263
Further Reading 269
Acknowledgements 273
Patrons 275
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