Evaluate the Significance of Agrippina’s Marriages in Her Rise to Prominence
Agrippina’s marriages were an integral part of her ascension to prominence and power, providing her with the means with which to carry out her ambitions and machinations.
Tacitus stated that Agrippina’s “passion to acquire wealth was unbounded”. This is indeed indicative of the general consensus of ancient sources toward her, with greed, manipulation and ambition forming the central tenets of her character. Her marriages played a central role in fulfilling her idealistic goals, in the process, propelling her into the public consciousness.
Agrippina’s first marriage came at the age of 13, in the form of an arranged union between her and alleged psychopath Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, who also happened to be her paternal second cousin. Whilst Agrippina was at such an age that maniacal plans and manipulation were not at the forefront of her mind, this marriage still served to establish her as a well known figure in Roman society. Ahenobarbus was wealthy, and had held several positions of prominence, in addition to being a blood relative of the emperor Augustus. However, Ahenobarbus was regarded with some degree of notoriety; he was known for his impulsive, violent and sadistic behaviour. In one example, it was alleged he ran down a child in his chariot in the street. This, and the fact that he was in his forties when he married the thirteen year-old Agrippina, resulted in a marriage which would have been far from harmonious. Indeed, Suetonius stated he was “a man who was in every aspect of his life detestable”.
Despite the seemingly incongruity of their marriage, Ahenobarbus still provided Agrippina with the means to expand her power further, in the form of her son, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (born 37CE), later to become the Emperor Nero. Having a son was key to establishing Agrippina as a genuine force in Roman politics. A son could be manipulated and indoctrinated to suit Agrippina’s needs, and by virtue of her illustrious family tree, her son was assured to
Tacitus stated that Agrippina’s “passion to acquire wealth was unbounded”. This is indeed indicative of the general consensus of ancient sources toward her, with greed, manipulation and ambition forming the central tenets of her character. Her marriages played a central role in fulfilling her idealistic goals, in the process, propelling her into the public consciousness.
Agrippina’s first marriage came at the age of 13, in the form of an arranged union between her and alleged psychopath Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, who also happened to be her paternal second cousin. Whilst Agrippina was at such an age that maniacal plans and manipulation were not at the forefront of her mind, this marriage still served to establish her as a well known figure in Roman society. Ahenobarbus was wealthy, and had held several positions of prominence, in addition to being a blood relative of the emperor Augustus. However, Ahenobarbus was regarded with some degree of notoriety; he was known for his impulsive, violent and sadistic behaviour. In one example, it was alleged he ran down a child in his chariot in the street. This, and the fact that he was in his forties when he married the thirteen year-old Agrippina, resulted in a marriage which would have been far from harmonious. Indeed, Suetonius stated he was “a man who was in every aspect of his life detestable”.
Despite the seemingly incongruity of their marriage, Ahenobarbus still provided Agrippina with the means to expand her power further, in the form of her son, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (born 37CE), later to become the Emperor Nero. Having a son was key to establishing Agrippina as a genuine force in Roman politics. A son could be manipulated and indoctrinated to suit Agrippina’s needs, and by virtue of her illustrious family tree, her son was assured to