How Did Women Influence Political Events In Rome?

What evidence is there for how women could influence political events in Rome?

The ideal Roman woman’s role was exemplified by Cornelia Scipionis Africana, the loyal wife and mother who manages the household. Cornelia is known as the seamless example of a picture perfect woman: “It is reported that as Cornelia, their mother, bore the loss of her two sons with a noble and undaunted spirit” 9. She was famous for her dignified behaviour after her sons were murdered. This is the ideal political mother.

The paradox of this, in the Roman Empire, you get women who get enormous power who have great control over the emperors like Nero. If the model for the ideal roman women applied, that is not what you would expect. Those women are dynamic and
These imperial women are powerful, scheming, erratic, dangerous women who are not technically in power, but heavily advise those who are. Messalina is an example of these women. She was an imperial Roman lady, a great nymphomaniac, who used sexual favours and blackmail to keep her senators loyal. ‘She bore him two children, but then lost interest in Claudius and took a number of lovers’ 7.Messalina, through these strategies, had created a new style of politics. Even though she will be remembered in history as the great nymphomaniac, she cannot be denied of the fact that she was a great influence, even on Claudius – her husband. The problem for her is the fact that she was not allowed into the court room. But Messalina could overcome this by listening to cases intra cubiculum, which literally means in the bedroom of the Emperor. This was also another way that she could influence Claudius. This was only available to her as she had gained the freedom from the Palace guards, and they helped her influence these political events such as the fall of her own stepfather, Silanus
Her own son, Nero had her killed. “Agrippina in her eagerness to retain her influence went so far that more than once at midday, when Nero, even at that hour, was flushed with wine and feasting, she presented herself attractively attired to her half intoxicated son and offered him her person” The relationship between Agrippina and her son was border-line incest. According to Suetonius, Nero had tried to kill his mother numerous times: three times were by poison, one was by having a collapsible ceiling above her bed and he had a collapsible boat built. The boat did sink. But Agrippina survived and swam ashore. Infuriated, Nero sent an assassin who bludgeoned and stabbed her to death.

When news was out that Nero had murdered Agrippina, Nero defended himself to the senate, reporting that his mother was plotting to kill him, meaning he had to retaliate first. Shockingly, the senate seemed unaffected by Agrippina’s