Imperial daughter and survivor
Agrippina was born at the settlement of the Ubii, the site of modern Cologne; the later colony named for her did not yet exist. A daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder, she survived the destruction of her family under Tiberius and was exiled by Caligula in 39 CE after the Lepidus conspiracy.
Three marriages and one son
Her husbands were Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, Gaius Sallustius Passienus Crispus, and finally her uncle Claudius. Her only child, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus—the future Nero—was born during her first marriage. Ancient claims that she poisoned Passienus cannot be verified.
Augusta and maker of an emperor
After Messalina’s death, Agrippina married Claudius in 49 CE under legislation permitting their uncle–niece union. She received the title Augusta, founded the colony at her birthplace, and persuaded Claudius to adopt Nero in 50 CE. Nero’s marriage to Claudia Octavia and public precedence placed him ahead of Britannicus. Ancient sources also accuse Agrippina of poisoning Claudius with mushrooms in 54 CE, but the circumstances of his death remain uncertain.
Power, retreat, and murder
Agrippina initially occupied a conspicuous position in Nero’s regime, including on coinage, but her influence declined as the emperor asserted independence. Nero ordered her death in 59 CE. Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio describe a failed engineered shipwreck followed by assassination at her villa; their theatrical details, including her supposed command to strike her womb, should be read critically rather than as verbatim reportage.
Historical sources
Tacitus, Annals 12–14
Agrippina’s marriage, Nero’s adoption and accession, declining influence, and murder.
Suetonius, Claudius 44; Nero 28; 34
The disputed poison story and Nero’s attacks on his mother.
Cassius Dio, Roman History 60–61
A later account of Agrippina’s power and death.
Livius, Agrippina Minor
Modern chronology, including the later colonial name of her birthplace.