Julia Agrippina was the daughter of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder and a sister of Emperor Caligula. She married Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus in A.D. 28. He died in A.D. 40. During this marriage, she produced a son who was to become the Emperor Nero. While Agrippina's brother Caligula was emperor (37-41), Agrippina was believed to be involved in incest with Caligula. In time, Caligula sent her into exile. Agrippina married her second husband, Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus, in 41. She married the Emperor Claudius in A.D. 49. Very popular, Agrippina persuaded Claudius to adopt her son Nero in A.D. 50.
Agrippina was accused of murdering Claudius by early historians. Following Claudius' murder, a seventeen-year-old Nero came to power, with Julia Agrippina the Younger as regent and Augusta. Agrippina's power gradually diminished. Nero sent her into exile. After a botched attempt, Nero arranged for the murder of his mother.
Ancient sources on Julia Agrippina the Younger: Tacitus, Suetonius, and Dio Cassius.
