Page "Claudius" Paragraph 55

According to Suetonius, Agrippina won out through her feminine wiles.

The truth is likely more political.

The attempted coup d ' etat by Silius and Messalina had probably made Claudius realize the weakness of his position as a member of the Claudian but not the Julian family.

This weakness was compounded by the fact that he did not have an obvious adult heir, Britannicus being just a boy.

Agrippina was one of the few remaining descendants of Augustus, and her son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus ( the future Emperor Nero ) was one of the last males of the Imperial family.

Future coup attempts could rally around the pair, and Agrippina was already showing such ambition.

It has been suggested in recent times that the Senate may have pushed for the marriage to end the feud between the Julian and Claudian branches.

This feud dated back to Agrippina's mother's actions against Tiberius after the death of her husband Germanicus ( Claudius's brother ), actions which Tiberius had gladly punished.

In any case, Claudius accepted Agrippina, and later adopted the newly mature Nero as his son.