Vipsania Agrippina or most commonly known as Agrippina Major or Agrippina the Elder ( Major Latin for the elder, Classical Latin:, 14 BC – 17 October 33 ) was a distinguished and prominent Roman woman of the first century AD.

Agrippina was the wife of the general and statesman Germanicus and a relative to the first Roman Emperors.

Agrippina was born as the second daughter and fourth child to Roman statesman and Augustus ’ ally Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder.

Agrippina ’ s mother Julia was the only natural child born to Augustus from his second marriage to noblewoman Scribonia.

Vipsania Agrippina was Agrippa ’ s first daughter and first child from his first marriage to Pomponia Caecilia Attica.

Vipsania Agrippina later married senator and consul Gaius Asinius Gallus Saloninus after Tiberius was forced to divorce her and marry Julia the Elder.

Agrippina was born in Athens, as in the year of her birth Agrippa was in that city completing official duties on behalf of Augustus.

Julia was banished for her remaining years and Agrippina never saw her again.

With her siblings, Agrippina was raised in Rome by her maternal grandfather and maternal step-grandmother Livia Drusilla.

As a member of the imperial family, Agrippina was expected to display frugality, chastity and domesticity, all traditional virtues for a noble Roman woman.

Eventually Agrippina was proud of her large family and this was a part of the reason she was popular with Roman citizens.

Agrippina ’ s actions were considered unusual as for a Roman wife, because a conventional Roman wife was required to stay home.

It was widely suspected that Germanicus had been poisoned or perhaps on the orders of Tiberius, with Agrippina believing he was assassinated.

Agrippina was in grief when Germanicus died.

This was the last time that Tiberius invited Agrippina to his dinner table.

Refusing to eat, Agrippina was force-fed but later starved herself to death.

A second memoir was about the fortunes of her mother ’ s family and the last memoir recorded the misfortunes ( casus suorum ) of the family of Agrippina and Germanicus.

Agrippina was the first Roman matron to have more than one child from her family to reign on the Roman throne.

Through Nero, Agrippina was the paternal great-grandmother of Claudia Augusta, ( Nero's only child through his second marriage to Poppaea Sabina ).

Agrippina and Caligula's brother, Nero, were banished in AD 29 on charges of treason.

Tiberius alleged that Asinius had committed adultery with Agrippina the Elder, the opponent of Sejanus whom Tiberius had banished in 29, and had his name erased from all public monuments.

Pandataria is best known as the island to which the emperor Augustus banished his daughter Julia the Elder in 2 BC, as reaction to her excessive adultery, where she was to spend five years, and to which Tiberius banished his grandniece Agrippina the Elder in 29 AD.

Livilla and her sister Agrippina the Younger were banished to the Pontine Islands ( they were most likely separated in their exile and each one sent to a different island ).

Tiberius took Agrippina by her hand and quoted the Greek line: “ And if you are not queen, my dear, have I then you wrong ?”

Agrippina and her sons were put on trial by the Roman Senate.

A bronze medal on display in the British Museum shows Agrippina ’ s ashes being brought back to Rome by Caligula.

From the memoirs written by Agrippina the Younger, Tacitus used the memoirs to extract information regarding the family and fate of Agrippina the Elder, when Tacitus was writing The Annals.

Agrippina the Younger has been described by both the ancient and modern sources as ‘ ruthless, ambitious, violent and domineering ’.

Germanicus ’ death in the year 19 caused much public grief in Rome, and gave rise to rumors that he had been murdered by Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso and Munatia Plancina on the orders of Tiberius, as his widow Agrippina the Elder returned to Rome with his ashes.

Agrippina the Younger was thereafter supervised by her mother, her paternal grandmother Antonia Minor, and her great-grandmother, Livia, all of them notable, influential, and powerful figures from whom she learnt how to survive.

Suetonius states that Domitius was congratulated by friends on the birth of his son, whereupon he replied " I don't think anything produced by me and Agrippina could possibly be good for the state or the people ".

Agrippina and Livilla were exiled by their brother to the Pontine Islands.

Pallas stated to the emperor that as Lucius was the grandson to Claudius's late brother Germanicus, by marrying Agrippina, Claudius would ally the two branches of the Claudian house and imperial family.

For instance, in 51, Agrippina ordered the execution of Britannicus ’ tutor Sosibius because he had confronted her and was outraged by Claudius ’ adoption of Nero and his choice of Nero as successor, instead of choosing his own son Britannicus.

In 55, Agrippina was forced out of the palace by her son to live in imperial residence.

Some modern historians theorize that Nero's decision to kill Agrippina was prompted by her plotting to set Gaius Rubellius Plautus ( Nero's maternal second cousin ) or Britannicus ( Claudius ' biological son ) on the throne.

Though aware of the plot, Agrippina embarked on this boat and was nearly crushed by a collapsing lead ceiling only to be saved by the side of a sofa breaking the ceiling's fall.

Though the collapsing ceiling missed Agrippina, it crushed her attendant who was outside by the helm.

Her friend, Acerronia Polla, was attacked by oarsmen while still in the water, and was either bludgeoned to death or drowned, since she was exclaiming that she was Agrippina, with the intention of being saved, unfortunately she did not know that this was an attempt of Agrippina's life, not a mere accident.

Agrippina was met at the shore by crowds of admirers.

Handel's 1709 opera, Agrippina with a libretto by Vincenzo Grimani.

Imperium: Nero 2005 Agrippina is played by Laura Morante

I, Claudius 1976 Agrippina is played by Barbara Young

A. D 1985 Miniseries Agrippina is played by Ava Gardner