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.

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

Augustus had forced his first stepson Tiberius to end his happy first marriage to Vipsania Agrippina to marry Julia the Elder.

After the Circus Games, Caligula ordered written evidence of the court cases from Tiberius ’ treason trials to be brought to the Forum to be burnt, first being the cases of Agrippina and her two sons.

Agrippina was the first daughter and fourth living child of Agrippina the Elder and Germanicus.

Through his mother Antonia Major, Domitius was a great nephew of Augustus, first cousin to Claudius, and second cousin to Agrippina and Caligula.

After the death of her first husband, Agrippina tried to make shameless advances to the future emperor Galba, who showed no interest in her and was devoted to his wife Aemilia Lepida.

Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus divorced Lucius ' aunt, Domitia Lepida the Elder ( Lucius ' first paternal aunt ) so that Crispus could marry Agrippina.

In the first months of Nero ’ s reign Agrippina controlled her son and the Empire.

He was the only child of Agrippina the Younger through her first marriage to Domitius, and through her, he was great-great grandson of the Emperor Augustus, great-grandnephew and adoptive great-grandson of the Emperor Tiberius, nephew of the Emperor Caligula, as well as great-nephew and stepson of the Emperor Claudius.

Ancient historians describe Nero's early reign as being strongly influenced by his mother Agrippina, his tutor Seneca, and the Praetorian Prefect Burrus, especially in the first year.

In 356 during his first campaign he led an army to the Rhine, engaged the inhabitants there and won back several towns that had fallen into Frankish hands, including Colonia Agrippina ( Cologne ).

* Agrippina the Younger charges Octavia's first fiancé Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus with incest.

* Vipsania Agrippina ( 36 BC – 20 ), daughter of Caecilia Attica and first wife of the Emperor Tiberius

* Vipsania Marcella Agrippina ( born 27 BC ), daughter of Claudia Marcella Major and first wife of general Publius Quinctilius Varus

Domitius was the first husband of the future Augusta Agrippina the Younger and the biological father of the Princeps Nero, making Nero Messalina's first cousin despite a seventeen year age difference.

The Roman historian Tacitus states that Agrippina had an ‘ impressive record as wife and mother ’.

Agrippina the Younger would become a future Roman Empress and mother to the later Emperor Nero.

Their children were born at various places throughout the Roman Empire and Agrippina acquired a well-deserved reputation for successful childbearing.

The Roman citizens had great sympathy for Agrippina and her family.

Agrippina became involved in a group of Roman Senators who opposed the growing power and influence of the notorious Praetorian Guard Lucius Aelius Sejanus.

In 26, Agrippina requested Tiberius to allow her to marry her brother-in-law, Roman Senator Gaius Asinius Gallus Saloninus.

Tiberius falsely accused Agrippina of planning to take sanctuary besides the image of Augustus or with the Roman Army abroad.

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

Agrippina is regarded in ancient and modern historical sources as a Roman Matron with a reputation as a great woman, who had an excellent character and had outstanding Roman morals.

Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina ( Minor Latin for the ‘ younger ’, Classical Latin: ;, 7 November 15 or 6 November 16 – 19 / 23 March 59 ) was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty.