Difference between revisions of "Agrippa Postumus"
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Revision as of 20:20, 25 June 2021
Sobriquet
Appearance
Behavior
Introduction
Agrippa Postumus (12 BC-14 AD) was the youngest son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
and Julia the Elder. He was named as heir to the Roman Empire by his uncle Augustus on
his deathbed, but, immediately following Augustus' death in 14 AD, Augustus' wife Livia
had Postumus murdered by Sejanus so that her own son Tiberius would become the next emperor.
History
Agrippa Postumus was born in 12 BC, the posthumous son of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
and Julia the Elder. Growing up, Postumus was the best friend of the future emperor Claudius.
The deaths of his uncle Augustus' sons Lucius Caesar and Gaius Caesar in 2 and 4 AD, respectively,
led to Augustus adopting Postumus and his cousin Tiberius as his sons, with Tiberius being the
designated heir and Postumus receiving Augustus' bloodline. Postumus was known to be brutish,
insolent, stubborn, and potentially violent, possessing great physical strength and obsessing
over fishing.
Postumus also had an affair with Claudius' sister Livilla, and, in 6 AD, Empress Livia convinced
Livilla to help her frame Postumus for rape to ensure that the next emperor would be a strong one,
and not brutish like Postumus. Livilla trysted with Postumus before biting his hand and calling to
the guards that she was being raped, and Postumus was arrested. Upon hearing of the incident,
Augustus banished Postumus to a villa near Pompeii. He lost the Julian name and returned to the
gens Vipsania, and his vices increased daily. In 7 AD, he was banished to a rocky island between
Italia and Corsica, and an armed guard was installed there and the Roman Senate was ordered to never
allow his release.
On a trip to Corsica, Augustus visited Postumus, and, aware of Postumus' innocence after a conversation
with Claudius (in whom Postumus confided about Livia's schemes), he promised to pardon him. In 14 AD,
Augustus changed his will to favor Postumus for the succession, but Livia poisoned Augustus' figs, causing
him to die. Immediately after Augustus' death, Postumus was killed by the Praetorian Guard on the orders of
Sejanus, who had been sent by Livia to ensure that her son Tiberius inherited the throne. Sejanus himself
stabbed Postumus in the chest as two guards restrained him, and Sejanus had Postumus weighted with stones
and buried at sea.
Recent Events
His Fate
