Mark Vipsaniy Agrippa Postum

Agrippa Postumus was born after the sudden death of his father, Octavian's friend and comrade-in-arms, Mark Vipsanius Agrippa . For this, the agnomen Postumus was added to his name ( Latin postumus - after, later , in Latin names - born after the death of a parent).

Mark Vipsaniy Agrippa came from a horseman family, and Julia is the only daughter of Octavian from Scribonia . Agrippa and Julia got married in 21 BC. e. , and although it is reliably known that Julia was unfaithful to her husband, the marriage was quite successful. Before Postum, Julia gave birth to four children.

In 12 BC e. Agrippa died unexpectedly in Campania . Julia remained pregnant and a few months later gave birth to a son - Agrippa Postum.

Almost immediately after the death of Agrippa, Octavian Augustus adopts the two older brothers Postumus, Guy and Lucius . Postum was not adopted, because Octavian wanted to pay tribute to his friend. According to the plan of Octavian, Postumus was to continue the Vipsaniev family.

One year after the death of Agrippa, Julia marries the stepson of Octavian, the son of his wife from his first marriage, Tiberius . The marriage was very unsuccessful. All this time, Agrippa remained with his mother. In 6 BC. e. not having endured life in Rome, Tiberius leaves for a voluntary exile in Rhodes . Julia receives permission from Octavian not to accompany him and remains in Rome.

However, in Rome, she leads a dissolute lifestyle, and in the 2nd year, Octavian, being the “father of the family” ( lat. Pater familie ), gives Julia a divorce on behalf of Tiberius and sends her into exile. Postum remains to live in the house of Octavian and his wife, Libya Drusilla .

In the 2nd year in Gaul , one of the Postumus brothers, Lucius, dies. Then, at 4, his older brother Guy. Octavian adopts Postum in one day with his stepfather - Tiberius.

Tiberius by that time did not converge well with people, and, seeing in Postum the rival, disliked him. Postum probably had the same attitude to his stepfather. There are very few descriptions of Postum, and they are all biased. The most complete can be found in Tacitus : “ ... young, physically developed, even too much, Agrippa Postum. Although devoid of any good qualities, he was not involved in any of the scandals . "

For an unknown reason, most likely due to the intrigues of Libya, which cleared the way to power to Tiberius, in 6 Octavian refers Postum to the small island of Planazia (modern Pianosa , Italy ), located in the Ligurian Sea .

According to Tacitus, in 13, along with Fabius Maxim , Augustus, in complete secrecy, visited Postumus on the island, where he told him about plans to return him to Rome and make him his only heir. However, on his return to Rome, Maxim spoke about this trip to his wife, Marcia, who mentioned the trip to Libya. Soon after, Maxim was found dead, and Marcia was accused of his death and executed. Thus, Libya, eliminating the key figure, eliminated the very possibility of the return of Postumus.

After a year, Octavian dies. A few days after the power passed to Tiberius, Postumus was killed by guards in Planazia.

After the death of Agrippa Postum, his slave Clement , taking advantage of the external resemblance to the deceased, began to impersonate the miracle of the rescued Postum and tried to fight for power in Rome, but was captured and executed.

• Publius Cornelius Tacitus . "Annals"
• Dion Cassius . "Roman history"
• Jane Bellemore: The Death of Agrippa Postumus and the Escape of Clemens. In: Eranos 98, 2000, S. 93-114.
• Robert Detweiler: Historical Perspectives on the Death of Agrippa Postumus. In: The Classic Journal 65, 1970, CAMWS, ISSN 0009-8353, S. 289-295.
• Shelag Jameson: Augustus and Agrippa Postumus . In: Historia 24, 1975, S. 287-314.

• Bust of Agrippa Postumus in the Louvre