Did Agrippina Murder Her Husband?

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The nature of the death of the Roman Emperor Claudius in 54AD is in some historians view/opinions that he died in a mysterious way, as a range of historians have presented such views to support that Agrippina planned her husbands death. Agrippina has a motive and a means as she has wanted Nero to become Emperor from a early age and she had Locusta and Xenophon on the sides to help speed up her plans for him to become Emperor. Several authors (Tacitus 56AD, Suetonius 69AD, Boak & Sinnigen and Bauman) are all in agreement that Claudius died by the hands of Agrippina (figuratively). According to these historians Locusta was acquired to use a subtle poison to be administered to Claudius’ favourite meal; a mushroom dish, “the poison was sprinkled on a particularly succulent mushroom.” (Tacitus). The poison didn’t work as Claudius was drunk and therefore he regurgitated everything including the too slow moving poison. As that didn’t work Agrippina recruited Xenophon (Claudius’ personal physician also known as a doctor) who “introduces a feather smeared with a speedier poison into Claudius’ throat, and Claudius dies.” This shows that Agrippina planned to murder her husband as she introduced Xenophon to kill his patient and Locusta a known woman for poisoning and had been sentenced, Agrippina needed her skills to know which poison to give him. All things considered, the following conclusion can be made: Agrippina did kill / murder / poison her husband as Tacitus states “Agrippina had long decided on the murder.” Ferrero also supports Tacitus’ view claiming that it was “work which Agrippina had well under way” However, Boak & Sinnigen suggest Agrippina wanted Nero to be Emperor from an early age, suggesting that she had a motive to plan her husbands death from most probably early on in Nero’s

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