# Vipsania Agrippina

> first wife of Emperor Tiberius

**Wikidata**: [Q232090](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q232090)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipsania_Agrippina)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vipsania-agrippina

## Summary
Vipsania Agrippina was a Roman noblewoman and the first wife of Emperor Tiberius. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Pomponia Caecilia Attica, making her a prominent figure in the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

## Biography
- Born: c. 36 BC
- Nationality: Ancient Roman
- Education: Not specified
- Known for: First wife of Emperor Tiberius
- Employer(s): Not applicable
- Field(s): Roman aristocracy

## Contributions
Vipsania Agrippina's primary contribution was her role in the political alliances of the early Roman Empire through her marriage to Tiberius. As the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a close friend and general of Augustus, her marriage to Tiberius strengthened the political bonds between the imperial family and one of its most trusted supporters.

## FAQs
What was Vipsania Agrippina's relationship to Emperor Tiberius?
Vipsania Agrippina was the first wife of Emperor Tiberius, whom she married around 19 BC. Their marriage was arranged to strengthen political alliances within the imperial family.

How was Vipsania Agrippina related to Augustus?
Vipsania Agrippina was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who was a close friend, son-in-law, and general of Augustus. This made her part of the extended imperial family through her father's relationship with Augustus.

What happened to Vipsania Agrippina after her divorce from Tiberius?
After her divorce from Tiberius around AD 12, Vipsania Agrippina married Gaius Asinius Gallus Saloninus. She remained a prominent figure in Roman society until her death around AD 20.

## Why They Matter
Vipsania Agrippina matters in Roman history as a key figure in the early Julio-Claudian dynasty's political maneuvering. Her marriage to Tiberius represented an important alliance between the imperial family and the powerful Agrippa faction. The circumstances of her divorce and Tiberius's subsequent marriage to Julia the Elder had significant implications for imperial succession and family dynamics. Her life illustrates the use of marriage as a political tool in ancient Rome and the personal costs of such arrangements for aristocratic women.

## Notable For
- Daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Augustus's most trusted general and friend
- First wife of Emperor Tiberius
- Mother of Drusus Julius Caesar, who became a prominent figure in the imperial family
- Her divorce from Tiberius was reportedly a source of lasting emotional impact on the emperor
- Remained a significant figure in Roman aristocratic circles after her divorce

## Body
### Early Life and Family Background
Vipsania Agrippina was born around 36 BC to Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Pomponia Caecilia Attica. Her father was one of Augustus's most trusted generals and friends, serving as a crucial supporter of the future emperor during the transition from Republic to Empire. Her mother came from the prominent Caecilius Attica family. This lineage placed Vipsania in a position of significant social and political importance from birth.

### Marriage to Tiberius
Around 19 BC, Vipsania married Tiberius, who was at that time the stepson of Augustus and considered a key figure in the imperial succession. This marriage represented a strategic alliance between two powerful families within the emerging imperial structure. The union produced at least one known child, Drusus Julius Caesar, born around 13 BC, who would later become an important figure in the imperial family.

### Divorce and Later Life
The marriage between Vipsania and Tiberius ended around AD 12 when Tiberius was compelled to divorce her to marry Julia the Elder, Augustus's daughter and widow of Vipsania's father, Agrippa. Ancient sources, particularly Tacitus, suggest that this divorce had a profound emotional impact on Tiberius, who was reportedly still in love with Vipsania at the time. After the divorce, Vipsania married Gaius Asinius Gallus Saloninus, a prominent Roman senator.

### Death and Legacy
Vipsania Agrippina died around AD 20. Her son Drusus Julius Caesar went on to become an important figure in the imperial family, though his career was cut short by his death in AD 23. The circumstances of her life and marriage illustrate the complex political maneuvering of the early Roman Empire and the personal costs of dynastic politics for aristocratic women.

## References

1. Integrated Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. CERL Thesaurus