While the actions of the men listed in the previous pages cause Roman power to spread and leaders to fall, the actions of Agrippina merely take down other women for ridiculous reasons. The sneer is Tacitus’s voice as he relays this to us is almost palpable. But when we actually look at Agrippina’s role in the running of the empire and try to dodge the repulsed misogyny that fuelled our sources, we mostly see a competent woman getting shit done.
