Marcus Agrippa was born around 63 B.C., possibly on Oct. 23. Some historians think the name Agrippa comes from the word for “breech birth”. His mother may have died in giving birth to him. He was the same age as Octavian and they were educated together. He grew up to be a multi-talented man. His early adulthood was impacted by the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. He took the side of Caesar, his brother sided with Pompey. They may have faced each other in north Africa. He was definitely at the Battle of Munda when Caesar finished off what was left of the Pompeiians. Caesar was so impressed with Agrippa, he insisted he accompany Octavian to study in Macedonia. The pair returned to Rome after the assassination of Caesar. Octavian made his friend the governor of Transalpine Gaul. He battled the Germans and became the second Roman general (after Caesar) to cross the Rhine River. When he returned, he refused a triumph because of the political tension surrounding Octavian and Marc Antony. He probably was at Octavian’s side in the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. He returned to Rome with Octavian and Marc Antony headed for Egypt and Cleopatra. The war continued with the son of Pompey. After Octavian’s fleet was defeated by Sextus Pompey, he needed his troubleshooter to take command. Octavian understood that military leadership was not his strength, whereas his friend was an excellent general.
Agrippa started by creating a safe harbor for the remainder of Octavian’s fleet. He did that by removing a strip of land that separated a Roman lake from the sea. It was christened the Portus Julius. He built up the fleet with smaller, more maneuverable quinqueremes. And he added a secret weapon called the harpax. The harpax was a ballista that fired a grappling hook which would snare an enemy ship and then it could be reeled in to be boarded. His fleet defeated Sextus Pompey in two decisive battles. In the second, the Battle of Naulochus, he sank 28 ships and captured 260 with the loss of only 3 of his own. This time he accepted the triumph. He stayed in Rome and was elected aedile in 33 B.C.. In this role, he had the power to do public works. He renovated the main aqueduct. He repaired roads. He cleaned up the sewer system. (Well, he had workers do it.) He built the first public bath (the Thermae Agrippae). He built 500 fountains and 300 statues were commissioned. When Octavian said “I found Rome brick and left it marble”, he was referring to the work of his friend. Not that Octavian took credit for things Agrippa did. The two were fast friends and loyal to each other. In his spare time, Agrippa was a writer, especially on geography.
When the inevitable war with Antony and Cleopatra began, Agrippa was now in charge of Octavian’s forces. He commanded the fleet that defeated Marc Antony at the Battle of Actium. Agrippa is often overlooked when Rome’s greatest generals are discussed, but he certainly was in the top 5. The duo eventually wound up back in Rome. Octavian became Emperor Augustus and he made Agrippa his unofficial co-ruler. Agrippa picked up where he left off and created his most magnificent accomplishment when he rebuilt the Pantheon. He was rewarded for his loyalty by being given the hand of Augustus’ sister Julia. They were married in 21 B.C. Julia was 18 and he was 42. Although she was forced into the marriage, they fell in love and had 5 kids. When he died, Augustus adopted his children and designated his sons as his heirs. Unfortunately, they died before Augustus and Rome was stuck with the infamous Tiberius. Agrippa died in 12 B.C. on the frontier expanding his friend’s empire. There is not doubt Augustus was the best Roman emperor, but he couldn’t have gotten that accolade without the help of Agrippa, his right-hand man.
https://www.eupedia.com/history/Marcus_Agrippa_co-emperor_of_Augustus.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Vipsanius_Agrippa
0 Comments