Agrippina was the great granddaughter of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus; the grand niece of the second Emperor, Tiberius, the sister of the third, Caligula, wife of the fourth, Claudius and mother of the fifth, Nero. After several personal tragedies, Agrippina became ruthless in her pursuit of security and power. As a woman, she couldn’t rule herself, so ... Show More
Yesterday
Empress Matilda - England’s First Queen Regnant?
I have profiled all of England’s remarkable Queens who ruled in their own right. Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. But there’s one more fascinating woman I simply must profile to complete the set; Empress Matilda. She was sent to Germany as a child t ... Show More
32m 48s
Jan 2019
The Ancient-World Stark Family, Part 4: Dux Femina
Of the six children of Germanicus, Agrippina the Younger is the last woman standing. Both savvier than her siblings and more ruthless, she quickly rises to stratospheric levels of power--using any and all means necessary. But plenty of dangerous people in ancient Rome don't like ... Show More
1h 37m
Mar 2024
134. Cleopatra: The Would-Be Empress of Rome
With Julius Caesar dead, Cleopatra turned to another of Rome’s dominant figures. She became entwined with Mark Antony, the ruler of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, but even with their enormous combined power the destructive tendrils of Roman politics were inescapable. Just ... Show More
41m 53s
May 2023
Messalina: sex, slander & scandal in imperial Rome
Even in the ancient Roman world of ruthless politicking, suspicious deaths and high-stakes schemes, the scandalous reputation of Empress Valeria Messalina stands out. The third wife of Emperor Claudius, she has gone down in history as a sexually insatiable schemer, whose cutthroa ... Show More
40m 25s