Agrippina’s unwavering ambition was rooted in her imperial upbringing and family background. She benefited from valuable insight into the maintenance of power and her illustrious birth provided the framework for her power and influence. As her father, Germanicus’ immense popularity with the Army and the Roman people, made him a paramount connection for Agrippina and she derived, from him, a great deal of prominence. Barrett (2005) posits that his victory in Germany was “a memory that his daughter would exploit to the full”. This idea is reinforced by Tacitus (Annals) who asserts that “the effect” of this victory “was heightened...by the five children”. Thus, it is conceivable that Germanicus used his children as tools of propaganda and thus had a profound influence on Agrippina’s manipulative nature.
