The sister of Caligula and the mother of Nero was also the wife and niece of Claudius, whom she probably murdered. Who was this well-connected if dreadful woman? Hint: She supposedly asked an astrologer whether her son would become emperor; the astrologer replied that he would but that he kill his mother, whereupon she said, "Let him kill me--so long as he rules!"

Question

The sister of Caligula and the mother of Nero was also the wife and niece of Claudius, whom she probably murdered.  Who was this well-connected if dreadful woman? Hint: She supposedly asked an astrologer whether her son would become emperor; the astrologer replied that he would but that he kill his mother, whereupon she said, "Let him kill me--so long as he rules!"

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks us to identify the well-connected yet dreaded woman who fits a specific family puzzle around Caligula, Nero, Claudius, and a famous astrologer anecdote.

Option 1: Agrippina the Younger
This option matches the riddle precisely. Agrippina the Younger was Caligula’s sister and Nero’s mother, and she was married to Claudius (who was also her uncle by blood). Historical accounts portray her as extraordinarily influential and, in many depictions, dangerously ambitious, including insinuations that she may have been involved in various lethal intrigues within the imperial family. The astrologer anecdote about a son who would rule but kill his mother aligns with the notorious reputation she carried as the architect of a dynastic plan that secured Nero’s position as emperor.

Option 2: Claudia Livilla
Claudia Livilla was connected to the Julio-Claudian line, but she was not Caligula’s sister nor Nero’s mother. She held a different role within the family circle and is generally not described as the central figure in the murder-within-the-family narrative tied to Nero’s ascent. The clue about the astrologer and the “let him kill me” motto points away from Livilla and toward Agrippina in most historical interpretations.

Option 3: Messalina
Messalina was Claudius’s wife and the mother of Britannicus. She belonged to the same extended imperial milieu, yet she was neither Caligula’s sister nor Nero’s mother, and she is not the figure described by the astrologer anecdote. Her notoriety stems from her own alleged sensual and political indiscretions, not a direct connection to Nero’s eventual rule through the dynastic plan described here.

Option 4: Drusilla
Drusilla was closely tied to Caligula as his sister and, in various accounts, is also mentioned in the context of family intrigues. However, she was not Nero’s mother, and her position does not fit the description of the woman who orchestrated or was central to the sort of conspiracy implied by the astrologer’s warning and the claim that “let him kill me—so long as he rules.” This makes Drusilla an incorrect fit for the riddle when compared to Agrippina the Younger.

Across the options, the core misalignment for the distractors lies in the essential family role: they are not Caligula’s sister who is Nero’s mother and Claudius’s wife/niece in the same entwined way. Their historical roles lack the combination of being sister to Caligula, mother to Nero, wife/niece to Claudius, and the notoriety surrounding dynastic ambition that the riddle emphasizes.

HIST-1-27796 Quiz 3 The Roman World

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