Agrippina's basis of power
...r son” . The extent of her influence and the way she was percepted by the senate can be shown through various coins. These coins were accepted and minted by the senate, showing the recognition, of Agrippina and Nero’s relationship by the senate. “A coin issued in the early part of Nero’s reign showing the young emperor with his mother Agrippina the younger” (below). The two people in the coin being Agrippina and Nero are facing each other at eye level. This indicates equality and an equal share of power between them. Further into Nero’s reign as he began to mature, the relationship between mother and son began to decline. The influence of Nero’s tutors Seneca (philosopher and tutor) and Burrus (commander of the Praetorian Guard) became more valuable to Nero than his mothers. The change of reliance was planned for many years by Seneca and Burrus “they collaborated in controlling the Emperors adolescence” Nero continued to defy his mother’s wishes by falling in love with a former slave, Acte. Upon finding out about this affair Agrippina went into a rage. “Agrippina reacted furiously, not on the grounds of morality, which naturally was not an issue, but because she saw her influence on Nero waning” Agrippina was watching her power and influence over her son and the senate slip through her fingers. The power she held over Nero was fading, both Seneca and Burrus who had been so supportive towards her during her marriage to Claudius, had also turned against her. As shown in Salmon’s; “Seneca and Burrus, even though they had been her supporters in Claudius’s lifetime, were not enamoured at the prospect of a woman ruling the Roman world. They set out to undermine her influence” Agrippina became desperate, grasping at any chance to regain her favour with her son. “She admitted that her strictness had been untimely, and placed her own resources at his disposal” This change in direction and complaisance made not only Nero suspicious but his friends and who forcibly told him to be aware of her games she was known to play. Agrippina’s d...