Agrippa, << uh GRIHP uh, >> Marcus (63-12 B.C.), was a Roman general who was the chief adviser and military leader of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. Agrippa was also Augustus’s lifelong friend and loyal supporter.
Agrippa rose to prominence during the civil wars that followed the assassination of the Roman leader Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. In these wars, Octavian, as the future Emperor Augustus was then known, struggled against a number of enemies for control of Rome. Agrippa became Octavian’s best commander, both on land and at sea. His most important victory was the Battle of Actium, fought off the west coast of Greece in 31 B.C. There, a fleet led by Agrippa defeated the forces of Mark Antony, co-ruler of Rome with Octavian, and Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. This victory cleared the way for Octavian to be named sole emperor of Rome, in 27 B.C.
Agrippa helped the new emperor in the reordering of Roman politics and society under one-person rule. When Augustus fell ill in 23 B.C., he gave Agrippa his seal ring. Augustus recovered, but the gift of the ring meant that Agrippa would have become emperor if Augustus had died. Agrippa married the emperor’s daughter Julia in 21 B.C., another sign that he was the chosen successor. Agrippa held wide powers for the next 10 years but died in March of 12 B.C., before he could become emperor.
