AGRIPPA (Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa)

• Born c. 63 BC, Agrippa was a Roman general and statesman.
• In 36 BC he defeated Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey the Great, in the naval battles of Mylae (now Milazzo, Italy) and Naulochus. These victories helped Octavian become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire.
• In 31 BC Agrippa commanded Octavian's fleet at the battle of Actium in which he defeated the forces of the Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
• In 27 BC, Octavian became the first Roman emperor, taking the name Augustus. Agrippa built the Pantheon at Rome to commemorate his victory at Actium. Although re-built under Trajan, the Pantheon still has the name of Agrippa on the front of it.
• Much of the success of the reign of Augustus was due to Agrippa. In 21 BC he married Julia, the only child of Augustus. By Julia, Agrippa had three sons and two daughters, one of whom, Agrippina the Elder, married the Roman general Germanicus Caesar.
• Agrippa died in 12 BC.