History

Five Famous Poisoners and Their Hapless Victims

It must have been something they ate

Photo by Birmingham Museums Trust on Unsplash

1. Locusta: Professional poisoner of ancient Rome

“Proclaiming Claudius Emperor” by Lawrence Alma-Tadena, 1867 (public domain)

Clients:

Agrippina the Younger
Roman Emperor Nero

Known victims:

Roman Emperor Claudius Britannicus

Poisons:

death cap mushrooms, belladonna

The members of Rome’s Julio-Claudian dynasty were an ambitious and impatient lot, who had few qualms about dispatching their enemies and inconvenient relatives. Add to that the fact that suicide was a socially acceptable way to end one’s life, and you can see why professional poisoners like Locusta did a brisk business.

Sketch by Joseph-Noël Sylvestre for his painting “Locusta testing in Nero’s presence the poison prepared for Britannicus,” c. 1875 (public domain)

Roman historians Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Deo all mention her in their writings. They accuse Agrippina, the Younger, sister to the Emperor…