either a future husband of Agrippina, or Agrippina herself, from claiming the throne. But the ancient authors also state that the real reason for his choice was that Pallas and Agrippina were lovers. Modern historians suggest that their relationship was strictly business, and they helped each other with mutual goals. Pallas' influence on Agrippina was real and became well-known, but he continued to advise Claudius on matters of state. He was the source of a law that stated that a free woman who married a slave would remain free if the master approved. According to Tacitus, Tiberius Claudius Narcissus, another powerful freedman at the court, hoped to bring down Agrippina by revealing her alleged affair with Pallas, which would also have undermined the position of her son Nero. Narcissus had allied himself with Britannicus, Nero's principal competitor for the succession. When Nero succeeded Claudius, Narcissus was arrested and executed. Pallas retained his position in the treasury for a time. It has been suggested that he assisted Agrippina in murdering Claudius since he was sure of his future security but this security did not last long. In 55, Nero dismissed Pallas from service, tired of having to deal with any allies of Agrippina. He further accused Pallas of conspiring to overthrow him and place Faustus Sulla, the husband of Claudius' daughter Claudia Antonia, on the throne. Seneca, who was prominent in Nero's circle, came to Pallas' defense at the trial and facilitated his acquittal. Pallas did not elude Nero's wrath forever, and was killed on Nero's orders in 62 -- possibly to gain access to his large fortune, part of which was his by right as Pallas' official patron. Some money must have gone to Pallas' family, as a descendant of his became consul in 167. Pallas is a character in Robert Graves' novel I, Claudius; in the TV series, he is portrayed by Bernard Hepton. References Sources Oost, S.V. "The Career of M. Antonius Pallas." American Journal of Philology 79 (1958). 113–139. 1st-century Romans Emperor's slaves and freedmen Antonii 1st-century Greek people