Claudius to Nero

AD 41 - 54

Claudius’ reign

AD 42

Claudius deifies Livia

Claudius early life

Historian, kept out of public eye because of handicaps, Augur, equestrian status until first consulship in 37 with Caligula

Messalina

Claudius’ wife, executed in 48 after adultery and fake wedding, kids Octavia and Britainnicus

Agrippina the Younger

Marries Claudius, her uncle in 49, already has a son Domitius

Senatorial perspective of Claudius

Untrained outsider who favours freedmen, secretive trials, if sound finances

Claudius and Bureaucracy

Favour Freedmen in management roles and “new men” in the senate, like Vespasian and Corbulo

Procurator a libellis

Answers letters and petitions

Procurator a rationibus

Manages emperors finances (Pallas had this role)

Procurator an epistulis

Manages correspondence

Procurator a studiis

Writes speeches

Aerarium

Public treasury of the state

Fiscus

Treasury of the emperor, managed by procurator a rationibus

Aerarium militaire

Pays discharge bonus to solider, funded by manumission and inheritance tax

Claudius and citizenship

Adds full term auxiliaries and people from provinces, removes if people don’t speak Latin

Claudius and infrastructure

2 new aqueducts, drains Fucine lake, builds harbour and lighthouse at Ostia after grain shortage

Claudius’ provinces

Added Mauretania (2), Lycia, Thrace, and Britian

Invasion of Britain

Vespasian is a commander of Auxiliary forces, Claudius is present at capture of Camulodunum

Death of Claudius

Poisoned by Agippina who manages the succession to Nero, Claudius deified

Britainnicus

Son of Claudius, poisoned by Nero AD 55

Poppaea

Nero’s wife after Octavia is executed in 62 on accusation of adultery, Nero kicks her while pregnant, her and baby die in 65

Death of Agrippina

Survives rigged boat collapse, so Nero sends assassins, AD 59

Nero’s perspective on ruling

Not much training, sees power as a way to pursue his own interests like music and performing

Boudicca

Wife of King of Iceni, revolts after Governor of Britain taxes and she is attacked, initial revolt success, then Roman victory

Nero’s performances

Initially private, then public in Naples (64), then public in Rome (65)

Great fire of Rome

3 regions destroyed, 7 heavily damaged, started near Circus Maximus, Nero compared the fire to the destruction of Troy

Blame for the great fire

Christians, Nero shows excessive cruelty people start sympathizing

Nero’s fire response

Let’s people stay on his land, lowers grains price, makes more open spaces in city, building height restrictions and fire equipment

Golden House

Large house for Nero, with gardens and lakes inside, not finished until Vespasian

Death of Nero

Causes suicides of his commanders, uprising in Gaul, Galba in Spain declared self as emperor, Nero run out by senate, commits suicide in 68