During the first few years of Nero’s reign, Agrippina held much influence over her son and political affairs. Because Nero was 17 at the time he became Emperor, and not yet old enough to rule,…
Despite the seemingly incongruity of their marriage, Ahenobarbus still provided Agrippina with the means to expand her power further, in the form of her son, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (born 37CE), later to become the Emperor Nero. Having a son was key to establishing Agrippina as a genuine force in Roman politics. A son could be manipulated and indoctrinated to suit Agrippina’s needs, and by virtue of her illustrious family tree, her son was assured to…
To differ from Caligula’s start to madness was subtle whereas Nero’s was apparent as soon as he was in succession albeit that he was under his mother’s thumb for the beginning of his rule that would shift to Seneca and Burrus that would push their agenda on the young Emperor. Even at that time with a young boy showed signs of malice, according to Edwards Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars, “…Seneca dreamed that he was teaching the Caligula and the soon afterwards Nero provided confirmation of the dream revealing his monstrous nature at the earlies possible opportunity.” There was a simple way to described the way he governed due to his mood, according to an author Shotter’s Nero goes on to state, “ A content Nero basking in popularity may…
was born December 15th, 37AD and died June 9th, 68AD. Commonly identified as Nero, he ruled…
Augustus’ dynasty included the unpopular Tiberius (14-37 A.D.), the bloodthirsty and unstable Caligula (37-41) and Claudius (41-54), who was best remembered for his army’s conquest of Britain. The line ended with Nero (54-68), whose excesses drained the Roman treasury and led to his downfall and eventual suicide. Four emperors took the throne in the tumultuous year after Nero’s death; the fourth, Vespasian (69-79), and his successors, Titus and Domitian, were known as the Flavians; they attempted to temper the excesses of the Roman court, restore Senate authority and promote public welfare. Titus (79-81) earned his people’s devotion with his handling of recovery efforts after the infamous eruption of Vesuvius, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii.…
The Roman leader Nero slit his own throat on June 9th, 68 C.E. after receiving word that the Senate had declared him a public enemy. He was 30 years old. In the beginning of 68 C.E. Gaius Vindex led a rebellion against Nero, Rome’s current emperor, that could have been easily stopped had Nero not given up so soon. Nero did not put put up much of a fight during his fall, and was easily overtaken by the rebels, proving that anyone with an army backing them up could become emperor of Rome. Afterwards, Sulpicius Galba was put in charge of Rome but ruled poorly, marking the start of the Year of Four Emperors.…
Nero was a seventeen when he ascended to the role of Emperor of Rome. For the first few years of his rein he was considered a generous and reasonable leader, he eliminated capital punishment, and lowered taxes. He had ended the previous Emperors practice of closed-door political trials, decreased the power of corrupt bureaucracy and…
This loss of power brought about a series of civil wars fought among generals with the backing of their distinct armies. Julius Caesar eventually prevailed when in 49 BCE he rode into Italy with his army against the orders of the Senate. In 44 BCE he declared himself dictator for life, but was murdered by a crew of strict republicans on the Ides of March 44 BCE. This once again plunged Rome into civil war and while Caesar's heir, his grand-nephew Octavian, and Marc Antony initially joined sides to avenge his death, they soon turned against each other and Octavian eventually triumphed over Antony and his ally, Cleopatra. Octavian was given the honorific title 'Augustus' in 27 BCE and ruled Rome for the next 40 years. While he claimed to have restored the Republic, Augustus held many important administrative and religious positions simultaneously and so, in fact, became the first emperor. He attempted to maintain control over the Empire by improving road systems and augmenting town growth. He also united the Empire through his use of the arts as a form of self-promotion and to promote the themes of his administration, such as peace, allegiance to Rome, and respect for tradition. He visually improved the city by constructing new buildings that were worthy of the powerful Empire. He made art into the materialization of Roman government which was an idea continued by his descendants and was declared a god-- as had been his father, Julius Caesar-- at his death in 14…
Agrippina the Younger was an Empress. Her rank in Roman society was higher than that of her husband, as she was the sister of an emperor, Caligula. Because she was so high up, she was allowed to attend senate meetings and watch and listen behind a curtain. Agrippina murdered and deceived many people throughout her life. The first of these was her second husband, who it is suspected Agrippina poisoned. She then convinced Claudius, her Uncle to marry her, in order that her son, Nero, would become Emperor. Just 4 years after her marriage to Claudius, she murdered him so that Nero became the Emperor of Rome.…
Claudius was a man with great integrity, individuality, common sense, patriotism and determination. Since the beginning, his life was a remarkable journey. He has been placed as one amongst the greats of all Roman rulers. Despite his physical complications and personal struggles, Tiberius Claudius Nero contributed much to the greatness of the Roman Empire. Let us examine his life accompanied by his accomplishments.…
He killed his mother, step-brother and two wives, but did he? He killed the Christians and many senates, but did he? He burnt Rome and built his palace upon the burnt remains of the city, but did he? Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus or more known as Rome’s youngest emperor, Nero. He rose into power and became the ruler of the world's largest, most powerful and dominant empire; the Roman Empire, only at the age of 17. His mother; Agrippina the Younger is known to be the main reason behind his imperial power, as her desires to control were fulfilled through her control of him, thus she was indirectly ruling the Empire through her young son. Moreover, Rome’s new young and loved emperor was soon hated and blamed for many crimes that he may or may not…
Nero Claudius Caesar, was born under the name Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, in the year 37 AD and was adopted by his uncle, Emperor Claudius. Nero’s mother had married Claudius after the death of her late husband. She later killed poised Claudius, leaving the throne wide open for 17 year old Nero. In his 5 years as emperor, Nero became highly disliked by both his citizens and fellow members of the Roman government. Nero is probably the most infamous Roman emperor, as he had assassinated his wife, mother along with numerous other people assassinated. He is also infamously known for his widespread massacre of Christians, which he blamed for the great Roman fire. He committed suicide, when he realized that everyone was against him in 68…
Emperor Nero was a sick human being who seriously lacked humility. He thought of himself as a god and would perform inhumane deeds such as stealing from sacred temples or killing innocent Christian people. Nero roughly killed about one hundred thousand Christians for no good reason whatsoever. He would use them to light up his parties or he would throw them into the gladiator pit, facing them against ferocious animals or deadly ruthless warriors. Nero's serious lack of humility caused him to perform poorly as a leader. If Nero had shown more humility throughout his time as leader, he would most likely have been not only a better person, but also a better leader. A good leader needs to display virtue in order to lead his people to…
The first successful achievement for Agrippina was her marriage to the Emperor Claudius. In AD 39, Agrippina was exiled because she was accused of aligning with others in order to overthrow her brother, Gaius Caesar. However, in AD 41, Gaius was assassinated and Claudius became Princeps. Agrippina was recalled back to Rome and was considered to be a candidate for Claudius’ fourth marriage, after his marriage to Messalina had failed. Agrippina, had the advantage of a niece, and used it to make sexual advances upon Claudius. Her alliance with Marcus Antonius Pallas proved to be a significant factor in Agrippina’s marriage to Claudius. Pallas proposed her marriage to Claudius would strongly link both families (Julian and Claudian) and reminded Claudius that her son Nero was the grandson of Germanicus, a popular Roman commander. It was Pallas who convinced the Senate to revoke their rules on incestuous marriages, for one exception. In AD 49, Agrippina married Claudius. This gave her the tremendous power she needed in order to complete her ultimate ambition.…
At the beginning of Nero’s rule, he was said to be a fair Emperor, but as his power increased his regards to what is just or unjust vanished. Nero did not consider himself subjected to laws. He took advantage of his power and used it for his own personal gain, simply because there was no one with the authority to make him stop. He killed anyone he considered a threat to his throne including his own mother, Agrippina. Nero spent large amounts of the Empire’s money for his own artistic pursuits. He even took money from temples in Rome in order to build himself an extravagant villa. He was not forced to follow any laws because he was the Emperor; therefore, he chose to disregard laws and do as he pleased. He lived extravagantly and irresponsibly; he was not concerned with doing what was considered just or fair.[bonus…