Tiberius Claudius Nero

Tiberius Claudius Nero Last of the Julio-Claudians

Early Life • Mother, Agrippina (the Younger, II) • Father, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus – Died of dropsy/edema in 40 AD

• Son, Nero, born in 37 – Full name, Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus

Growing Up • Last of the Julio-Claudians – Became emperor on 13 Oct 54 AD – Was 16 at the time

• Major early influences – Agrippina, his mother – Seneca, his tutor – Burrus, head of the Praetorian Guard

Competition • Agrippina vs. Seneca and Burrus • Nero had married Octavia, daughter of Claudius in 53, the year before

Bye Mom • Agrippina, seeing her influence slipping, begins to push Brittanicus as legitimate heir. – Brittanicus poisoned at a banquet, Nero unaffected; says it was epilepsy

• Agrippina “retires” and Nero stages her death in 59 – Ship breaks, she swims to safety – Executed, nobody believes the suicide story

Poor Octavia • Her mother was Messalina • Her brother was Brittanicus • Tacitus calls her “virtuous” and is beloved by Romans • Nero grows bored, has affairs and gets a woman Poppaea pregnant

Octavia’s End • Nero divorces her, marries Poppaea within 12 days; called Octavia “barren” – Poppaea was already married to a man named Otho

• Nero banishes Octavia to the same island that Julia of Augustus was sent to. • Romans protest, and Nero gives in to Poppaea who wants her killed – She is forced to commit suicide • They have her open her veins, she panics, which stops bleeding • She was then suffocated and her head brought to Poppaea

• Nero says her and Agrippina’s ghosts haunted him

Madness and Fire • By 62, Nero kills whomsoever he pleases • 64 AD, the Great Fire of Rome – Burned for 5 days – Rome was 14 districts • 4 were completely destroyed • 7 badly damaged

– Nero wasn’t even in Rome

The Great Fire • Nero’s rebuilding project goes wrong – Too expensive – He built his Domus Aurea ‘golden house’ on the old Subura (‘poor section’) – He blames the Christians for the fire

• In 65, he kicks Poppaea to death – She was pregnant – She isn’t cremated; stuffed with spices and put in the Mausoleum of Augustus

The End is Ner-o • He holds performances of singing – Scandalous for an emperor

• Competes in the Olympics in 67 – Falls of the chariot, still wins

• Parthian War – Corbulo, a great general, wins, but Nero has him commit suicide • The army is no longer on his side

Other important events • Rebellion in Britain 60-61 AD – Boudica, Celtic woman does massive damage to Roman forces – Sacks Londinium and other Roman towns – Eventually defeated by Roman arms

• War breaks out in Judea, in Jerusalem – General Vespasian sent to quell the rebellion

Death • Galba, governor of Gaul, goes into open rebellion • The Senate declares him an enemy • The Praetorian Guard sides with Galba • Nero flees to his country home and commits suicide on 9 June 68 AD

69 AD The Year of the Four Emperors

Galba

Otho

Vitellius

Vespasian