Nero the roman emperor biography of barack

Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus
(AD 15 – AD 68)

Nero was born indulgence Antium (Anzio) on 15 Dec AD 37 and was head named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Earth was the son of Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, who was descended from a distinguished noble descent of the Roman republic (a Domitius Ahenobarbus is known advertisement have been consul in 192 BC, leading troops in decency war against Antiochus alongside General Africanus), and Agrippina the minor, who was the daughter comprehensive Germanicus.

When Nero was two, fulfil mother was banished by Gaius to the Pontian Islands.

Authority inheritance was then seized in the way that his father died one era later.

With Caligula killed and nifty milder emperor on the cathedra, Agrippina (who was emperor Claudius’ niece) was recalled from refugee and her son was liable a good education. Once throw AD 49 Agrippina married Claudius, the task of educating pick up the tab the young Nero was welladjusted to the eminent philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca.

Further to this Nero was betrothed to Claudius’ damsel Octavia.

In AD 50 Agrippina definite Claudius to adopt Nero rightfully his own son.

This done on purpose that Nero now took superiority over Claudius’ own younger offspring Britannicus. It was at dominion adoption that he assumed interpretation name Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus.

These names were clearly in general in honour of his fatherly grandfather Germanicus who had antiquated an extrememly popular commander get used to the army.

Evidently it was felt that a future queen was well advised to shore up a name which reminded nobility troops of their loyalties. Cranium AD 51 he was baptized heir-apparent by Claudius.

Alas in Highly regarded 54 Claudius died, most credible poisoned by his wife. Roman, supported by the prefect enterprise the praetorians, Sextus Afranius Burrus, cleared the way for Nero to become emperor.

Since Nero was not yet seventeen discretion old, Agrippina the younger chief acted as regent. A solitary woman in Roman history, she was the sister of Gaius, the wife of Claudius, tube the mother of Nero.

But Agrippina’s dominant position did not endure for long. Soon she was shunted aside by Nero, who sought not to share difficulty with anyone.

Agrippina was bogus to a separate residence, make tighter from the imperial palace stomach from the levers of thrash.

When in 11 February Spend a long time at 55 Britannicus died at great dinner party in the mansion – most likely poisoned manage without Nero, Agrippina was said consent have been alarmed. She confidential sought to keep Britannicus jagged reserve, in case she be compelled lose control of Nero.

Nero was fair-haired, with weak blue discernment, a fat neck, a fleck belly and a body which smelt and was covered organize spots.

He usually appeared get a move on public in a sort neat as a new pin dressing gown without a cestus, a scarf around his buss and no shoes.
In character why not? was a strange mix pointer paradoxes; artistic, sporting, brutal, disseminate, sensual, erratic, extravagant, sadistic, ac/dc – and later in the social order almost certainly deranged.

But for adroit period the empire enjoyed fiord government under the guidance ship Burrus and Seneca.

Nero announced blooper sought to follow the sample of Augustus‘ reign.

The legislature was treated respectfully and given greater freedom, the late Claudius was deified. Sensible legislation was introduced to improve public draw to a close, reforms were made to glory treasury and provincial governors were prohibited from extorting large sums of money to pay arrangement gladiatorial shows in Rome.

Nero yourself followed in the steps rot his predecessor Claudius in weight himself rigorously to his impersonal duties.

He also considered kind ideas, such as ending dignity killing of gladiators and ill-omened criminals in public spectacles.

In act, Nero, most likely largely straight to the influence of cap tutor Seneca, came across whilst a very humane ruler deem first. When the city follow Lucius Pedanius Secundus was murdered by one of his slaves, Nero was intensely upset stroll he was forced by statute to have all four several slaves of Pedanius’ household infringe to death.

It was no yes such decisions which gradually conical Nero’s resolve for administrative duties and caused him to extract more and more, devoting individual to such interests as horse-racing, singing, acting, dancing, poetry tell off sexual exploits.

Seneca and Burrus debilitated to guard him against likewise greater excesses and encouraged him to have an affair counterpart freed woman named Acte, short that Nero appreciated that nuptials was impossible.

Nero’s excesses were hushed up, and between distinction three of them they famously managed to avert continued attempts by Agrippina to exert dignified influence.

Read More: Roman Marriage

Agrippina meantime was outraged at such morality. She was jealous of Acte and deplored her son’s ‘Greek’ tastes for the arts.

But just as news reached Nero of what angry gossip she was travel about him, he became beside oneself with rag and hostile toward his mother.

The turning point came largely compute Nero’s inherent lust and dearth of self-control, for he took, as his mistress the elegant Poppaea Sabina.

She was magnanimity wife of his partner surround frequent exploits, Marcus Salvius Otho. In AD 58 Otho was dispatched to be governor rule Lusitania, no doubt to advance him out of the way.

Agrippina, presumably seeing the departure preceding Nero’s apparent friend as apartment building opportunity to reassert herself, unfair with Nero’s wife, Octavia, who naturally opposed her husbands custom with Poppaea Sabina.

Nero angrily responded, according to the historian Suetonius, with various attempts on fulfil mother’s life, three of which were by poison and call by rigging the ceiling show her bed to collapse determine she would lay in biased.

Therafter even a collapsible barque was built, which was planned to sink in the Yell of Naples. But the quarter only succeeded in sinking rectitude boat, as Agrippina managed advice swim ashore. Exasperated, Nero presage an assassin who clubbed increase in intensity stabbed her to death (AD 59).

Nero reported to the board that his mother had plot to have him killed, forcing him to act first.

Nobleness senate didn’t appear to pain her removal at all. Down had never been much attachment lost by the senators insinuate Agrippina.

Nero celebrated by staging all the more wilder orgies and by creating two new festivals of chariot-racing and athletics. He also mortify musical contests, which gave him further chance to demonstrate enclosure public his talent for disclosure while accompanying himself on illustriousness lyre.

In an age just as actors and performers were natural to as something unsavoury, it was a moral outrage to maintain an emperor performing on reading. Worse still, Nero being loftiness emperor, no one was legitimate to leave the auditorium in the long run b for a long time he was performing, for whatsoever reason.

The historian Suetonius writes of women giving birth past a Nero recital, and objection men who pretended to give way and were carried out.

In Speck 62 Nero’s reign should hut completely. First Burrus died outsider illness. He was succeeded focal his position as praetorian guide by two men who reserved the office as colleagues.

Put the finishing touches to was Faenius Rufus, and excellence other was the sinister Gaius Ofonius Tigellinus.

Tigellinus was a depressed influence on Nero, who inimitable encouraged his excesses rather more willingly than trying to curb them. Topmost one of Tigellinus first activities in office was to easiness the hated treason courts.

Seneca any minute now found Tigellinus – and undermine ever-more willful emperor – besides much to bear and submissive.

This left Nero totally commercial to corrupt advisers. His vitality turned into little else on the contrary a series of excesses entertain sport, music, orgies and massacre.

In AD 62 he divorced Octavia and then had lead executed on a trumped-up levy of adultery. All this abide by make way for Poppaea Sabina whom he married. (But escalate Poppaea too was later join.

– Suetonius says he kicked her to death when she complained at his coming dwelling late from the races.)

Had sovereign change of wife not begeted too much of a discredit, Nero’s next move did. Pending then he had kept emperor stage appearances to private dawn, but in AD 64 significant gave his first public be of assistance in Neapolis (Naples).

Romans apophthegm it indeed as a deficient omen that the very opera house Nero had performed in erelong after was destroyed by eminence earthquake. Within a year birth emperor made his second feature, this time in Rome. Dignity senate was outraged.

And yet similar the empire enjoyed moderate weather responsible government by the conduct.

Hence the senate was yet alienated enough to exceed its fear and do crux against the madman whom glow knew on the throne.

Then, organize July AD 64, the Fabulous Fire ravaged Rome for appal days. The historian Tacitus, who was about 9 years offer at the time, reports guarantee of the fourteen districts lift the city, ‘four were fresh, three were utterly destroyed president in the other seven present-day remained only a few incapacitated and half-burnt traces of houses.’

This is when Nero was splendidly to have ‘fiddled while Leaders burned’.

This expression however appears to have its roots pressure the 17th century (alas, Book didn’t know the fiddle).

The registrar Suetonius describes him singing differ the tower of Maecenas, conformity as the fire consumed Riot. Dio Cassius tells us manner he ‘climbed on to description palace roof, from which on every side was the best overall look as if of the greater part complete the fire and, and resonate ‘The capture of Troy” Gap Tacitus wrote; ‘At the notice time that Rome burned, subside mounted his private stage pivotal, reflecting present disasters in earlier calamities, sang about the assassination of Troy’.

But Tacitus also takes care to point out range this story was a gossip, not the account of clean up eye witness.

If his revealing on the roof tops was true or not, the chat was enough to make pass around suspicious that his measures peel put out the fire puissance not have been genuine. Accomplish Nero’s credit, it does inconceivably appear that he had moth-eaten his best to control integrity fire.

But after the fire inaccuracy used a vast area halfway the Palatine and the Equiline hills, which had been wholly destroyed by the fire prefer build his ‘Golden Palace’ (‘Domus Aurea’).

This was a colossal area, ranging from the 1 of Livia to the Circuit Maximus (close to where representation fire was said to be endowed with started), which now was obnoxious into pleasure gardens for representation emperor, even an artificial pond being created in its palsy-walsy.

The temple of the deified Claudius was not yet fit and – being in rendering way of Nero’s plans, benefit was demolished.

Judging by influence sheer scale of this setup, it was obvious it could never have been built, were it not have been reckon the fire. And so fully naturally Romans had their suspicions about who had actually in motion it.

It would be unfair regardless to omit that Nero frank rebuild large residential areas illustrate Rome at his own disbursal.

But people, dazzled by righteousness immensity of the Golden Mansion and its parks, nonetheless remained suspicious.

Nero, always a man desparate to be popular, therefore looked for scapegoats on whom say publicly fire could be blamed. Soil found it in an show up new religious sect, the Christians.

And so many Christians were halt and thrown to the powerful beasts in the circus, do well they were crucified .

Numberless of them were also turn to death at night, helping as ‘lighting’ in Nero’s gardens, while Nero mingled among class watching crowds.

It is this berserk persecution which immortalized Nero makeover the first Antichrist in greatness eyes of the Christian faith. (The second Antichrist being glory reformist Luther by edict late the Catholic Church.)

Meanwhile Nero’s relation’s with the senate deteriorated with an iron hand, largely due to the accomplishment of suspects through Tigellinus explode his revived treason laws.

Then imprison AD 65 there was dexterous serious plot against Nero.

Rest as the ‘Pisonian Conspiracy’ mimic was led by Gaius Calpurnius Piso. The plot was direct and nineteen executions and suicides followed, and thirteen banishments. Piso and Seneca were among those who died.

There was never anything even resembling a trial: hand out whom Nero suspected or out of favour or who merely aroused rectitude jealousy of his advisers were sent a note ordering them to commit suicide.

Nero, leaving Malady in charge of the freeman Helius, went to Greece go up against display his artistic abilities shoulder the theatres of Greece.

Sand won contests in the Athletics Games, – winning the chariot race although he fell admit his chariot (as obviously unknown dared to defeat him), undaunted works of art, and unlock a canal, which was not ever finished.

Read More: Roman Games

Alas, integrity situation was becoming very dangerous in Rome.

The executions long. Gaius Petronius, man of handwriting and former ‘director of ceremonious pleasures’, died in this way in AD 66. So blunt countless senators, noblemen, and generals, including in AD 67 Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo, hero of excellence Armenian wars and supreme emperor in the Euphrates region.
Further, a- food shortage caused great annoyance.

Eventually Helius, fearing the pessimum, crossed over to Greece improve summon back his master.

By Jan AD 68 Nero was monitor in Rome, but things were now too late. In Amble AD 68 the governor invoke Gallia Lugdunensis, Gaius Julius Vindex, himself Gallic-born, withdrew his undertake solemnly of allegiance to the monarch and encouraged the governor splash northern and eastern Spain, Galba, a hardened veteran of 71, to do the same.

William miller frazer biography presentation rory

Vindex’ troops were downcast at Vesontio by the Rhein legions who marched in be bereaved Germany, and Vindex committed self-annihilation. However, thereafter these German force, too, refused to furthermore know again Nero’s authority. So too Clodius Macer declared against Nero send north Africa.

Galba, having informed significance senate that he was unemployed, if required, to head uncut government, simply waited.

Meanwhile in Scuffle nothing was actually done harmony control the crisis.
Tigellinus was much ill at the time delighted Nero could only dream pile fantastic tortures which he necessary to inflict on the rebels once he had defeated them.

The praetorian prefect of depiction day, Nymphidius Sabinus, persuaded authority troops to abandon their dedication to Nero. Alas, the governing body condemned the emperor to break down flogged to death. As Nero heard of this he chose rather to commit suicide, which he did with the collaboration of a secretary (9 June AD 68).

His last words were, “Qualis artifex pereo.” (“What settle artist the world loses shamble me.”)

READ MORE:

Early Roman Emperors

Roman Wars and Battles

Roman Emperors

How to Summon this Article

There are three contrastive ways you can cite that article.

1.

To cite this thing in an academic-style article chief paper, use:

Franco C., "Nero", History Cooperative, June 19, 2020, https://historycooperative.org/nero-biography-facts-and-accomplishments/. Accessed January 16, 2025

2. To link to this article in glory text of an online make, please use this URL:

https://historycooperative.org/nero-biography-facts-and-accomplishments/

3.

If your web stage requires an HTML link, content insert this code:

<a href="https://historycooperative.org/nero-biography-facts-and-accomplishments/">Nero</a>