Nero

Nero’s maternal uncle, Caligula, had begun his reign at the age of 17 with ample time to produce his own heir. His mother, Agrippina, lost favor with Caligula and was exiled in 39 AD after her husband’s death. Then Caligula seized Nero’s inheritance and sent him to be raised by his less wealthy aunt, Domitia Lepida. But Caligula produced no male heir and he was murdered in 41 AD along with his wife Caesonia and their infant daughter Julia Drusilla. These events led Claudius, Caligula’s uncle, to become emperor. Claudius allowed Agrippina to return from exile. Claudius married a fourth time, to Agrippina and, to aid Claudius politically, Lucius (Nero) was officially adopted in 50 AD and renamed Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus. And as Nero was older than his stepbrother, Britannicus (Claudius’s son), he became heir to the throne.

Nero was sixteen years old when Agrippina poisoned Claudius, allowing him to become emperor in 54 AD. Nero’s early reign was strongly influenced by his mother Agrippina, his tutor Lucius Annaeus Seneca, and the Praetorian Prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus, especially in the first year. Very early in Nero’s rule, problems arose from competition for influence between Agrippina and Nero’s two main advisers, Seneca and Burrus. In 54, Agrippina tried to sit down next to Nero while he met with an Armenian envoy, but Seneca stopped her and prevented a scandalous scene. Nero’s personal friends also mistrusted Agrippina and told Nero to beware of his mother.

But Agrippina’s dominant position did not last for long. Soon she was shunted aside by Nero, who sought not to share power with anyone. With Agrippina’s influence over her son severed, she reportedly began pushing for Britannicus, Nero’s stepbrother, to become emperor. Nearly fifteen-year-old Britannicus, heir-designate prior to Nero’s adoption, was still legally a minor, but was approaching legal adulthood. Agrippina hoped that with her support, Britannicus, being the blood son of Claudius, would be seen as the true heir to the throne by the state over Nero. But Britannicus died suddenly and suspiciously in 55 AD, the very day before his proclamation as an adult had been set. Nero claimed that he had died from an epileptic seizure. After the death of Britannicus, Agrippina was accused of slandering Octavia and Nero ordered her out of the imperial residence.

Nero ordered the murder of his mother in 59. In 58, Nero had become romantically involved with Poppaea Sabina, the wife of his friend Marcus Salvius Otho, who had been dispatched to be governor of Lusitania, no doubt to move him out of the way. A marriage to Poppaea and a divorce from Octavia did not seem feasible with Agrippina alive. She had also openly opposed Nero’s affairs with a freed woman called Claudia Acte, siding with Nero’s wife Octavia.

Nero often made rulings that pleased the lower class. Under Nero, restrictions were put on the amount of bail and fines. Also, fees for lawyers were limited. There was a discussion in the Senate on the misconduct of the freedmen class, as a strong demand was made that patrons should have the right of revoking freedom. Nevertheless, Nero supported the freedmen and ruled that patrons had no such right. The Senate tried to pass a law in which the crimes of one slave applied to all slaves within a household. Nero vetoed the measure. After tax collectors were accused of being too harsh to the poor, Nero transferred collection authority to lower commissioners.

Nero built a number of gymnasiums and theaters and had performers dress in Greek clothing. He held enormous gladiatorial shows and also established the quinquennial Neronia. The festival included games, poetry and theater. In 64 a large fire broke out and Rome burned. Nero enacted a public relief effort as well as significant reconstruction. A number of other major construction projects occurred in Nero’s late reign. Nero had the marshes of Ostia filled with rubble from the fire. He erected the large Domus Aurea.