Nero : The Selfish And Cruel

The military campaigns of the Caesars made Rome one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Suetonius conveys through his writings that being a good military leader and a good Caesar were synonymous. Augustus, who Suetonius thought an excellent leader, reunited the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire ( 51) and greatly expanded Romes territory (53). Augustus “showed not only skill as a commander, but courage as a soldier” in the eyes of his contemporaries (47). On the other hand, both Caligula and Nero, considered poor leaders by Suetonius, had very limited military success and aspirations. Only once did Caligula initiate a military exploit, and it was rife with his madness. His campaign into Germany was on a whim and all he accomplished was receiving the surrender of a

"Let Nero be ever before your eyes, swollen with the pride of a long line of Caesars… an Emperor condemned by his own people… Nero will always be regretted"

* Believed to be gods, these men acted cruelly and thoughtlessly toward their subjects. Luke describes a few of these actions in his letters, like when Domitian forces his people to stand out in the cold and rain and watch a performance while he stays warm and dry. Also Emperor Nero’s many radical actions, like burning down half his city then blaming the Christians. These men believed they were above reproach although they acted like malicious children in the treatment of their people.

“the events that led to her downfall, which happened alongside that of her son Nero, are extremely difficult to disentangle and contradictory versions have come down in the sources” Barrett

Such acts were unheard of among previous emperors and granted him a power among the general popluace that most emperors would not in see. While largely popular early on, Nero would also use his power to pursue his own accords, including being overly involved in theatrical performances, agreeing to the death sentence of his own mother and taking advantage of the Roman fire to build his own palace and

When we think about the historical significance of Rome, it comes down to its leaders and how these leaders ruled in their era. Confidence, commitment, inspiration, intuition, and creativity, are all essential traits that a ruler must possess. In my opinion, no one has demonstrated these important characteristics better than Caesar Augustus, or better known as Octavian. Octavian showed how good of administrator he was, which was well needed after years of civil strife and social unrest. On the other hand, military genius, Julius Caesar, was lacking in administrative qualities which infect, lead his era to have a period of civil war and bloodshed.

Tiberius was a significant Julio-Claudian emperor who applied a great deal of contributions to the Roman Empire during his reign… The Julio-Claudian dynasty refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula (also known as Gaius), Claudius, and Nero and the family to which they belonged. They ruled the Roman Empire from its formation, in the second half of the 1st century 27 BC, until AD 68, when the last of the line, Nero, committed suicide. The ancient historical writers, Suetonius and Tacitus, write from the point of view of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, and

three of Rome’s district were on fire, starting off with Circus Maximus and spreading out with seven districts severely damaged. At the time Nero was accused of playing the fiddle and singing the Greek epic “The Sack of Ilium” and rumors were passed around that that the emperor had set the city ablaze. When he was confronted about it, he “pointed the finger at the Christians, still a new and underground religion. With this accusation, persecution and torture of the Christians began in Rome” (Bio.com). This event was the decline and fall of the infamous Nero as he tried to rebuild Rome that was burnt down. Soon, there was an assassination plot about him and when he found out it, he executed many senators and officers. Even his closest friends were plotting against him, including Seneca, who committed suicide after being caught. Nero decided to take an extended tour of Greece, so he would not be troubled by all the events happening at home. After taking a tour of Greece, he was a public enemy of his people because of several higher raining officers trying be allies and overthrow him. He tried to escape and find friends and family, but he had none in the end, eventually committing suicide. With the help of a senate to kill him on June 9, 68 A.D., his last words were “What an artist dies in me!” He was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian

Nero and Tiberius were two leaders who were liked by the public. Both starting their reigns young, Nero and Tiberius accomplished many things. Gaining the public’s eye, Nero gave Claudius a lavish funeral and personally delivered the oration in person. He founded a colony at Antium consisting of praetorian veterans, he gave the public an immense variety of entertainments, and even introduced his own style of architecture. These accomplishments all played a role in how the public adored him. Giving the public positive ideas will gain their trust, but unfortunately, he does not keep their trust. As Nero became older, his accomplishments became less and less, he began turning into someone who was in it for the money. His turning point was when he bankrupted Rome, once this happened Nero was neither trusted or liked.

Have you ever waged war against your wife? Caesar Octavian Augustus did. Augustus was a great leader. Leaders are necessary because they need to show leadership amongst the people and unite the people as one doing anything to keep them safe. Caesar Octavian Augustus was one of Rome’s greatest leaders by showing that at the age of 19, he can rule one of the most powerful nations by any means including war (http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/augustus.html)

Nero, who took the throne after his mother poisoned Claudius, the current emperor, ruled from 54 to 68 AD. At first, Nero was the picture-perfect emperor. He lowered taxes, allowed more freedom to the Senate, granted permission to slaves who wanted to sue their unfair owners, and rid Rome of capital punishment. Eventually, Nero

Nero was surrounded by death and as emperor was known for his many of his atrocities and executions, including the execution of his mother. Even as a child, Nero was surrounded by death in his family. Nero’s father, Lucious Ahenobarbus, died when Nero was 2 years old. Several other family members deaths followed including: his uncle, aunt and cousin; his half-brother, and his mother. After becoming emperor, he had ordered the execution of his mother for having indecent relations.

Nero’s rise to power was a “long road full of treachery.” (T.V.) It was also full of change such as his name he was not always know as Nero his name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus until his dad had died and his mom married her widowed uncle, who was the emperor of the time, and they changed it to Nero Claudius Divi Claudius Filius Caesar Agustus Germanicus. Later she convinced him to name Nero heir to the throne and allow him take his daughter Octavia as his wife. His adopted brother was reaching age to take the throne but he mysteriously died, “Many suspect that Nero poisoned him.” (biograpy.com, 2017) So, as one can see Nero was a very shady character who would stop at nothing to seize and hold the throne.

Emperor Nero, infamously known as one of the most malevolent, oppressive, and tyrannical leader throughout history, was the last ruler of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty. He was born outside Rome in Antium and his mother married his great uncle, Emperor Claudius, in order for her son to be the next Emperor of Rome. It wasn’t apparent that her son was to become one of the most feared and cruel leaders in Roman history from 54 CE to 68 CE. By examining his achievements and failures as an emperor, his influences and changes over the entire economic, political and social spectrum are revealed.

However, before he did, the infamous Emperor set out to kill all his political and military opposers. Generals such as Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian were forced to flee Rome. Nero’s death plunged Rome into a chaotic and historically bloody civil war, parties vying for power battled in the city streets of Rome. Servius Galba, the Imperator in charge of the Upper German Army, decided to storm Rome, not knowing that Nero was dead and no longer in power. The Praetorian Guards were not only a military powerhouse but the personal bodyguards of the Emperors and the only military legions stationed throughout mainland Italy. They had more than enough resources to wage war against other Roman legions. Galba had promised to reward the Praetorian Guard who deserted Nero and promised to serve him in order to gain their full power. Dr. Sandra Ottley writes that “it was the support that Galba received from the Praetorian Prefect...and the Praetorian Guard that helped ensure his eventual success.” It was then that the Senate named him Emperor. It is completely possible that even then, the Senate was being controlled by the Praetorian Guard. Years