Nero

The fifth Roman emperor was a great-great grandson of Augustus, nephew of Caligula and stepson of Claudius. He lived from 37-68 AD. His original name was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus.

He was banished from Rome when he was only a child because of Caligula and his mother, Agrippina. He grew up in a slave family where came to like Greek arts, and literature. After the death of Caligula he met his mother and returned to the empire.

            Agrippina poisoned her second husband to marry Claudius, persuading the aging emperor to adopt her son and name him his heir rather than Claudius’ natural son, Britannicus. His full adopted name was Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, represented him as a descendent of Julius Caesar who was worshipped by Romans as god. In spite of his promise, Claudius name Britannicus his heir in his will. Agrippina, who came to know it, poisoned her husband with toxic mushroom, and hid the will in case she couldn’t direct Nero. That was one of the reasons why she had to die later.

            So Nero became the emperor in 54. The 17-year-old emperor was tutored by the Stoic philosopher, Seneca. He became later the first minister of the empire. He, Agrippina and Burrus, the leader of the praetorians, agreed that they should give to Nero only illusive power. So they govern instead of Nero in the beginning.

Nero fell in love with a young freed slave, Acte, however he already had a wife, Octavia, who was Claudius’ daughter, but it was only a political marriage. Agrippina did’n approve of this relationship, so she threatened Nero that she could take his power away. Then Nero’s anger increased, banished his mother and murdered Britannicus.

After that Nero fell in love again, with Pomppaea. She persuaded him to commit mother-assassination. He tried it several times with poisons, but Agrippina took anti-doses with herself. So, once the ship on which she cruised was weakened, that it sank in the sea. Despite that Agrippina amazingly survived this, as well. Finally Anicetus, a sailor with his 2 men attacked Agrippina in her bedroom at night. One of them hit her with a padle and then she was stabbed to death.

Then he divorced Octavia to get marriage with Pomppaea, but Octavia was also murdered. Pomppaea and Nero married in 62, and she bore a daughter,  Claudia to him the next year, but the child died only a few month later. One night, Pomppaea so insulted Nero, that he kicked her in stomach. Then she expected a baby again, so she died of it.

In 64 in a hot summer the Circus Maximus caught fire and it spread to the whole city. Nero was in Antium, but when he heard that, he rushed back to Rome. He watched the fire from a tower and played in his lyre and sang. He gave home those, who had lost their home in his palace and rebuilt Rome. People started guessing that he lighted the city, that he could rebuild Rome. Therefore he blamed Christians, many of whom were arrested and tortured to death.

            His tutor, Seneca joined a group of Roman nobles who conspired to murder Nero. Finally Nero forced Seneca to commit suicide, he opened his veins. At last the praetorian guard abandoned Nero and forced to flee Rome. He committed suicide at the age of 31. According to different sources he opened his veins, as well, or stung daggers into his throat, it isn’t clear.

            Among Christians Nero became infamous for torturing Christians for the fire that deveasted Rome. But towards Romans, Jews and others he was often far less a tyrant than his predecessors.