Claudius Role Of Emperor

Claudius was a significant ruler of the early Roman imperial era. He reigned from AD 41-54. He was easily influenced by those with questionable agendas, such as his last two wives and his freedmen, yet his principate was deemed successful. His expansion of the empire, his new reforms and his control over the senate were all beneficial to the state and and his rule was one which paved the way for those who ruled after him.

Claudius was a member of the equestrian class and became a consul in AD 37 (Emperor Claudius Timeline, N Gill). He suffered from a permanent limp, speech impediments and abdominal pains. Because of his poor health he was not considered a political threat, but rather, his ill health became an advantage on the January 24th,

He strived to create a military image for himself and this was achieved through his conquest of Britain. He personally led his Roman armies to land in Britain, despite his physical disabilities. This act gained him popularity and support from the military. He reorganised the names of the auxiliary troops, and he also changed their terms of service, and made it so that any auxiliary soldier was entitled to Roman citizenship. Claudius gained support from the military and strived to also gain the support of the Julian’s. He did this by publicly announcing Augustus as his role model and also by executing Caligula’s assassin. This did gain him the support of the Julian’s but it also made the Praetorian Guard angry. The Praetorian Guard were the Roman troops whose job it is to protect the Roman emperors. They were upset that Claudius executed Caligula’s assassin without consulting them first. However, Claudius was able to buy back their loyalty and support by providing the Guard with a generous bonus of 15 000 - 20 000 sesterces. By doing this he established a precedent. However, although Claudius had the support of many, but he struggled to gain the support of the Senate. The Senate were a danger to Claudius and he refused to enter the house of the Senate during the first thirty days of his reign. By removing and abolishing treason trials, and Caligula’s tax reforms, he sought to gain their support.

Messalina was Claudius’ third wife and they had a son named Britannicus, who was to be the heir of the throne when Claudius died. When Claudius married Caligula’s sister, and his niece, Agrippina the younger, she had a son. Agrippina convinced Claudius to adopt her son as his own, and she succeeded. Upon adoption his name changed to Nero. When Nero became older, she also attempted to convince Claudius to name Nero as his successor. She succeeded and Claudius favoured Nero as his heir. Because she was such an influential person in his life, people believed that she had caused his death by poisoning him when he had had second thoughts about naming Nero as his successor.

The Emperor Claudius was both a successful and significant ruler of the Roman Empire. His control of the Senate and new bureaucratic reforms led him to improve the efficiency of the government. His most dramatic reform was the expansion of the empire and the extension of who could be granted Roman citizenship. These new reforms gained him a lot of support. Although Claudius was easily influenced by those close to him, such as his two wives and freedmen, his rule was successful and one which paved the way for other rulers after