King Claudius Research Paper

966 Words2 Pages

Claudius-Roman Emperor

Claudius was born in Lugdunan on August 1, 10 BC and died on October 13, AD 54 in Rome at the age of 63. Claudius was born into a Royal Imperial family and was the youngest child of Drusus and Antonia Minor. Although he had other siblings, only two survived past childhood, his older brother Germanicus and his older sister Livilla. Additionally, Claudius father passed away suddenly when he was an infant leaving Antonia to raise the children. Claudius childhood was less than ideal. To begin, he was born two months premature and was sickly. Not only did he walk with a limp but he had speech impairment and often times drooled and slobbered when he talked. Not to mention, he always had a runny nose. His family viewed …show more content…

To begin, he restored the Rule of Law, which restored peace to Rome, abolished treason laws, gave women more rights, protected slaves, and offered insurance for grains imported from Africa and Egypt in case crops were destroyed in transit. Next, he made laws to protect the frail and vulnerable, and increased the control that the emperor had over the government treasury.
Notably, during his time as emperor, Claudius expanded the Roman Empire, a feat that his predecessor, Caesar, could not accomplish. Soon, after becoming emperor, he reformed the military and in AD 43, he went to war with Britain conquering them in sixteen days. With this victory Britain, North Africa, and part of Turkey now became part of the Roman Empire. When Claudius returned to Rome, he was welcomed back with praise and honor.
Throughout his thirteen years as emperor of Rome, Claudius was part of many major events. One event that caused a major upheaval was the uncovering of a conspiracy to kill Claudius. At this time a war broke out. Thirty-five senators died, along with three hundred equestrians. This event caused the senate to despise Claudius even more than they already did. Next, Claudius reconstructed the Port of Ostia. This made travel and trade easier and quicker for the Romans. Finally, he imported much needed corn to help feed the hungry citizens, earning their

Open Document