The Life of Emperor Nero

1750 Words4 Pages

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.

At this stage in the Roman Empire things were extremely dangerous and many power struggles within the royal family were arising. With the demise of the sadistic Emperor Caligula led to the rise of Emperor Claudius and Rome was left with instability. This created an omnipresence of fear which forced Agrippa, Nero’s mother, to secure a spot of safety by marrying her uncle Emperor Claudius. In order to achieve emperorship, Agrippa and Nero murdered Emperor Claudius which resulted in Nero becoming the youngest Emperor until that time, at the age of seventeen. His governing was significantly influenced by his mother, as well as his two dominant advisors Seneca and Burrus.

Even though he eventually did believe in complete dictatorship, primarily he was quite promising because of his moderate approach to governance. His tutor and advisor Seneca, who was one of the great intellectuals and philosophers at the time, taught Nero from a young age about mercy, justice and the sacredness of human life. These ideas appealed to Nero and he tried to gain popularity by following these moral ideas. He also allowed the senate to make more decisions which was appreci...

... middle of paper ...

...multifaceted system which people of greater experience even had difficulty controlling. Even though he developed the arts it wasn’t worth the amount of human suffering and deaths that occurred during his time. Ultimately the government system was set up to prevent civil war, but it eventually did collapse into civil war because Nero failed the system and the Roman people.

Works Cited

• Tacitus, C. (2005). The annals of imperial Rome. Stilwell, KS: Digireads.com.

• Tranquillus, C. S. (1978). Lives of the twelve Caesars. S.l.: Corner House Pub.

• Century, t. 4., Peter, a. n., & Paul.. (n.d.). Nero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 2, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero

• Emperor Nero. (n.d.). The Roman Empire. Retrieved January 5, 2012, from http://www.roman-empire.net/emperors/nero-index.html

Show More
Related

  • Exploring the Leadership of Roman Emperor Claudius

    2460 Words  | 5 Pages

    In this essay, we are going to discuss whether Claudius was an effective ruler. In order to achieve an answer to this, we will also discuss how he governed his empire and how he went about administrating laws and provinces. To start with, however, it is best to briefly introduce Claudius before he becomes emperor. This will help us to understand his situation and how past events effected his ruling. Claudius was the great nephew of Augustus, and so was part of the most important family in Rome at the time.

    Read More

  • Rome's Really 'Bad' Emperors

    1252 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tiberius, who served as emperor from 14 to 37 AD, began his rule after the death of his father-in-law, Augustus. Tiberius was a weak ruler, and he understood that ruling Rome was like “holding a wolf by the ears.” When conflict arose in Europe, Tiberius sent his nephew, Germanicus, to deal with it. Germanicus did his job, and this resulted in Tiberius fearing the newest war-hero. To avoid the issue, Germanicus was appointed governor of the remote eastern provinces by his uncle. After the sudden death of Germanicus, people believed that Tiberius had poisoned him. He denied this, but the accusations never died. When he was in need of advice, Tiberius sought the assistance of Sejanus, a cavalry officer and town cheat. Tiberius sought the assistance of Sejanus, a cavalry officer. Sejanus abused the trust that was put in him, and he began to prosecute potential threats. Germanicus’s family was rumored to be plotting against Tiberius, and Sejanus had them all killed, only sparing his youngest son, Caligula. Tiberius did nothing, moving and cutting himself off from social contact. In Capri. Tiberius, who was safe from danger now, only allowed Sejanus to visit him regularly. When most believed that Sejanus would turn against him, Tiberius did the unexpected. He turned against Sejanus, choosing Caligula, Germanicus’s only surviving son, as heir to the throne. Taking care of Sejanus, Tiberius sent a letter to the Senate, condemning the cavalry officer. They captured him, strangled him, and dumped his body in the river Tiber. Tiberius died in 37 AD.

    Read More

  • Domitius Nero Research Paper

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the murder of caligula in January A.D. 41 and the ascension of emperor Claudius shortly afterward, mother and son were reunited. His ambitious mother would go on to marry claudius in A.D. 49 and she saw to it that he adopted her son, giving him a new name that started with Nero.His tutors included the famous philosopher seneca, a man who would continue advising Nero into his reign even writing the proclamation explaining why Nero killed his mother.

    Read More

  • Analysis: The First Emperor Of Rome

    2050 Words  | 5 Pages

    The process of implementing the system of government by an emperor that came to dominate Rome for hundreds of years didn 't happen overnight. Augustus worked diligently during the first years after the civil wars to make Rome great. His imperial conquests doubled the land mass of Rome. He used wealth taken from Cleopatra after her defeat to compensate his multitude of soldiers, keeping them happy and loyal. The city of Rome itself also underwent a massive overhaul. By the year 14 CE, the empire was large, stable, and at peace.

    Read More

  • Hadrian and Nero

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ties and respective strengths and shortcomings. Nero's lavish spending, while similar in scope to even Augustus, was imprudent at the time simply because the empire could not support the expenditure due to a shortcoming in military conquest and therefore a decline in income. In similar fashion, Nero's provincial travels were imprudent because they had no applicable imperial purpose for the state. Whereas Hadrian traveled largely to fortify and codify Roman presence in the provincial areas, Nero traveled for leisure and self interest. While Hadrian no doubt enjoyed himself thoroughly in similar fashion, the travels were none the less official in purpose and intent. The empire, moreover, in the time of Hadrian was at it's most powerful territorially, and his excursions to the provincial areas kept grain and money flowing and ensured a smooth transition of power.

    Read More

  • Titus Livius: The Early History of Rome

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Titus Livius’, The Early History of Rome, Livy takes on the task of documenting Rome’s early history and some of the famous individuals who help contribute to the ‘greatness’ of Rome. Livy dedicates an entire portion of his writing to describe the reigns of the first seven kings of Rome; all who influence the formation and governance of Rome in some way. However, of the seven kings in early Roman history, King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius achieved godlike worship and high esteem from their fellow Romans. While both highly important and respected figures in Rome’s history, the personalities and achievements of King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius are complete opposites of one another. Despite the differences found in each king and of their rule over Rome, both Romulus and Numa Pompilius have a tremendous influence in the prosperity and expansion of Rome in its early days.

    Read More

  • The Life and Times of Nero

    1590 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nero was born December 15, 37 AD at Antium. His name was originally Lucious Domitius Ahenobarbus. His parents were Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. Domitius served as consul for Rome. He was a man of execrable character. Domitius died shortly after Nero's birth in 40 AD. Agrippina was the great-grand daughter of the Emperor Augustus. Her father was the famous Roman General, Germanicus. The memory of the great general was raverred by many Romans. This extended Agrippina the power of having the reputation of a heroic father and a respectable family heritage. She would use the power of her father's reputation to its fullest for the sa...

    Read More

  • Were the Conspirators Right to Murder Julius Caesar?

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) was one of the most outstanding leaders in history. He was the first ruler of the Romano-Hellenic civilization and achieved his goals with great success throughout his life of 56 years. He was assassinated by the conspirators, who accused him of practicing tyranny. This essay will discuss whether it was right for the conspirators to murder Caesar and what its consequences were. The conspirators were wrong to kill Julius Caesar because he contributed to the upturn and reformation of Rome into an orderly state.

    Read More

  • Augustus Caesar: The rise of the Roman Empire

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    During his early years, Augustus (then called Octavian), was nothing more than a citizen within the Roman Republic, born into a rich family with close ties to the Roman general Julius Caesar. When Caesar was assassinated by traitors within the senate, Octavian was posthumously adopted as his son. He was only 20 when he formed th...

    Read More

  • The Roman Empire

    1687 Words  | 4 Pages

    Augustus created the office of emperor with the Augustan Principate, which was “to have no institutionalized authoritarian power, no perpetual dictatorship such as Julius Caesar had had himself voted early in 44, or anything like it (Stockton, 124).” Despite his wishes the people of Rome ended up giving Augustus eternal office, and powers to control the Senate with the rights to dictate agendas and veto (Stockton, 128). The people of Rome had created a position of absolute power, the exact thing Augustus was attempting to prevent. At the time the people of Rome could not have realized what they were creating in the office of emperor, for Augustus was a great man whose leadership created a great shadow over the shoulder of any future emperor.

    Read More

  • Tacitus

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    Overall, my impression of Tacitus is one who has had his views tainted and distorted by tyrannical rulers and unjust emperors. He heavily criticises Nero for his extravangance and habits, but especially for his short - sightedness. The omens, his hatred of megalomaniac women like Poppaea and his brilliant creation of speeches (Agrippina's death) all contribute to his unique narrative style. Tacitus goes far beyond the philosophers and his Roman compatriots in his focus on political, social, and psychological evil, and, for him, it was Rome's own moral failure engendered all the evils that led to the decline of freedom. I personally think that he was a brilliant literary artist, and his account of the significant period in Roman history is vivd and searching.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Reign Of Nero And Tacitus

    1735 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nero last of the Julio-Claudian emperors has lived on for almost two thousand years in infamy. Three different sources seemed to have the same opinion of him, that he committed heinous crimes against the senate, the people of Rome, and his own family and therefore is deserving of his reputation. Dio Cassius, Suetonius, and Tacitus are all ancient sources who wrote of the emperor’s reign. Tacitus is the only of the three to have been alive during his reign. All three were wealthy upper class citizens holding titles writing after Nero’s death. And all had the same opinion of Nero that he was a disgraceful emperor deserving of his fate. But their accounts vary greatly and details as simple as names are not constant throughout the accounts. Two events stand out as the most controversial and varied in their recounting, Nero’s murder of his mother Agrippina, and the great fire of Rome. Both of the events have been told differently by the aforementioned sources so I will examine each account and compare them. Although Nero was notoriously cruel his part in the horrors that befell Rome during his reign have been exaggerated by biased sources.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Augustus

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    After Augustus's death, his successors had varying degrees of effectiveness and popularity. Caligula – bloodthirsty and mentally unstable Claudius – conqueror of Britannia, and Nero – uninhibited spender and disinterested ruler, all were in Augustus's dynasty. After Nero's suicide in the face of assassination in 68 c.e., the principate was held by four different Emperors in the span of 18 months.

    Read More

  • Biography On Julius Caesar

    719 Words  | 2 Pages

    Julius Caesar was a strong leader of the Romans who changed the course of the history for the Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength, he created a strong empire and guided the empire for almost 20 years. His life was short, but had many adventures. I will tell of some of this man’s remarkable life. He did many things, therefore, I will only discuss a few. His name, part of his reign, one of his greatest battles, and his death will be told.

    Read More

  • The Persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Nero

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Persecution of Christians by the Roman Emperor Nero In this section of my coursework I am going to describe the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Nero. Nero was emperor at the time 64AD and was rumoured to have started a fire to burn down. the city of Rome and rebuild it.

    Read More

More about The Life of Emperor Nero

Open Document