Emperor Nero
Around 54 AD, the Roman empire was enjoying the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, a time when outside enemies were not a threat and the arts flourished. However, this peace did not last long when Emperor Nero came into the picture. Emperor Nero was the most destructive of the ancient Roman emperors of the Julian-Claudian dynasty.
The Julian-Claudian dynasty was filled with exceptional and disastrous rulers, but Nero stood out in his lasting negative effects. Julius Caesar was the first ruler of this dynasty, however he was a dictator not an emperor. He ruled during the republic era, a government of popular consent. Not much can be said about Julius Caesar as a dictator because he was killed a month into his rule. Succeeding Julius …show more content…
"He quarreled with his mother Agrippina, who for his sake had murdered the feeble Claudius; and when she threatened to restore Britannicus to the throne, he ordered that young prince to be poisoned at an entertainment (Alchin)." Britannicus, son of Claudius, was the true heir of the empire, but Nero felt threatened and quickly had Britannicus murdered. This was an early sign of the results of his paranoia. The throne was now his and surprisingly, Nero started off well during his first five years known as the golden age. However, this quickly changed when Nero felt he had enough of his control-freak mother. Similar to how he handled most situations, Nero relied on murder. His first attempt failed and his cowardice showed through when he sent other people to do his dirty deed (Powers 43). Once he did this, his true character started to really show through. In his leisure time with friends, Nero would go out and murder or rob innocent people for fun. Furthermore, he would seduce women and children and even castrated a male slave and slept with him (Powers 43). Nero showed early signs of destructive …show more content…
The Great Fire of Rome is Nero’s legacy. This fire destroyed most of Rome and Nero was rumored to have been singing in his vacation home during this time. Whether or not this is true, Nero began to build an enormous palace for himself in an area that was not clear before the fire, thus giving the people a reason to believe he started it (“Nero Claudius Germanicus”). Furthermore, to build this palace, Domus Aurea, Nero had loot temples for gold and murder nobles (“Fire Destroys Rome:64”). Nero’s palace led to bankruptcy and then used the Christians as a scapegoat for the fire. Already not well-liked, the Christians face stonings and soon the religion was made
Around 54 AD, the Roman empire was enjoying the Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, a time when outside enemies were not a threat and the arts flourished. However, this peace did not last long when Emperor Nero came into the picture. Emperor Nero was the most destructive of the ancient Roman emperors of the Julian-Claudian dynasty.
The Julian-Claudian dynasty was filled with exceptional and disastrous rulers, but Nero stood out in his lasting negative effects. Julius Caesar was the first ruler of this dynasty, however he was a dictator not an emperor. He ruled during the republic era, a government of popular consent. Not much can be said about Julius Caesar as a dictator because he was killed a month into his rule. Succeeding Julius …show more content…
"He quarreled with his mother Agrippina, who for his sake had murdered the feeble Claudius; and when she threatened to restore Britannicus to the throne, he ordered that young prince to be poisoned at an entertainment (Alchin)." Britannicus, son of Claudius, was the true heir of the empire, but Nero felt threatened and quickly had Britannicus murdered. This was an early sign of the results of his paranoia. The throne was now his and surprisingly, Nero started off well during his first five years known as the golden age. However, this quickly changed when Nero felt he had enough of his control-freak mother. Similar to how he handled most situations, Nero relied on murder. His first attempt failed and his cowardice showed through when he sent other people to do his dirty deed (Powers 43). Once he did this, his true character started to really show through. In his leisure time with friends, Nero would go out and murder or rob innocent people for fun. Furthermore, he would seduce women and children and even castrated a male slave and slept with him (Powers 43). Nero showed early signs of destructive …show more content…
The Great Fire of Rome is Nero’s legacy. This fire destroyed most of Rome and Nero was rumored to have been singing in his vacation home during this time. Whether or not this is true, Nero began to build an enormous palace for himself in an area that was not clear before the fire, thus giving the people a reason to believe he started it (“Nero Claudius Germanicus”). Furthermore, to build this palace, Domus Aurea, Nero had loot temples for gold and murder nobles (“Fire Destroys Rome:64”). Nero’s palace led to bankruptcy and then used the Christians as a scapegoat for the fire. Already not well-liked, the Christians face stonings and soon the religion was made