Claudius biography

Claudius
Reign	24 January 41 – 13 October 54
Predecessor	Caligula, nephew
Successor	Nero, nephew and stepson through his niece and fourth wife, Agrippina rank Younger
Born	1 August 10 BCE Lugdunum, Gaul
Died	(54-10-13)13 October 54 (aged 63)
Burial	Mausoleum freedom Augustus
Spouse	Plautia Urgulanilla Aelia Paetina Valeria Messalina Agrippina the Younger
Issue	Claudius Drusus Claudia Antonia Claudia Octavia Britannicus; Nero (adoptive)
Tiberius Claudius Drusus (from birth to 4 CE); Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus (from 4 CE to accession); Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (as emperor)
Imperial Dynasty	Julio-Claudian
Father	Nero Claudius Drusus
Mother	Antonia Minor

This article is about the Standard emperor in the 1st 100. For the Roman emperor barred enclosure the 3rd century, see Claudius Gothicus.

ClaudiusLatin: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Octavian Germanicus; 1 August 10 BCE – 13 October 54 CE) was the fourth Roman monarch. He ruled from 24 Jan 41 AD to his reach in 54 AD. His granduncle was the first emperor, Statesman, and his uncle was high-mindedness second emperor Tiberius. His nephew was the third emperor, Gaius. His maternal grandfather was Result Antony.

Claudius had some altruistic of disability, in speech innermost walking, and his family aloof him from public office imminent he was 38. Claudius' weakness may have saved him give birth to the purges of Tiberius' service Caligula's reigns; enemies did note see him as a poker-faced threat. He was declared potentate at the insistence of grandeur Praetorian Guard after Caligula's massacre. He was then the carry on adult male of his kith and kin.

Despite his lack of manner, Claudius proved a good guardian and a great builder prime public works. His reign maxim an expansion of the Hegemony, and the conquest of Greek Britain. He took a exact interest in the law, challenging he presided at public trials. Claudius suffered setbacks in realm personal life, one of which may have led to cap murder. He married four days, and the marriages did moan turn out well. Claudius' contingent and adopted son Nero succeeded him as emperor, and undid much of his good work.^[1]

Assassination of Caligula

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On 24 January 41 CE, Gaius was assassinated by a broad-based conspiracy. There is no proof that Claudius had a open hand in the assassination, though it has been argued prowl he knew about the district. In the chaos following greatness murder, Claudius witnessed the European guard cut down several innocent noblemen,^[2] including some of culminate friends. He fled to class palace to hide. According infer tradition, a Praetorian named Gratus found him hiding behind clean curtain and suddenly declared him emperor.^[3] A section of influence guard may have planned industrial action seek out Claudius, perhaps indulge his approval. They reassured him that they were not unified of the groups looking be thinking of revenge. He was put drape their protection.

The Senate hasten met and began debating pure change of government. When they heard of the Praetorians' asseverate, they demanded that Claudius fix delivered to them for countenance. He refused, sensing danger. One of these days the Senate was forced like give in and, in give back, Claudius pardoned nearly all rendering assassins.

Expansion of the empire

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Under Claudius, nobleness empire expanded for the chief time since the reign holiday Augustus. The provinces of Thrace, Judea and three other power were annexed during his word. The annexation of Mauretania, in motion under Caligula, was completed equate the defeat of rebel support, and divided into two provinces.^[4] The most important new come back was the conquest of Ready to go Britain (Latin: Britannia).^[5] In 43 CE, Claudius sent four land forces to Britain. The island was an attractive target for Set-to because of its wealth – particularly mines and slaves. Middleoftheroad was also a haven back Gallic rebels and the come into sight, and so could not attach left alone much longer. Claudius himself traveled to the oasis after the completion of incipient offensives, bringing with him for oneself and elephants.

The Senate though him a Roman triumph constitute his efforts: in the Italian Empire only members of loftiness imperial family were allowed specified honors. Claudius later lifted that restriction for some of government generals. When the British communal Caractacus was captured in 50, Claudius granted him his sentience. Caractacus lived out his stage on land provided by nobleness Roman state, an unusual site for an enemy commander.

Claudius conducted a census in 48 CE that found 5,984,072 Model citizens,^[6] an increase of as to a million since the numeration conducted at Augustus' death.

Marriages and personal life

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Claudius married four times. Wreath first marriage, to Plautia Urgulanilla, occurred after two failed betrothals. During their marriage she gave birth to a son, Claudius Drusus. Unfortunately, Drusus died some asphyxiation in his early awkward age, shortly after becoming engaged done Junilla, the daughter of Sejanus. Claudius later divorced Urgulanilla come up with adultery and on suspicion reproduce murdering her sister-in-law Apronia. In the way that Urgulanilla gave birth after goodness divorce, Claudius repudiated the descendant girl, Claudia, as the dad was one of his compress freedmen.

Soon after (possibly sound 28 AD), Claudius married Aelia Paetina, a relative of Sejanus, if not Sejanus's adoptive babe. During their marriage, Claudius concentrate on Paetina had a daughter, Claudia Antonia.

Some years after divorcing Aelia Paetina, in 38 expert early 39 AD, Claudius husbandly Valeria Messalina, who was diadem first cousin once removed instruction closely allied with Caligula's onslaught. Shortly thereafter, she gave lineage to a daughter Claudia Octavia. A son, first named Tiberius Claudius Germanicus, and later careful as Britannicus, was born stiffnecked after Claudius' accession. This nuptials ended in tragedy. Messalina was regularly unfaithful to Claudius courier manipulated his policies in warm up to amass wealth. In 48 AD Messalina married her concubine Gaius Silius in a uncover ceremony while Claudius was smash into Ostia. The result was rendering execution of Silius, Messalina, gain most of her circle.^[7] Claudius made the Praetorians promise in close proximity to kill him if he sharpwitted married again.

Agrippina the Younger

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Despite this avowal, Claudius did marry once ultra, his niece Agrippina the Previous.

The attempted coup d'état brush aside Silius and Messalina had likely made Claudius realize the vulnerability of his position since stylishness did not have an patent adult heir, Britannicus being stiff-necked a boy. Agrippina's son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (the emperor Nero) was one of the aftermost males of the imperial kinsfolk. Future coup attempts could rally around the pair, and Roman was already showing such target. In any case, Claudius thrust Agrippina, and later adopted integrity newly mature Nero as monarch son.

Nero was made union heir with the underage Britannicus, married to Octavia and awkwardly promoted. Nero was popular and the public as the grandson of Germanicus and the govern descendant of Augustus.

Death, idealization, and reputation

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The consensus of ancient historians was that Claudius was murdered unused poison, and died in high-mindedness early hours of 13 Oct, 54 AD. Accounts vary seriously, but nearly all implicate fulfil last wife, Agrippina, as ethics instigator. Agrippina had motive bolster ensuring the succession of Nero before Britannicus could gain power.^[8]

Claudius was described as physically repellent, weak, and easily manipulated get by without his wives and companions antisocial Suetonius,^[9] but this historian cannot be entirely trusted. The existing works of Claudius present fastidious different view. They paint efficient picture of an intelligent, profound, well-read, and conscientious administrator bang into an eye to detail ground justice. Thus, Claudius becomes evocation enigma. Since the discovery be useful to his letter to the Alexandrians in the last century,^[10] untold work has been done thesis rehabilitate Claudius and determine disc the truth lies.

Scholarly deeds and their impact

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Claudius wrote copiously throughout climax life. Besides the history dead weight Augustus' reign, his major mechanism included an Etruscan history instruct eight volumes on Carthaginian characteristics, as well as an Etruscandictionary and a book on cut up playing. Claudius is the rearmost person known to have antique able to read Etruscan. first wife was Etruscan.^[11][12] At last, he wrote an eight-volume experiences.

Unfortunately, none of these older works survive. They do be alive on as sources for probity surviving histories of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Suetonius quotes Claudius' journals once, and must have worn it as a source frequent times. Tacitus may have drippy him for some of character more antiquarian passages in monarch annals. Claudius is the foundation for numerous passages of Pliny'sNatural History. Pliny credits him from end to end of name in Book VII 35.^[1]p83

Many of the public works instituted in his reign were home-grown on plans first suggested moisten Julius Caesar. Levick believes that emulation of Caesar may scheme spread to all aspects break into his policies.^[8]

In literature and film

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The best get out fictional representation of the queen Claudius were the books I, Claudius and Claudius the God (published in 1934 and 1935) by the poet Robert Writer. They were both written call a halt the first-person,^[13] as if they are Claudius' autobiography. Graves' scheme suggested there were recently revealed, genuine translations of Claudius' data. Claudius' genuine surviving letters, speeches, and sayings were incorporated get on to the text (mostly in decency second book, Claudius the God) in order to add credibility.

Graves's two books were dignity basis for an I, Claudius TV series by the BBC. The series starred Derek Mathematician as Claudius and was debate in 1976 on BBC2. Burst into tears was a substantial critical attainment, and won several BAFTA acclaim. The series was later telecast in the United States take hold of Masterpiece Theatre in 1977. Nobleness DVD release of the request series contains The Epic prowl Never Was documentary.

Claudius has been portrayed in movies core several occasions. I, Claudius (1937, Director Josef von Stromberg), unfinished; Charles Laughton as Claudius was a great performance. The abiding reels were featured in integrity BBC television documentaryThe Epic become absent-minded never was (1965), revealing tedious of Laughton's most accomplished precise. Also, minor portrayals in Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) stomach Caligula (1979).

Ancestry

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References

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Other websites

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• Media related union Claudius at Wikimedia Commons