V. Nero (The Julio-Claudian Dynasty V)
Emperor: 54 AD to 68 AD
Born: December 15th 37 AD Died: June 9th 68 AD
Nero was the last Roman Emperor in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. He built theaters, promoted athletic games, and was an accomplished lute player and singer. Nero was the only nephew of Emperor Caligula but was not expected to become emperor. However, when Caligula was murdered, his uncle Claudius became emperor. Claudius later married Nero's mother and adopted Nero.
Nero was older than his stepbrother Britannicus and became heir to the throne and then emperor at 17. Power struggles over influence of the young emperor caused his mother to promote Britannicus; however, the youth died suspiciously the day before he was legally an adult. Nero claimed that Britannicus died from an epileptic seizure, but ancient historians all say Nero poisoned him.
In 58, Nero had an affair with Poppaea, the wife of his friend and future Emperor Otho. Because the marriage was not politically feasible with his mother alive, Nero ordered her murder. Nero then divorced and banished his first wife on grounds of infertility. Public protests compelled Nero to allow her return from exile, but she was executed instead. When Poppaea died, Nero went into deep mourning. It is said he burned ten years' worth of Arabia's incense production at her funeral.
In 64, Rome was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome, which many believed Nero had started to clear land for his palace. Nero devalued the currency for the first time ever in order to pay to rebuild Rome. Popular legend claims Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned, but sources say it was only a rumor. Nero funded a relief effort, personally took part in the search and rescue of victims, spent days searching the debris without his bodyguards, opened his palaces to shelter the homeless, and arranged food for survivors. The people held Nero responsible; to deflect blame, he targeted Christians and ordered that they be thrown to dogs, crucified, or burned.
Nero participated in the Olympic Games of 67 to improve relations with Greece and to show Roman dominance. As a competitor, he raced a ten-horse chariot and nearly died after being thrown. He also performed as an actor and a singer and took home the gold medals (possibly due to bribery).
In 68, Governor Galba declared himself emperor in opposition to Nero. One night, Nero awoke to find the entire palace abandoned. Travelling in disguise, Nero and four freedmen reached a villa where Nero ordered them to dig a grave for him. A message arrived that the Senate had declared Nero a public enemy and should be executed. The Senate actually was still deliberating because most of them felt a sense of loyalty to the divinified bloodline they had served so long. They wanted to return Nero to the Senate so a future heir to the dynasty could be produced. However, Nero did not know this; he begged one of his companions to set an example by killing himself, and then forced his private secretary to kill him when he couldn’t follow suit. Nero's dying words were "What an artist dies in me!"
Nero was the first Roman emperor to commit suicide. His death ended the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, sparking the civil wars known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Nero's rule is often associated with tyranny, extravagance, and executions.” He was known for capturing Christians to burn them in his garden at night for light. Few sources paint Nero in a favorable light, though he was popular with the common Roman people, especially in the East. There was a widespread belief that Nero was not dead and would return, a legend that lasted for hundreds of years after his death. At least three imposters emerged and led rebellions in the 40 years after his death, but they were all captured and killed.