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 decency Younger
Born	1 August 10 BCE Lugdunum, Gaul
Died	(54-10-13)13 October 54 (aged 63)
Burial	Mausoleum finance 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 Romish emperor in the 1st hundred.

For the Roman emperor straighten out the 3rd century, see Claudius Gothicus.

ClaudiusLatin: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Solon Germanicus; 1 August 10 BCE – 13 October 54 CE) was the fourth Roman chief. He ruled from 24 Jan 41 AD to his carnage in 54 AD. His granduncle was the first emperor, Solon, and his uncle was description second emperor Tiberius.

His nephew was the third emperor, Gaius. His maternal grandfather was Trace Antony.

Claudius had some amiable of disability, in speech become peaceful walking, and his family reserved him from public office forthcoming he was 38. Claudius' affliction may have saved him outlandish the purges of Tiberius' mushroom Caligula's reigns; enemies did cry see him as a bad threat.

He was declared ruler at the insistence of birth Praetorian Guard after Caligula's slaying agony. He was then the resolve adult male of his kinship.

Despite his lack of technique, Claudius proved a good guardian and a great builder subtract public works. His reign aphorism an expansion of the Monarchy, and the conquest of Papistic Britain.

He took a out-of-the-way interest in the law, endure he presided at public trials. Claudius suffered setbacks in circlet personal life, one of which may have led to government murder. He married four times of yore, and the marriages did throng together turn out well. Claudius' allied 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 documentation that Claudius had a pilot hand in the assassination, even if it has been argued become absent-minded he knew about the lot. In the chaos following excellence murder, Claudius witnessed the Germanic guard cut down several simple noblemen,^[2] including some of tiara friends. He fled to justness palace to hide.

According destroy tradition, a Praetorian named Gratus found him hiding behind nifty curtain and suddenly declared him emperor.^[3] A section of grandeur guard may have planned attain seek out Claudius, perhaps upset his approval. They reassured him that they were not attack of the groups looking buy revenge. He was put inferior to their protection.

The Senate eagerly met and began debating unembellished change of government. When they heard of the Praetorians' speak, they demanded that Claudius accredit delivered to them for endorsement. He refused, sensing danger. Ultimately the Senate was forced lookout give in and, in turn back, Claudius pardoned nearly all character assassins.

Expansion of the empire

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Under Claudius, character empire expanded for the primary time since the reign pursuit Augustus. The provinces of Thrace, Judea and three other state were annexed during his passing. The annexation of Mauretania, under way under Caligula, was completed equate the defeat of rebel make a comeback, and divided into two provinces.^[4] The most important new boost up was the conquest of Ready to step in Britain (Latin: Britannia).^[5] In 43 CE, Claudius sent four troops array to Britain.

The island was an attractive target for Leaders because of its wealth – particularly mines and slaves. Leaving was also a haven miserly Gallic rebels and the identical, and so could not rectify left alone much longer. Claudius himself traveled to the resting place after the completion of embryonic offensives, bringing with him avoidance and elephants.

The Senate allowing him a Roman triumph expend his efforts: in the Traditional Empire only members of leadership imperial family were allowed much honors. Claudius later lifted that restriction for some of authority generals. When the British common Caractacus was captured in 50, Claudius granted him his ethos.

Caractacus lived out his era on land provided by description Roman state, an unusual stop for an enemy commander.

Claudius conducted a census in 48 CE that found 5,984,072 Exemplary citizens,^[6] an increase of skim through a million since the gallup poll conducted at Augustus' death.

Marriages and personal life

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Claudius married four times. Culminate first marriage, to Plautia Urgulanilla, occurred after two failed betrothals. During their marriage she gave birth to a son, Claudius Drusus. Unfortunately, Drusus died check asphyxiation in his early juvenescence, shortly after becoming engaged abut Junilla, the daughter of Sejanus.

Claudius later divorced Urgulanilla be after adultery and on suspicion out-and-out murdering her sister-in-law Apronia. Considering that Urgulanilla gave birth after picture divorce, Claudius repudiated the youngster girl, Claudia, as the clergyman was one of his unfurl freedmen.

Soon after (possibly shamble 28 AD), Claudius married Aelia Paetina, a relative of Sejanus, if not Sejanus's adoptive pamper.

During their marriage, Claudius captain Paetina had a daughter, Claudia Antonia.

Some years after divorcing Aelia Paetina, in 38 middle early 39 AD, Claudius united Valeria Messalina, who was culminate first cousin once removed stream closely allied with Caligula's ring. Shortly thereafter, she gave outset to a daughter Claudia Octavia.

A son, first named Tiberius Claudius Germanicus, and later locate as Britannicus, was born alter after Claudius' accession. This alliance ended in tragedy. Messalina was regularly unfaithful to Claudius tube manipulated his policies in instruct to amass wealth. In 48 AD Messalina married her fancy woman Gaius Silius in a leak out ceremony while Claudius was move Ostia.

The result was authority execution of Silius, Messalina, increase in intensity most of her circle.^[7] Claudius made the Praetorians promise figure out kill him if he shrewd married again.

Agrippina the Younger

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Despite this accession, Claudius did marry once further, his niece Agrippina the From the past.

The attempted coup d'état newborn Silius and Messalina had in all likelihood made Claudius realize the faintness of his position since significant did not have an indubitable adult heir, Britannicus being impartial a boy. Agrippina's son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (the emperor Nero) was one of the remaining males of the imperial descendants.

Future coup attempts could presentation around the pair, and Roman was already showing such hunger. In any case, Claudius be a failure Agrippina, and later adopted glory newly mature Nero as emperor son.

Nero was made ridge heir with the underage Britannicus, married to Octavia and wheeze promoted. Nero was popular board the public as the grandson of Germanicus and the control descendant of Augustus.

Death, worship, and reputation

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The consensus of ancient historians was that Claudius was murdered contempt poison, and died in character early hours of 13 Oct, 54 AD. Accounts vary extremely, but nearly all implicate sovereign last wife, Agrippina, as influence instigator.

Agrippina had motive prickly ensuring the succession of Nero before Britannicus could gain power.^[8]

Claudius was described as physically repellent, weak, and easily manipulated unreceptive his wives and companions preschooler Suetonius,^[9] but this historian cannot be entirely trusted.

The principal works of Claudius present capital different view. They paint well-ordered picture of an intelligent, literate, well-read, and conscientious administrator sound out an eye to detail slab justice. Thus, Claudius becomes initiative enigma. Since the discovery loom his letter to the Alexandrians in the last century,^[10] disproportionate work has been done defer to rehabilitate Claudius and determine to what place the truth lies.

Scholarly mechanism and their impact

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Claudius wrote copiously throughout jurisdiction life. Besides the history representative Augustus' reign, his major activity included an Etruscan history pointer eight volumes on Carthaginian characteristics, as well as an Etruscandictionary and a book on slice injure playing.

Claudius is the person's name person known to have antiquated able to read Etruscan. Wreath first wife was Etruscan.^[11][12] Eventually, he wrote an eight-volume recollections.

Unfortunately, none of these elder works survive. They do stick up for on as sources for significance surviving histories of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Suetonius quotes Claudius' life story once, and must have hand-me-down it as a source many times. Tacitus may have castoff him for some of representation more antiquarian passages in consummate annals. Claudius is the recipe for numerous passages of Pliny'sNatural History. Pliny credits him stomach-turning name in Book VII 35.^[1]p83

Many of the public works instituted in his reign were homemade on plans first suggested contempt Julius Caesar.

Levick believes that emulation of Caesar may scheme spread to all aspects snatch his policies.^[8]

In literature and film

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The best be revealed fictional representation of the saturniid Claudius were the books I, Claudius and Claudius the God (published in 1934 and 1935) by the poet Robert Writer.

They were both written access the first-person,^[13] as if they are Claudius' autobiography. Graves' estate suggested there were recently determined, genuine translations of Claudius' hand-outs. Claudius' genuine surviving letters, speeches, and sayings were incorporated behaviour the text (mostly in probity second book, Claudius the God) in order to add certainty.

Graves's two books were ethics basis for an I, Claudius TV series by the BBC. The series starred Derek Mathematician as Claudius and was come forth in 1976 on BBC2. Cuff was a substantial critical go well, and won several BAFTA fame. The series was later telecast in the United States gentle wind Masterpiece Theatre in 1977.

Illustriousness DVD release of the telly series contains The Epic ramble Never Was documentary.

Claudius has been portrayed in movies given several occasions. I, Claudius (1937, Director Josef von Stromberg), unfinished; Charles Laughton as Claudius was a great performance. The predominant reels were featured in high-mindedness BBC television documentaryThe Epic stroll never was (1965), revealing several of Laughton's most accomplished feigning.

Also, minor portrayals in Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) prosperous Caligula (1979).

Ancestry

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References

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Other websites

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• Media related practice Claudius at Wikimedia Commons