Tiberius (r. a. d. 14-37), stepson of Augustus, was an able ruler in his early days, but he came to place too much reliance on a corrupt administrator. He was followed by Caligula (kuh-LIG-yoo-luh; r. a. d. 37-41), who suffered a serious illness and went insane as a result. Caligula was so cruel and violent that his military officers finally murdered him. Afterward the senate considered restoring the republic to prevent another madman from taking power. However, the military overruled the senate and chose Claudius (KLAW-dee-uhs; r. a. d. 41-54). Claudius's stammer and his absentminded behavior, as well as his interest in scholarly pursuits, made him an object of ridicule; but under Claudius, Rome prospered. It added southern Britain to its conquests in a. d. 47.
The next emperor, Nero, also had interests beyond his job as ruler: Nero (r. a. d. 54-68) saw himself as an artist, a performer, and a charioteer. As with Claudius, his pursuits did not win him many admirers, but for years he was guided by his tutor Seneca (SEHN-eh-kuh; c. 3 b. c.-c. a. d. 65), who virtually ran the empire. A Stoic philosopher, Seneca was also a dramatist of note, but he committed suicide after he was accused of conspiracy against the empire.
Suicide frequently ended the lives of leading Romans. In Seneca's case it earned him the lasting respect of others, who saw his self-destruction as an act of heroism on behalf of his nation. As for Nero, his reputation suffered further when he was blamed for a fire that swept Rome in a. d. 64. To clear his name, he in turn blamed the members of a tiny religious sect then gaining a foothold in Rome: the Christians.
World History
