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It is important to note that there are no surviving contemporary records of Nero and that many of the surviving accounts are possibly biased. Nero was born in 37 AD. His parents were Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, a member of one of the most powerful Roman families and Agrippina the Younger, sister of Emperor Caligula. He was a grant-nephew of Augustus and therefore a member of the Julian-Claudian family. Nero was not viewed as a future emperor at the time of his birth.<ref> Suetonius, Life of Nero. 5</ref> During the reign of his uncle Caligula, his mother fell from favour and his family were persecuted. His father died (of natural causes) and his mother was exiled. Nero’s fortunes changed with the assassination of his uncle Caligula. Claudius became Emperor and after a disastrous marriage, he married Agrippina the Younger, his niece.<ref> Tacitus. <i>Annals of Rome</i>. 34</ref>. She was able to persuade Claudius to make her son Nero his heir and he married the daughter of Claudius from his first marriage. It is widely believed that Agrippina, probably with the help of Nero poisoned Claudius. Nero became Emperor in 54 AD at the age of seventeen <ref> Suetonius. Life of Claudius. 62</ref>. His mother, was a domineering woman and it is believed that she manipulated her young son to advance her own interests.

The first five years of Nero’s reign were seen as generally positive. The government was in the hands of two experienced ministers one of whom was the writer Seneca the Younger and the Burrus. <ref> Tacitus, <i>The Annals of Imperial Rome</i>, 45</ref>. Agrippina the Younger vied for control of the empire with Seneca and his colleague but they remained in control. In 55 B.C it seems that Nero wanted to control the Empire and he had Seneca and Burrus dismissed. Later he killed his mother as he grew tired of her constant efforts to dominate him and control the Empire.<ref> Griffin, p 123</ref> Nero’s changed after he murdered his and according to the ancient sources he morphed into grotesque tyrant.

Nero murdered any senator who opposed him. His personal life was bizarre and he married one of his male slaves. Nero was passionate about the games and he personally participated in the Olympic games in Greece.<ref> Suetonius, Life of Nero. 34</ref> The Emperor also considered himself to be first and foremost an artist. He at first performed his work in private but then publicly performed his work in Greece. Nero also acted on the stage. This scandalized the Roman elite who considered actors to be little better than prostitutes. The sight of Nero acting was appalling to them.

Nero was also paranoid about plots and he killed anyone he suspected of being a threat. While Nero was very unpopular with the elites, he was popular with the poor. He reformed the judicial and taxation system and made it fairer. Nero also built gymnasiums and baths in Rome that were open to ordinary Romans. The population of Rome and elsewhere in the Empire revered the Emperor and saw him as their protector. According to Suetonius, the emperor was ‘carried away by a craze for popularity and he was jealous of all who in any way stirred the feeling of the mob.’ <ref> Suetonius. Life of Nero. 53 </ref> The philosopher Epictetus argued that Nero was an insecure, immature and unhappy man and needed acclaim. <ref> Arrian. <i>Sayings of Epictetus</i>. 56</ref>.

Nero was also a lavish builder and some sources say that he left the treasury bankrupt while others argued that his spending was part of an economic policy to revive a stagnant economy. In 66 AD, a great fire destroyed much of Rome.<ref> Tacitus, <i>Annals of Imperial Rome</i>, 56</ref> The cause of the fire is not known. It may have been accidental or arson. Elites blamed Nero for the fire and he was accused of clearing Rome for his building projects.

By 68 AD, Nero had begun to raise taxes and there were many reports of growing discontent among the elite. While in the east there was a major Jewish Revolt and the Romans had been expelled from much of Judea. In 68 AD Vindex in Gaul revolted but was later put down, by the Roman legions.<ref> Tacitus. <i>The Histories</i>. 45</ref> Finally, the Roman army grew weary of Nero even though he was a member of the House of Julius Caesar and Augustus.<ref> Holland, Richard. Nero (The Man Behind the Myth. Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2000), p 145 </ref> In Spain, Galba and the Spanish legions revolted. This revolted was welcomed by the elites in Rome.<ref> Suetonius. <i>Life of Galba</i>, 7</ref> Galba set sail for Rome and Nero attempted to rally his forces. However, he had alienated the elite and he was quickly abandoned. Nero was forced to flee with some of slaves but later committed suicide. He ordered on of his slaves to cut his throat.<ref> Suetonius, <i>Life of Nero</i>, 54</ref> Nero remained popular with the poor and after his death Rome became incredibly unstable because three separate pretenders who claimed to be the Roman Emperor.