Changes

Augustus had brought peace to the Roman Empire and during his reign he amassed a range of powers. He made himself in effect the first Emperor.<ref> Tacitus. <i>Annals of Rome</i>. 1</ref> Romans feared instability after his death and they accepted his step-son, Tiberius, as his successor.<ref> Suetonius. <i>Life of Tiberius</i>. 4</ref> This established the hereditary principle for Imperial succession and the Julian-Claudians became the de-facto royal house of the Empire. Tiberius, who is often portrayed as a depraved and bloody old man, was in fact a very capable leader. He reformed the system of governance and tax-collection and his rule was mild.  By the time of his death the hereditary principle was established and his nephew Gaius (Caligula) became Emperor.<ref>Suetonius, <i>Life of Caligula</i>. 8</ref> Caligula's four years in power were bizarre and bloody. After his assassination, he was succeeded by Claudius. While often portrayed as something of a fool, he showed at times that he was a capable leader. He ordered the conquest of Britain and also annexed much of modern-day Morocco for his empire.<ref> Suetonius, Life of Claudius, 8 </ref>

Nero’s reign and his death destabilized the Empire. His low tax policy combined with his lavish spending had led to an economic recession. He had also alienated the elites in Rome and elsewhere. He had also failed to provide strong government as is evident in the revolt of Vindex in Gaul and the Jewish Revolt. In the aftermath of his death, unlike that of his unstable uncle Caligula, there was no living male who was a member of the Julian-Claudian line.<ref> Holland, Tom. Dynasty. The rise and fall of the house of Caesar (London, Little Brown, 2015), p. 347</ref> The Julian-Claudian family had killed many of their relatives and after the death of Nero, who had no sons, there was no legitimate claimant to the throne. This left the army as the power broker and in the year after Nero's deaths, legions fought each other for control of the Empire.<ref> Holland, p. 349</ref> The year 69 AD is often known as the year of the ‘Four Emperors’. In that year four men, Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian declared themselves emperor. Vespasian emerged as the victor and established the Flavian dynasty. <ref> Holland, p. 406</ref>

The Julian-Claudian family had killed many of their relatives and after the death of Nero, who had no sons, there was no legitimate claimant to the throne. This left the army as the power broker and in the year after Nero's deaths, legions fought each other for control of the Empire.<ref> Holland, p. 349</ref> The year 69 AD is often known as the year of the ‘Four Emperors’. In that year four men, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian declared themselves emperor. Vespasian emerged as the victor and established the Flavian dynasty. <ref> Holland, p. 406</ref>  Nero ended the Julian-Claudian dynasty. His death left a power vacuum which that destabilized the Empire and led to competing generals to fight a series of civil wars. Nero’s reign forced the re-emergence of the Roman army into state politics for the first time in a century. The year 69 AD was important as it showed that the army could both make and unmake an emperor.<ref> Holland, p. 412</ref>

Nero was the first Roman Emperor to actively persecute the small sect of Christians. They had grown greatly since the crucifixion of Jesus. They had established themselves in Rome and attracted many adherents. They were not popular with other groups and their beliefs were treated with suspicion. They were after all self-confessed followers of Jesus who had been lawfully executed by the Roman governor of Judea.<ref> Tacitus. <i>Annals of Imperial Rome.</i>Holland, 67</ref> In 69 AD, a great fire swept through Rome and caused general unrest in the city. Nero accused Christians of starting the fire to shift blame away from himself. <ref> Holland, p. 334</ref>  According to Tacitus, he was very eager to quell rumours that he was responsible for the fire ‘ consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called "Christians" by the populace.’<ref>Tacitus. <i>The Annals of Imperial Rome.</i>Holland, 15, 44</ref> Nero established a precedent whereby an Emperor could declare the Christians to be public enemies. Nero’s and later persecutions were to shape the nature of Christianity but it did not stop its spread. The many martyrs created by the persecutions only strengthened the faith and it eventually became the state religion of the Empire in the later 4th century AD.