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[[File: Portrait Bust of the Emperor Nero by Thomas della PortaPortrait_Bust_of_the_Emperor_Nero_by_Thomas_della_Porta, the Elder_the_Elder, 1520_1520-1567, gilded bronze and marble with glass stones _gilded_bronze_and_marble_with_glass_stones_- Museum of Fine Arts_Museum_of_Fine_Arts, Springfield_Springfield, MA _MA_- DSC04144_DSC04144.JPG |200px|thumb|left|portrait bust Bust of Nero]]Roman history was noted for having very many ‘bad’ emperors. One of the most notorious of these is was Nero. He was the last of the Julian-Claudian dynasty and became infamous for his artistic pretensions, hedonism, and his great cruelty. There are many myths about Nero , and this often obscured the reality of his reign. The emperor Nero was a very important crucial figure in the history of Rome. He was the last of his dynasty , and his death ushered in a period of instability. His death led to a period of civil war that was the first in almost one hundred years. Nero was the first to persecute Christians , and he set a precedent for that religion's persecution that was to last continue off and on and off for almost three centuries.
====Background====
[[File: Sestertius Nero CdM Paris BNCMER II-65.jpg |200px|thumb|left|Nero’s portrait on a coin]]
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 Claudian's 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 competent 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 four years in power were bizarre and bloody and after his assassination he was succeeded by Claudius. Often portrayed as something of a fool, but he did at times show 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>
She persuaded Claudius to make her son Nero murdered any senator who opposed him. His personal life was bizarre his heir and he married one the daughter of Claudius from his male slavesfirst marriage. It is widely believed that Agrippina, probably with the help of Nero, poisoned Claudius. Nero was passionate about the games and he personally participated became Emperor in 54 AD at the Olympic games in Greeceage of seventeen.<ref>Suetonius, . <i>Life of NeroClaudius</i>. 3462</ref> The Emperor also considered himself to be first His mother was a domineering woman, 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 it is believed that she manipulated her young son to themadvance her own interests.
Nero murdered any senator who opposed him. His personal life was also a lavish builder bizarre, and some sources say that he left the treasury bankrupt while others argued that married one of his spending male slaves. Nero was part of an economic policy to revive a stagnant economy. In 66 ADpassionate about the games, a great fire destroyed much of Romeand he personally participated in the Olympic games in Greece.<ref>TacitusSuetonius, <i>Annals Life of Imperial Rome</i>, 56Nero. 34</ref> The cause of 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 fire is not knownstage. It may have been accidental or arsonThis scandalized the Roman elite, who considered actors to be a little better than prostitutes. Elites blamed The sight of Nero for the fire and he acting was accused of clearing Rome for his building projectsappalling to them.
By 68 AD, Nero ended had begun to raise taxes, and there were many reports of growing discontent among the Julian-Claudian dynastyelite. His death left While in the east, a power vacuum which destabilized major Jewish Revolt and the Empire and led to competing generals to fight a series Romans were expelled from much of civil warsJudea. Nero’s reign forced In 68 AD, Vindex in Gaul revolted but was later put down by the re-emergence of Roman legions.<ref>Tacitus. <i>The Histories</i>. 45</ref> Finally, the Roman army into state politics for the first time in grew weary of Nero even though he was a century. The year 69 AD was important as it showed that member of the army could both make House of Julius Caesar and unmake an emperorAugustus.<ref> Holland, Richard. Nero (The Man Behind the Myth. Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2000), p. 412145 </ref>
<dh-ad/> ====The Year of the Four Emperors and the end of the Julian-Claudian dynasty====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 a 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 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> Nero ended the Julian-Claudian dynasty. His death left a power vacuum that destabilized the Empire and led to competing generals to fight a series of civil wars. Nero’s reign forced the Roman army's re-emergence 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 and the Christians====Nero was the first Roman Emperor to persecute the small sect of Christians actively. 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. After all confessed followers of Jesus, they were 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 rumors 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 Christianity's nature, 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. ====Nero’s policies in the East====<div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'>====Related Articles===={{#dpl:category=Roman History|ordermethod=firstedit|order=descending|count=8}}</div>
[[File:Vespasianus02 pushkin.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Bust of the Emperor Vespasian]]
Nero was a far more active Emperor than many gave him credit for at the time and since. He was particularly interested in the East. Still, his record -was mixed. Nero attempted to permanently annex the Bosphoran Kingdom in the Crimea but his successors reversed this and were content to have it as a client kingdom. Nero fought a war with Parthia. He appointed a commoner to lead the Roman armies and he managed to inflict several defeats on the Parthians.<ref> Suetonius. Life of Nero. 43</ref> Nero was able to turn turned the strategic kingdom of Armenia into a client kingdom and this , which allowed him to secure the borders with Parthia. He also obliged the Parthians to hand over some legion ‘eagles’ or standards that had been captured. Nero’ s Nero’s success against the Parthians meant that the Eastern frontier was at peace for several decades.<ref> Tacitus. The Annals of Imperial Rome, 56</ref>
However, during his reign the , Judea's administration of Judea was poor and contributed to the great Jewish Revolt (66-71 AD). The Jewish historian stated that the Jews believed him to be Nero was a ‘tyrant.’<ref> , Josephus. <i>History of the Jewish War</i>, ii</ref> Perhaps his most lasting legacy was his generally pro-Greek policies in the Eastern half of the Empire. He granted ‘liberties’ to many Greek cities in the eastern portion of his empire. This led them to become economically successful and culturally vibrant. <ref> Holland, p. 324</ref> This partly explains why unlike the west that the east did not succumb to Romanization but remained very much influenced by Hellenic culture. Later emperors such as Hadrian imitated Nero’s policies towards the Greek cities.
====Conclusion====Nero is regarded as either a mad or outright evil Emperor. He was undoubtedly cruel and committed many crimes. However, he was also an important figure in the history of Rome. Nero was the first Emperor to persecute Christians , and many other Emperors were to follow his example. He also had some successes in the east , especially against the Parthians , and he did much to promote Hellenic culture in the eastern provinces. He was the last of the Julian-Claudian dynasty , and his death led to a series of bloody civil wars. This period of instability led to the army determining who should be emperor. This was one of the most important legacies of Nero , the re-emergence of the legions as a political force, something that Augustus and his heirs had prevented for several decades.
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Updated Nov. 19, 2020