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Claudius

Claudius
Emperor of the Roman Empire
Reign24 January 41 – 13 October 54
PredecessorCaligula, nephew
SuccessorNero, grandnephew and stepson through his niece and fourth wife, Agrippina the Younger
Born1 August 10 BCE
Lugdunum, Gaul
Died(54-10-13)13 October 54 (aged 63)
Burial
Mausoleum of Augustus
SpousePlautia Urgulanilla
Aelia Paetina
Valeria Messalina
Agrippina the Younger
IssueClaudius Drusus
Claudia Antonia
Claudia Octavia
Britannicus;
Nero (adoptive)
Full name
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 DynastyJulio-Claudian
FatherNero Claudius Drusus
MotherAntonia Minor
This article is about the Roman emperor in the 1st century. For the Roman emperor in the 3rd century, see Claudius Gothicus.

Claudius Latin: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus; 1 August 10 BCE – 13 October 54 CE) was the fourth Roman emperor. He ruled from 24 January 41 AD to his death in 54 AD. His great-uncle was the first emperor, Augustus, and his uncle was the second emperor Tiberius. His nephew was the third emperor, Caligula. His maternal grandfather was Mark Antony.

Claudius had some kind of disability, in speech and walking, and his family kept him from public office until he was 38. Claudius' infirmity may have saved him from the purges of Tiberius' and Caligula's reigns; enemies did not see him as a serious threat. He was declared emperor at the insistence of the Praetorian Guard after Caligula's assassination. He was then the last adult male of his family.

Despite his lack of experience, Claudius proved a good administrator and a great builder of public works. His reign saw an expansion of the Empire, and the conquest of Roman Britain. He took a personal interest in the law, and he presided at public trials. Claudius suffered setbacks in his personal life, one of which may have led to his murder. He married four times, and the marriages did not turn out well. Claudius' relative and adopted son Nero succeeded him as emperor, and undid much of his good work.[1]

  1. ↑ Momigliano, Arnaldo. 1934. Claudius: the Emperor and his achievement. Trans. W.D. Hogarth. Heffer, Cambridge.

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