Nero (37–68) - Roman emperor (since 54), from the Julian Dynasty - Claudius. By repressions and confiscations, he turned different strata of society against himself. Fearing uprisings, he fled Rome and committed suicide.
The fate of Agrippina the Younger in her youth was not easy. Her father Germanicus, mother and two older brothers became victims of criminal intrigues, her third brother, Emperor Caligula, first made her his mistress, and then sent into exile to the Pontine Islands. Claudius, her own uncle, having become emperor, returned her to Rome, where she had to endure a lot from Messalina.
Agrippina the Younger was married by Tiberius to Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, about whom Suetonius said that he was "the most disgusting man at all times of his life." When Agrippina the Younger gave birth to a son, her husband "in response to the congratulations of his friends exclaimed that from him and Agrippina nothing can be born, except horror and grief for humanity."
This son was Nero, and the words of his father, who died in speed, were prophetic.
Little Nero was not interested in military affairs, he did not dream of exploits on the battlefield. He was taught music, painting and other noble sciences. At some point in time, he was fond of coinage, and became involved in poetry. But his main hobby was horse racing.
Arrogant and cruel, hypocritical and greedy, Agrippina the Younger was possessed by the true passion of lust for power. They said that once Agrippina asked the soothsayers about the fate of her son and they answered that he would reign, but would kill his mother, to which she said: “Let him kill, if only he reigned”.
Although the laws of Rome prohibited the marriage of an uncle and a niece, an exception was made for Claudius, and in 49 year Agrippina the Younger became empress.
Agrippina took power into her own hands and wanted to keep it. Therefore, she made sure that Claudius adopted Nero. However, she wanted Nero to be a toy in her hands.
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Perhaps it was Agrippina who organized the murder of Claudius. They told different stories about his poisoning, but no one doubted the very fact of the poisoning.
Immediately after the death of Claudius, Nero was presented as the legal heir, and monetary gifts of 15 thousand sesterces each were handed out to the Praetorians.
The Praetorians took him to their camp and proclaimed him a princeps. Their choice was approved by the Senate. Claudius was deified, and Nero was proclaimed emperor with a cumbersome official name - Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.
17-year-old Nero, great-great-grandson of Augustus, began his 14-year reign. Naturally, an inexperienced young man, inclined to artistic pursuits, capricious and spoiled, was not able to govern the state himself and left this difficult task to his educator, a great philosopher and noble nobleman Anna Seneca and an experienced politician, commander of the Praetorian Guard Afrannius Burr. Seneca and Burr, who highly appreciated the authority of the Roman Senate, pursued a policy of agreement between the actions of the princeps and the senate.
Nero's rise to power was calm and the people greeted the new princeps with enthusiasm. Legions and provincials hoped for the continuation of Claudius's policies, and senators expected a softening of the autocratic tendencies of his rule. Immediately after coming to power, Nero began a liberal course.
Emperor Nero announced his program. He promised to rule in the style of Augustus, not to deal with all matters personally, to make "house and senate separate" and "to restore the ancient duties of the senate." In the administration of the provinces, Nero promised to clearly separate the imperial and senate.
The year 54 was marked by a mass of senatus consultants. Practically all questions of administration, starting with the preparation of the war with the Parthians and ending with the question of fees for lawyers, were decided in the Senate. The answer was the honors given by the Senate: prayers at which the princeps could attend in triumphal clothing, his statue in the temple of Mars the Avenger made of gold and silver, and even a change in the order of months in the year (it began in December - from the month of Nero's birth). Emperor Nero refused all this, as well as the title of father of the fatherland. To top it all off, the princeps canceled two grandiose cases.
The next year, 55, passed in mutual curtsey, and in 56, some special events of a pro-aristocratic nature were held, clearly reflecting the interests of the Senate elite. In 58, many of the senators received financial aid from the princeps. Finally, the old custom of executing all the slaves who were in the house at the time of the murder of the master was resumed, in addition, freedmen were added to them.
61 years of age - the most severe manifestation of this senatus consultation is noted. When a slave killed the prefect of the city of Pedania Secunda, a prominent senator and lawyer Guy Cassius Longinus proposed to execute 400 slaves who were in the house at the time of the murder. The decision shocked even some senators, and the masses tried to openly prevent the massacre. And yet the Senate made a decision, and the Emperor Nero ensured its implementation, placing military guards on the way.
From 55 to 59, there were ten trials of the governors for extortion cases, and although many of them were acquitted, the campaign had some effect. Suetonius reports on measures against forgery of wills and the special care of the court and legal proceedings. It is noteworthy that by the end of the "five years" the fight against corruption had quieted down, which can be explained by the ambivalent attitude of senators towards it.
Financial measures helped ease the tax burden and revived trade and commerce, while the fight against corruption improved the situation in the provinces. Until 59, there were practically no signs of unrest in the provinces.
In foreign policy, the period 54-60 was marked by successes in a major war with Parthia.
At the same time, there were some alarming symptoms against the background of "general agreement". Around the young Nero, who came to power at the age of 17, two court groups fought - one concentrated around Agrippina, the center of the second was Burr and Seneca. Agrippina, as the mother of the emperor and dowager empress, sought to play a special role in government. Burr and Seneca chose a different line - opposing Agrippina to the emperor himself.
From the very beginning of her reign, Agrippina began to remove former and potential opponents, ensuring the safety of the throne. In 54, Junius Silanus, brother of Octavia L.'s ex-fiancé, Junius Silanus, who was killed in 49, was killed. Narcissus died in the wake of him. The intervention of Seneca and Burra ended the killings, but Agrippina's position was fairly solid. She became a priestess of Claudius, sometimes a woman secretly attended the meetings of the Senate.
The first clash occurred on a cash basis, when the emperor Nero fell in love with the freedwoman Claudius Acte and even wanted to marry her. This caused Agrippina's displeasure and support from Seneca and Burra. Seneca's friend Annius Serenus provided his home for Nero and Acte to meet.
The relationship between son and mother deteriorated, the empress was forced to change tactics, but disgrace was inevitable. The Princeps deposed Pallant, after which Agrippina began to seek allies in Octavia and Britannica. Finally, Agrippina found it necessary to remind Nero that he received power from her hands through a crime, but the 14-year-old Britannicus, the legal heir of Claudius, is still alive.
In response to these actions, the emperor Nero took Agrippina's bodyguards and removed her from the palace to the house of Antonia. Convinced of the danger of Britannicus, Nero decided to poison him and enforced the decision.
A new conflict began in 58 after Nero's meeting with Poppea Sabina, a secular lioness and the wife of a friend of the Emperor M. Salvius Othon. Otho was sent to Lusitania as governor, and the emperor began preparations for divorce from Octavia and marriage to Poppea, which met with fierce resistance from Agrippina.
The struggle between son and mother has entered a decisive stage.
The first years of his principate, Nero did not actually rule, and his actions showed that the sensual artistic nature of the princeps, carried away by games, spectacles and the theater and at the same time participating in orgies, the victims of which even senators became victims, in the long term promised a rule similar to the regime of Caligula. 59 was a turning point. Under pressure from Poppea, Nero decided to kill Agrippina.
The Princeps ordered the construction of a ship, which fell apart on the high seas, but Agrippina was able to swim out. Upon learning of this, Nero sent a soldier led by the prefect of the Mizen fleet, Alyket, who dealt with Nero's mother who had fled to one of the villas.
After the murder, the princeps claimed that Agrippina was plotting. Seneca wrote a letter on behalf of Nero, in which he accused Agrippina of trying to seize power, indignation of the Senate and the people, and, in the end, of an attempt on the Princeps' life. Formally, the emperor Nero won public support. The Senate ordered prayers, public games in honor of the Quinquatras, and erected a golden statue of Minerva. Nero, returning from Bayya, was given a solemn welcome with congratulations. Many victims of Agrippina returned to Rome, and the ashes of Lollia Paulina were solemnly transferred to the capital.
A terrible and unnatural crime could not but spoil the general attitude towards Nero. It was from this time that a person who broke one of the eternal human values began to be considered capable of anything. But the princeps did his best to make society his accomplice, and out of fear, everyone was forced to welcome the murder.
The emperor experienced a severe psychological shock and could no longer rule in the old way, realizing that his reputation was completely undermined. On the other hand, general external passivity led him to the idea of permissiveness and confidence that the power of the princeps can suppress everything. With the death of Agrippina, Emperor Nero felt a certain release from control, and it was this contradictory complex of fear, permissiveness, exaltation of his own personality that created the eerie image of Nero of the second period of his reign.
After the events of March 59, the princeps began trying to reorganize their daily life. Most likely, there was no constructive idea in this, and Nero, fascinated by spectacles and games, simply wanted to make the Roman leaders become his audience.
The princeps was especially fond of singing and playing the cithara, although his voice was weak and hoarse, he was irresistibly attracted to the theater, to the public. It was the emperor, for whom the actor's laurels were more desirable than power. He cared more about success with the public than about maintaining his power.
The Princeps longed to perform in front of an audience. This was truly unheard of, because the Romans treated theater and actors with contempt. For the first time, an emperor dared to sing before an audience in Naples. It was at this time that the earthquake occurred; according to some reports, the theater was shaken, but this did not stop Nero, and he finished the song; according to other reports, the theater collapsed after the performance, when there were no more spectators left.
In 60, new games were established - Neronia, which were to be held every 5 years in the manner of the Olympic Games. The competition was of a sporting and poetic nature: they competed in music, chariot races, gymnastics, oratory and poetry. It is significant that the program did not include gladiator fights, traditional for Rome. The games were chaired by consulars, vestals were present, and the emperor himself performed in oratorical competitions.
Princeps wanted to be an award-seeker along with other actors. Tacitus tells about this as follows: “Even before the five-year competition began, the Senate, trying to prevent a nationwide disgrace, offered the emperor a reward for singing and, in addition to it, a wreath of the winner in eloquence, which would save him from the dishonor associated with performing at the theater stage.
However, the emperor, answering that he did not need indulgences, first speaks to the public with the recitation of poetry, then at the request of the crowd, which insisted that he show all his talents (it was in these words that she expressed her desire), he again enters the stage.
It is known that many horsemen (the second class after the senatorial), making their way through the narrow entrances among the pressing crowd, were crushed, while others, who had to sit in the theater all day and night, suffered fatal diseases. But it was even more dangerous not to be present at this performance, since many spies clearly, and even more of them, secretly memorized the names and faces of those who entered, their friendly or hostile mood. According to their reports, the small people were immediately condemned to execution, and the noble people were subsequently overtaken by the hatred of the princeps, hidden at first.
Games became the second reason for the unpopularity of the emperor Nero, especially among the nobility.
Greek and Roman traditions collided, and games in the Greek manner with the participation of noble people were in the imagination of the Romans only orgies and "outrages" of Nero.
In 60, a comet appeared, after which persistent rumors spread about the imminent end of the reign, especially since the emperor actually fell ill. The attitude towards him became more and more negative.
Even more dangerous was the beginning of the provincial and foreign policy crisis. In 61 AD, a major Icenean revolt, led by Queen Boudicca, began in Britain. True, in a decisive battle, Suetonius defeated the rebels, and Boudicca committed suicide, but the uprising dealt a strong blow to the Roman province. The second setback was a turn for the worse in the war with Parthia.
The events of 59–61 paved the way for a turn in domestic politics that manifested itself in the second period of government. Burr died in 62. And of course, there were rumors that he was poisoned by Nero. Zephanius Tigellinus and Fenius Rufus became the new prefects. Tigellinus turned out to be the main figure surrounded by the princeps and the conductor of authoritarian politics. The death of Burr also led to the resignation of Seneca, who asked the emperor to release him to retirement. Soon, the last dynastic opponents were eliminated - Cornelius Sulla and Rubellius Plautus.
In 62, the emperor incurred universal hatred by reprising his first wife, the virtuous Octavia, the daughter of Claudius and Messalina. Octavia, who enjoyed the general love of the people, was accused of adultery, expelled from Rome and killed. These events served as a plot for the tragedy "Octavia" that has come down to our time, the work of which is attributed to Seneca.
The wife of the princeps was Octavia's rival Poppaea Sabina, who, according to Tacitus's mark, "had everything except an honest soul." Beautiful, depraved, cruel and hypocritical, she was a match for the emperor, who loved her madly. The reign of Emperor Nero began to acquire features characteristic of the regime of Caligula.
The insult to grandeur trials were resumed. The Senate tried the case of the praetor Antistius Veta, accused of writing poetry against the emperor. Supporters of the princeps demanded execution, but the majority of the senators, on the initiative of Trazei Peta, spoke in favor of exile, and Nero did not dare to reverse this decision. Almost at the same time, Fabrice Veyenton was convicted, accused of similar attacks against prominent senators and the sale of posts and privileges. At the initiative of Nero, Veyenton was expelled from Italy.
63 years - a daughter was born to Nero and Poppea. This was the first child of the emperor, and the event was celebrated with prayers and games. The entire Senate went to Antius to congratulate Nero. Four months later, the child died and was deified.
The turn was outlined quite clearly, and since 64 the princeps came into conflict, first with the top, and then with society as a whole. At the beginning of 64, he staged a major theatrical performance in Naples, where he acted as an actor. From there the emperor left for Benevent and was going to go to Greece and Egypt, but for unknown reasons postponed the trip and returned to Antius.
64, July - an event fatal for Nero happened. On the night of July 18-19, a strong fire began in Rome, which lasted six days, and then resumed three days later. Of the 14 regions of the city, 4 were completely destroyed, and only three were untouched by the elements. The rest of the regions were badly damaged.
Nero, having arrived in Rome from Antius, began an energetic fight against the fire. Literally immediately after the fire was extinguished, a grandiose restoration began, which was carried out with a clear consideration of the defects of the fire-fighting organization. The neighborhoods became more isolated, the streets were wider, the height of the houses was limited, and the courtyards were tried not to build up. Improved fire safety and waste disposal system. More stone buildings have appeared in the new city.
The bad reputation of the princeps led to the fact that the masses of the population were convinced that Rome was set on fire on the orders of Nero. Contemporaries were convinced of the guilt of the emperor, even despite the execution of Christians accused of involvement in the fire, and the restoration and reconstruction of the city only convinced of Nero's involvement in the fire.
Another consequence was the need for large expenditures, which may have become the starting point of the conflict with the provinces. Probably the first reaction to the fire was the so-called Piso conspiracy. The composition of its participants was quite variegated. Senators and equestrians were unhappy with the autocratic course and the insult to grandeur trials. The Praetorians were outraged not only by the princeps, but also by Tigellinus, in addition, Agrippina was very popular in the guard at one time. After all, many of the conspirators had personal motives.
All conspirators agreed on the need to kill the emperor, and almost all believed that he should be replaced by another princeps. Several times the attempt was thwarted, in the end, they decided to kill Nero on April 12, 65. Literally on the eve of the assassination attempt, Libert Stsevina Mnlich reported on Stsevin and Natal. The arrested Scovin and Natal soon extradited Piso, Lucan, Quincianus and Glitius Gallus.
Seneca was also named among those involved in the conspiracy. The city was declared a state of siege, guards were posted everywhere. Tigellinus led the investigation. The civilian part of the conspirators was defeated. Piso, Lucan, Senecyon, Quintian and Scosevin committed suicide, and Seneca was forced to do the same. In addition to the participants in the conspiracy, Nero destroyed other people disliked by him, including the consul Atticus Westin, the husband of his mistress Statilia Messalina, who allowed himself independent behavior.
After the defeat of the core of the conspirators, mass expulsions and exiles followed. Many members of the intelligentsia went into exile. Thus, Emperor Nero eliminated many senators and horsemen and a significant part of the commanding staff of the Praetorians.
The second prefect of the praetorium was the son of the Greek courtesan Nymphidius Sabinus, the guard received 2,000 sesterces per person, and the senate decided to pray to the gods. April was named Nero, and the frightened Senate even wanted to declare Nero a god, which he refused.
In the same year, Nero was celebrated again, and the emperor acted as kifared.
During one of the family quarrels, Nero accidentally killed Poppeya by kicking the pregnant empress in the stomach. Poppaea was deified, and her body, according to the Eastern custom, was embalmed and transferred to the mausoleum of Augustus.
66 - a new conspiracy was organized against Nero, led by the adopted son of Corbulo, Annius Vinician. Judging by the sacrifices made by the Arval brothers on June 19, the conspiracy took place in the summer. Vinician wanted to kill Nero in Beneventa. The leaders of the conspiracy were executed, and among the victims was the daughter of Claudius Anthony.
66, September 25 - Emperor Nero left for Greece. The day before, he married Statilia Messalina, but the empress remained in Rome, and on the trip he was accompanied by a new mistress Calvia Crispinilla and the eunuch Spore. Nero wanted to take a break from the bloody events in Rome and again appear on stage, hoping to find understanding spectators in the Greeks. The emperor traveled all over Greece, in fact, met with an enthusiastic reception, and at the end of November 67, with great fanfare, declared freedom to the provinces of Achaia, which meant the removal of taxes from the Greeks.
The fire of Rome, the embezzlement of the treasury due to the colossal expenses of the princeps, the corruption of his entourage brought to a difficult financial situation. 66 year - a major uprising began in Judea, called the Jewish War. Three legions were thrown to suppress it, led by Titus Flavius Vespasian. A characteristic symptom was that Helium repeatedly asked Nero to return, and, contrary to all instructions, he himself left for Greece.
Emperor Nero returned from Greece only at the beginning of 68. His return was heralded as the arrival of an Olympian. On the coins the emperor was depicted in the form of Apollo Kifared, and in processions they carried 1 808 victorious wreaths. At this time, the uprising began. In March 68, the legate of Lugdun Gaul, Julius Vindex, who considered himself to be a royal family from Aquitaine, called a meeting of his province and raised a rebellion against the princeps. Vindex did not have regular troops, but he was supported by the Arverns, Sequans and Vienne, and, according to Plutarch's information, most likely exaggerated, the rebels had 100 thousand people.
Vindex turned for help to the governor of Spain, Servius Galba, a prominent Roman aristocrat and distant relative of Libya. Upon learning that the emperor decided to get rid of him, Galba joined the uprising, freed the prisoners and spoke at a meeting with accusations against Nero, rejected the proposed title of emperor, declared himself "legate of the Senate and the Roman people" and approved something like his own senate from local residents.
At the end of March, the Emperor learned of Vindex's uprising. He ignored the news and remained inactive for eight days, after which he reported it to the Senate. Suetonius writes about the complete passivity and inaction of Nero. However, he took some measures. Whether instructions were given to the Rhine legions is unclear; it is possible that the emperor considered them unreliable. After the Rhine legions left the game, Nero had quite a few troops. Three legions in Britain, four in Syria, two in Egypt and three in Judea were far away, and even four legions from Dalmatia had to wait.
The governor of Africa, Clodius Macrus, had one legion, in addition, he scored another one, but took a wait and see attitude, and the negotiations with Nero ended in vain.
Emperor Nero began a new recruitment among the urban plebs, but the core of his army was a legion recruited from the sailors of the Mizen fleet. At the end of April, it became known about Galba's actions, and it was at this moment that Nero got scared. The reasons are quite understandable: Galba's army was Roman, Galba was more authoritative than Vindex, and, finally, the forces of Emperor Nero were little more than the army of the rebels.
At this time, the praetorian prefect Nymphidius Sabinus, believing that the power was not on Nero's side, organized a coup. The Praetorians rebelled and swore allegiance to Galba, after which the Senate declared Nero an enemy of the fatherland. The emperor fled, but the pursuit overtook, and Nero committed suicide.
The death of Nero made Galba the official ruler. He was recognized by the Senate and was the most distinguished and honored of the rebellious governors.
S. Mussky