Nero (37–68 CE), who ruled the Roman Empire from 54 to 68 CE, was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Nero, his family’s nickname for him, means "brave" or "energetic." Nero was very interested in the arts. He drew, painted, composed poetry, and sang songs, pursuits that made him very popular with artists and actors but unpopular with the aristocrats, who disapproved of the emperor associating with common entertainers.
The Troubled Succession
Nero succeeded the emperor Claudius, who is thought to have been poisoned by Nero’s mother, Agrippina. For the first few years of his reign, the new emperor was largely guided by his mother, by his tutor, Seneca, and by Burrus, a commander of the Praetorian Guard. The result was a period of peace and stability. However, Nero was afraid that Claudius’s son Britannicus would try to become emperor and so had him poisoned in 55 CE. Later Nero came to believe that Agrippina was also a threat. Despite the fact that she was his mother, he had her murdered in 59, after which his reputation appears to have grown steadily worse. He dismissed Seneca and quarreled with the Roman senate. Taxes were raised, and wealthy men had their land confiscated.
Fire and Conspiracy
In 64 the Great Fire of Rome destroyed more than half the city. Some people accused Nero of starting it himself in order to make room to build his magnificent palace, known as the Golden House. This rumor was probably spread by his enemies, although it is certainly true that Nero did have his palace built on the ashes. To deflect blame from himself, Nero accused the Christians of starting the blaze.
In 65 and 66 two conspiracies to murder Nero were uncovered. Those involved were put to death or exiled. Because some of the conspirators were senators, Nero declared that he hated the entire senate.
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AFTER THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME, NERO BLAMED THE CHRISTIANS AND PERSECUTED THEM: Vast numbers were convicted. … They were covered with wild beasts’ skins and torn to death by dogs; or they were fastened on crosses and when daylight failed, were burned to serve as lamps by night. TACITUS, ANNALS, XV.44
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In 68 CE some of the legions posted in the Roman provinces tried to declare one of their own leaders emperor, as they no longer had faith in Nero. Support grew for Servius Sulpicius Galba, a Roman governor, and so Nero decided to leave Rome. After he had left the city, the prefect Nymphidius Sabinus declared that the Praetorian Guard would follow Galba. Nero was finally tracked down to his villa just outside Rome, where, before committing suicide, he declared, "What an artist dies in me!" He was only thirty years old.
Legacy
Nero’s persecution of the Christians and the murder of his mother have given him a reputation for being an evil tyrant. However, although he was certainly ruthless in punishing those who opposed him, Nero was popular with the common people and known for his acts of generosity. Had it not been for the events of the Great Fire and Nero’s failure to understand that a successful emperor needs the support of the army, his reign might have turned out very differently.
