Claudius’ Accession
- Josephus - Claudius was unexpectedly kidnapped from his home.
- Joesphus - They felt if they made him emperor he would be in debt to them.
- Joesphus - the people thought he would save them from war and the senate.
- Joesphus - The senators wanted to be the one to give him the title as otherwise they would seem poweless Without military support, the senate were wee just ordinary people.
- Suetonius - H epurchased their loyalty with 15,000 sesterces.
- Aureas coinage - shows his closeness with the army.
- Letter to Alexandrians - He doesnt want to be acknoledged as a god, much like Augustus, he didnt want the senate to appea even more powerless.
Influence of freedmen
•Freedmen were freed slaves, that were usually well educated so would be used a civil servants.
•Dio - scarcity of all comodities
•Pliny - freedmen became wealthuer than senators.
•Suetonius -claudius was more their slave than emperor
•Suetonius - they gave out punishments and pardons
•Advantages were that freedmen qould get the blame for bad ideas which upheld his innocent image.
• They helped him run the place since he had no government experties.
Influence of wives
•Messalina gave him two children, Britannicus and Claudia.
•Dio - She made many commit adultery.
•Dio - if they didnt she would have then executed.
•Tacitus - had an affair with Silius so was executed.
•Argrippna had one son, Nero and was the daugter of Germanicus so had blood relations to Augustus.
•Tacitus - She put Nero in triumphal robes and Brittanicus was dressed as a minor.
•Tacitus and Suetonius suggest she poisoned Claudius to speed up the process.
Invasion of Britain
- Suetonius - The senate had alrady voted him triumphal decoations
- Suetonius - He had fought no battles and almost diidnt make it to Bitain.
- Suetonius - Claudius’ whole campaign was of no great importance.
- Britain had good resourcs, like pearls and gems, and slaves.
- The soldies wanted to revolt but freedman Nacissus talked them out of it
- The battle of Medway where Togodubnus was killed and Caratacus defeated.
- Clauidus had extended the sacred boundarry of Rome, first since Augustus.
Relationship with Brittanicus and Nero
- Tcitus - Nero in triumphal robes and Brittanicus as a minor.
- Nero was his adopted child form Agrippina, who he arried to avoid competing for power.
- Pallas convinced him that Britannicus would benefit from having a protector and partner in his labours.
- Nero was marrid to Claudius’ daughter, Octavia.
- Just before he died he seeemed to have wanted Britannicus as his heir but Agrippina put a stop to that.
Changes to goverment and building programms
- Suetonius - Claudius always interested himself in the prope upkeep of the city
- Pliny - tells us of the aqueducts he finshed that Gaius started.
- Inscription on the freedman procurator of Ostia - development on the harbour of Ostia allowd for trade and supplies.
- Tacitus says the development of the Fucine lake was carelessly done but Pliny and Suetonius say that it put 30,00 men to work.
- Suetonius - he sat in court even on his birthday and was guided by his own sesne of equity.
- His role as censor first time since Augustus.
- Suetonius - helping people with fires.
Relationsip with plebs, equestrians and senators.
- Suetonius - magnificent shows
- Suetonius - would refer to them as my lords.
- Suetonius - upon hearing rumours of hi death people were upset.
- Equestrians had the right of admission to the imperial presense.
- Suetonius - claims he executed 300 equestrians, under freedmen influence
- Suetonius - tearfully prtested to senate when hearing romous of conspiricies.
- Relied more on freedmen so elationship was strained.
Claudius’ death
•Suetonius and Tacitus accuse Agrippina so that Nero coukd be emperor.
•Josephus also suggetss poison was used
•Tacitus says that Agripppina got Halotus to feed Claudius a pousoned mushroom, and when that didjt work a dcotr put a poisoned feather down his throat.
•Suetoniys says that Agrippinapoisoned it herself and wanted soemthing slow to not rouse suspicion.
•Agrippina delayed announcing the desth to keep up the troops’ morale and wait for the astrologically favourable moment.
