Claudius By Christopher Jaizer Victor Daniel Early Life

Claudius By: Christopher, Jaizer, Victor, Daniel

Early Life. Claudius was born as Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus in 10 BC. When he was a child, Claudius was often mocked and harassed by his family members ( Caligula often encouraged party guests to embarrass Claudius). He constantly suffered from stomach pain, runny nose and seizures. Due to his disabilities, Claudius’ family members looked down on him. His disabilities prevented him from having a successful political career

How He Became Emperor • Caligula was a very unpopular leader among everyone, many people wanted to assassinate him • In 41 AD, his uncle Caligula was killed by his bodyguards • Solders found Claudius hiding behind a curtain, probably to prevent from his uncle’s killers from finding him • The solders declared Claudius as emperor because he was related to Augustus Caesar • Claudius was crowned emperor because he suffered from many health problems • His decision as emperor was popular among solders and foreigners, but was unpopular among Roman senators

Strengths As An Emperor • One important strength that Claudius had as emperor was that, he was popular among the people and solders • For example, Claudius respected every citizen regardless of social class ( a rich noble or a poor farmer) • Another important strength that Claudius had was that, he expanded the Roman Empire during his reign • Claudius successfully invaded Britain a few years into his reign and extended the Roman Empire deeper into Africa • Claudius was a skilled writer, he wrote books about Roman history and culture

Weaknesses As An Emperor • One major weakness Claudius had was that, he was unpopular among the Senate • Many senators attempted to assassinate Claudius a handful of times • Some senators supported revolts and rebellions against Claudius • Claudius had a poor choice in choosing his wife • For example, one of his wife (Messalina), often cheated on Claudius by having affairs with other men • His last wife, Agrippina, killed him because she wanted her son, Nero, to be on the throne

Life in Rome During His Reign • Rome was peaceful during Claudius’ reign • Claudius changed how the Roman Empire was ran • An example of this would be that, he made the Roman Army more efficient (more people serving in the army) • Claudius allowed non Romans to become Romans after serving in the military for a certain amount of time • Claudius made the justice system less corrupt

Invasion of Britain • Claudius ordered his troops to invade Britain a few years into his reign (43 AD) • His generals led the Roman armies into Britain, conquering the southern part of Britain • Rome managed to defeat a powerful queen • Britain was finally part of the Roman Empire after years of failed invasions • Claudius celebrated the victory over the British tribes

Claudius’ Downfall • Claudius poor choice of choosing a wife is what led to his downfall • Claudius’s previous wife’s had cheated on him with other men • Claudius decided to marry Agrippina because he thought she would be a good wife • Agrippina wanted to poison Claudius because she wanted Nero, her son, to be on the throne • She poisoned Claudius’ food when he wasn’t looking • Claudius died in 54 AD and Nero succeeded him

Legacy • Claudius was one of Rome’s great leaders • He would be most remembered for leading the successful invasion of Britain • He had many Strengths: Very popular among Roman citizens, believed that every Roman citizen should be treated equally and he was a skilled writer • He had many weaknesses: Unpopular among senators, suffered from some health problems and poor choices in choosing his wife • Overall, he went from being a person who is looked down upon , to an strong emperor and died by being poisoned

Sources • Cavendish, Richard. “ Death of the Emperor Claudius”. Death of the Emperor Claudius. History Today, n. d. Web. 11 Jan. 2015. • “ The Roman Empire in the First Century: Claudius”. PBS. Deviller Donegan Enterprises, 2006. Web. 14 Jan. 2015 • Andrews, Evan. “ 8 Things You May Not Know About Emperor Claudius”. History Channel. A&E Television Networks, LLC. 12 Oct. 2014, Web. 15 Jan. 2015