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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
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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 (43AD) • 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