77 Facts About Nero

Nero was adopted by the Roman emperor Claudius at the age of 13 and succeeded him on the throne.

Nero was popular with the members of his Praetorian Guard and lower-class commoners in Rome and its provinces, but he was deeply resented by the Roman aristocracy.

Nero ordered the construction of amphitheaters, and promoted athletic games and contests.

Nero made public appearances as an actor, poet, musician, and charioteer, which scandalised his aristocratic contemporaries as these occupations were usually the domain of slaves, public entertainers and infamous persons.

Nero's death sparked a brief period of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

Tacitus claims that Nero seized Christians as scapegoats for the fire and had them burned alive, seemingly motivated not by public justice but by personal cruelty.

Nero was an only-child, the son of the politician Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger.

Suetonius mentions that when Nero's father Domitius was congratulated by his friends for the birth of his son, he replied that any child born to him and Agrippina would have a detestable nature and become a public danger.

Nero's mother was said to have been exiled for plotting to overthrow the emperor Caligula.

Nero's inheritance was taken from him, and he was sent to live with his paternal aunt Domitia Lepida the Younger, the mother of later emperor Claudius's third wife, Messalina.

Nero's mother married Claudius in AD 49, becoming his fourth wife.

Nero formally entered public life as an adult in AD 51 at approximately 14 years old.

When he turned 16, Nero married Claudius' daughter, Claudia Octavia.

Nero was able to convince Claudius to replace two prefects of the Praetorian Guard with Afranius Burrus.

Since Agrippina had replaced the guard officers with men loyal to her, Nero was able to assume power without incident.

One of the earliest coins that Nero issued during his reign shows Agrippina on the coin's obverse side; usually, this would be reserved for a portrait of the emperor.

Nero, who was having an affair with Acte, exiled Agrippina from the palace when she began to cultivate a relationship with his wife Octavia.

Malitz writes that in later years, Nero panicked when he had to make decisions on his own during times of crisis.

Outside of Rome, Nero had several villas or palaces built, the ruins of which can still be seen today.

Nero stayed at the Villa of Nero at Olympia, Greece, during his participation at the Olympic Games of AD 67.

For example, Nero promoted the exploration of the Nile river sources with a successful expedition.

However, Nero's "conduct became far more egregious" after his mother's death.

Miriam T Griffins suggests that Nero's decline began as early as AD 55 with the murder of his stepbrother Britannicus, but notes that "Nero lost all sense of right and wrong and listened to flattery with total credulity" after Agrippina's death.

Nero began to build a new palace, the Domus Transitoria, from about AD 60.

That same year, Nero called for the first treason trial of his reign against Antistius Sosianus.

The accounts by Pliny the Elder, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio suggest several possible reasons for Nero's alleged arson, including his creation of a real-life backdrop to a theatrical performance about the burning of Troy.

Suetonius wrote that Nero started the fire to clear the site for his planned, palatial Golden House.

Suetonius and Cassius Dio claim that Nero sang the "Sack of Ilium" in stage costume while the city burned.

Tacitus writes that to remove suspicion from himself, Nero accused Christians of starting the fire.

Tacitus asserts that in his imposition of such ferocious punishments, Nero was not motivated by a sense of justice, but by a penchant for personal cruelty.

Nero built himself a new palace complex known as the Domus Aurea in an area cleared by the fire.

Nero was said to have kicked Poppaea to death in AD 65, before she could give birth to his second child.

Nero went into deep mourning; Poppaea was given a sumptuous state funeral, divine honors, and was promised a temple for her cult.

Nero's body was not cremated, as would have been strictly customary, but embalmed after the Egyptian manner and entombed; it is not known where.

In 67, Nero married Sporus, a young boy who is said to have greatly resembled Poppaea.

Nero had him castrated and married him with all the usual ceremonies, including a dowry and a bridal veil.

Suetonius reports that the text of this speech was later found in Nero's writing desk, but that he dared not give it from fear of being torn to pieces before he could reach the Forum.

Nero returned to Rome and spent the evening in the palace.

Returning, Nero sought a place where he could hide and collect his thoughts.

Nero prepared himself for suicide, pacing up and down muttering Qualis artifex pereo.

When one of the horsemen entered and saw that Nero was dying, he attempted to stop the bleeding, but efforts to save Nero's life were unsuccessful.

Tacitus mentions that Nero's death was welcomed by senators, nobility, and the upper class.

Eastern sources, namely Philostratus and Apollonius of Tyana, mention that Nero's death was mourned as he "restored the liberties of Hellas with a wisdom and moderation quite alien to his character" and that he "held our liberties in his hand and respected them".

Nero's name was erased from some monuments, in what Edward Champlin regards as an "outburst of private zeal".

Many portraits of Nero were reworked to represent other figures; according to Eric R Varner, over 50 such images survive.

Otho was said to be liked by many soldiers because he had been a friend of Nero and resembled him somewhat in temperament.

The legend of Nero's return lasted for hundreds of years after Nero's death.

Twenty years after Nero's death, during the reign of Domitian, there was a third pretender.

Nero was supported by the Parthians, who only reluctantly gave him up, and the matter almost came to war.

Julius Classicianus replaced the former procurator, Catus Decianus, and Classicianus advised Nero to replace Paulinus who continued to punish the population even after the rebellion was over.

Nero decided to adopt a more lenient approach by appointing a new governor, Petronius Turpilianus.

Nero began preparing for war in the early years of his reign, after the Parthian king Vologeses set his brother Tiridates on the Armenian throne.

When Tigranes attacked Adiabene, Nero had to send further legions to defend Armenia and Syria from Parthia.

Nero had bribed organizers to postpone the games for a year so he could participate, and artistic competitions were added to the athletic events.

Nero won every contest in which he was a competitor.

Nero won a 10-horse chariot race, despite being thrown from the chariot and leaving the race.

Nero was crowned on the basis that he would have won if he had completed the race.

The history of Nero's reign is problematic in that no historical sources survived that were contemporary with Nero.

Nonetheless, these lost primary sources were the basis of surviving secondary and tertiary histories on Nero written by the next generations of historians.

Fabius Rusticus, Cluvius Rufus and Pliny the Elder all wrote condemning histories on Nero that are now lost.

The bulk of what is known of Nero comes from Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio, who were all of the upper classes.

Nero passed the greater part of his life in public service.

Nero was a senator under Commodus and governor of Smyrna after the death of Septimius Severus; and afterwards suffect consul around 205, and proconsul in Africa and Pannonia.

Nero makes a few passing negative comments on Nero's character in his work, but makes no remarks on the nature of his rule.

Nero describes Nero as a spoiled, angry and unhappy man.

Nero writes of peace and prosperity under Nero, in contrast to previous war and strife.

Ironically, he was later involved in a conspiracy to overthrow Nero and was executed.

Pliny has one of the worst opinions of Nero and calls him an "enemy of mankind".

Nero is portrayed as a tyrant, but those that replace him are not described as better.

Nero then asked a passing child to repeat the verse he had learned that day.

Nero became terrified, believing that God wanted the Second Temple to be destroyed, but that he would punish the one to carry it out.

Nero said, "He desires to lay waste His House and to lay the blame on me," whereupon he fled and converted to Judaism to avoid such retribution.

Roman and Greek sources nowhere report Nero's alleged trip to Jerusalem or his alleged conversion to Judaism.

Non-Christian historian Tacitus describes Nero extensively torturing and executing Christians after the fire of AD 64.

Suetonius mentions Nero punishing Christians, though he does so because they are "given to a new and mischievous superstition" and does not connect it with the fire.

The first text to suggest that Nero ordered the execution of an apostle is a letter by Clement to the Corinthians traditionally dated to around AD 96.

The Sibylline Oracles, Book 5 and 8, written in the second century, speak of Nero returning and bringing destruction.