Tuesday, April 3, 2012

C is for Claudius


Claudius 
Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus was the fourth (4th) Emperor of Rome. Claudius ruled Rome for thirteen (13) years; A. D. 41-54. Claudius was born 1 August 10 BC and died 13 October A.D. 54. He was a descendant of the Claudian dynasty. He was born in Gaul which made him up to that point the first emperor of Rome born outside of Italy.

Claudius suffered from a limp, deafness, and a speech impediment. His family, as proud Romans was ashamed of him and kept him from public sight. They excluded him from public offices until he undertook his role in the consulship. Even then he had to share this office with his nephew, Caligula. His handicaps probably saved his life. His family enemies did not consider him a threat to the Roman emperorship.

Claudius was made Emperor in A. D. 41 when his nephew Caligula was assassinated. The Praetorian Guard declared him Emperor since he was the last male of this family line. In reality he was probably chosen because the leadership of the guard thought they could control him due to his handicaps.

Claudius was ambitious and a great builder. He built new roads, aqueducts, and canals. He conquered Great Britain. He was very active and visible in the courts of his day.

Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome because the Jews were accused of causing continuous disturbances at the instigation of someone called Chrestus. Some think this is a Latin reference to Christ (Jesus.) Even though his policies allowed his subjects to worship freely, he opposed proselytizing by any “religion.” This expulsion of course was what caused Aquila and Priscilla to leave Rome and take up residence in Corinth in A. D. 49. It was at Corinth they met the Apostle Paul and eventually hosted a church in their home.

The opinion of most historians is that Claudius was murdered by poison. He died in the early hours on 13 October A. D. 54. It is thought that his wife, Agrippina, the mother of Nero, was the instigator of his death. Halotus, his food taster or Xenophon, his doctor are thought to have given Claudius the poison. It seems Claudius was on the outs with his wife Agrippina. As she was taking steps to ensure her son, Nero succeeded Claudius; he seemed to be taking steps to establishing his son Britannicus (from a previous marriage) as a successor.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

It seems, times and sins really don't change~ Very interesting...makes those times seem real~! ♥♥♥

Larri said...

I enjoyed learning more about Claudius today. Interesting that he set in motion the beginning of the church in Corinth. Thanks for sharing. Happy Tuesday! ☺

Charmaine Clancy said...

He really had bad taste in women.
Wagging Tales

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Times and situations don't really change do they?
Great post for C Gregg.
See you tomorrow.

Thanks for the visit.much appreciated.
Yvonne.

Darlene said...

Great information. Wouldn't want to have the job of "food tester". Dangerous business, being born into royalty.

Survivormama said...

Wow, you are always so informative...love this post and learned something I didn't know about Claudius...blessings

new running blog http://runningsurvivor.blogspot.com

L said...

Wow! I learned about this guy in school, but this taught me more than a semester! way to educate! (even if it wasnt your main objective)

MOV said...

very informative post! found you on a to z, and will be back to read more.

stop by to see my blog too if you have time, my theme for the a to z is travel:

http://wordcut.blogspot.com

best,
MOV

Sara Hill said...

Very interesting, as per usual. Thank you.

Grammy said...

Hi, Gregg! so glad to find your very interesting blog. I always enjoy reading about historical characters and places. Thank you. Ruby

Tracy said...

gosh, I teach children with special needs and some things do not change...many families of children with disabilities want to hide them from public view...
fascinating! Thanks for sharing!

Marta Szemik said...

Very interesting post. I often wonder if leaders of today have food tasters.

Sharkbytes (TM) said...

As messed up as the US is, I don't think we've quite made it to this level. I hope. I'm trying to visit all the blogs in the A-Z Challenge.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

He was a busy person. How did they do all that without the conveniences of today?

Teresa

Unknown said...

Great post. I love how you are doing the a-z challenge. Great stuff. I look forward to hearing the other 23 letters.

Petra said...

Amazing to see how God used him to start the church in Corinth. I like these history lessons and my teacher! :-)

thelmaz said...

Enjoyed your post. Visiting from the A to Z Challenge.

Anonymous said...

Gotta love history! Hollywood would have trouble trying to script stories like this.

Hold my hand: a social worker's blog said...

You have the ability to tell the story in such a educative and enjoyable way, that I was like... "I want to know what happened next!"

Very, very interesting.

Doris

Betty Alark said...

Like your choice for the letter, "C"

Another great history lesson!

Timothy S. Brannan said...

Every time I hear "Claudius" I "see" Derek Jacobi.

Great post.

I am trying to read all the A to Z blogs, but coming back to the ones I really like.
Looking forward to seeing what you do all month!

Tim
The Other Side
The Freedom of Nonbelief