The biography of the Roman emperor Nero began in 54. For the first five years, the successor of Emperor Claudius ruled, one might say, quietly. He was a grateful observer of the war, now open, now frankly undercover, waged by his mother with his own teachers and advisers.
Agrippina
The mother of the Roman emperor Nero, Agrippina the Younger, not for this reason, with hard, and often criminal, elevated her son to the throne, so that outsiders would use his small mind for a time. For her, the very fact of ruling was not so important (which in itself is even more difficult work), she wanted her own significance, honors and glory of a real empress.
She behaved not so much ugly as brazenly: she accompanied her son everywhere, even where women, by definition, were forbidden to enter. The mother occupied the emperor's stretcher and received foreign ambassadors, ordered the rulers of the Roman provinces and even other countries that fell under the arm of the Roman Empire. What else can you expect from Sister Caligula?
Here, she could not come to the curia at the council of the patricians, the traditions were still too strong. This is a Roman authority that women were not allowed to visit. However, she so wanted to visit the senate that the meetings were moved to the palace, and Agrippina listened to the debate from behind a curtain. Even a coin was minted at her behest and with her image, and Nero was a Roman emperor! - also on the coins, of course, was present. Modestly. Close to mother.
Seneca and Burr
The terrible emperor's advisers were wonderful people: the brave and honest warrior Burr and the learned philosopher Seneca. They fought Agrippina's lust for power as best they could, it was thanks to the titanic efforts of the mentors that Rome was calm so far: the administration and justice worked smoothly and efficiently, the senate had not yet been removed from business, taxes were levied, abusers were punished. The people liked Nero. So, thanks to the advisers, whom Nero obeyed for quite some time, the Roman Empire stood.
However, if not Burr, then Seneca knew exactly who he had to deal with. The young man was unbridled, endowed with a thirst for creativity, and if the creative principle did not win, the destructive one triumphed. The constructive rarely won, although, despite the exceptional moral depravity and irresistible attraction to voluptuousness, Nero's good impulses sometimes took possession: somehow, signing a paper for execution, he complained that he could write at all.
Childhood of Nero
Strange as it may seem, he was also a child - Nero, the Roman emperor. Biography for children turns outunreadable almost from birth. The child grew up somehow spoiled, with painful unbridled fantasies, extremely vain, capricious.
Nevertheless, he had a mind, I guess. Although the same Seneca wrote in full confidence that an intelligent person would not do evil. Rather, Nero had a special liveliness of character, which replaced the mind. As it is now diagnosed - hyperactivity.
The main trouble of the Romans happened due to the fact that Nero was not prepared to reign. They did not instill in the character of that discipline that gives solidity to knowledge, seriousness and loftiness to plans, and diligence to deeds. Seneca met Nero too late.
Probably, in our time, Nero, the Roman emperor, would be a good director of mass holidays after graduating from an institute of culture somewhere in the province. He only loved this: singing, dancing, drawing, writing poetry, cutting stone, driving horses … And he had to rule the Roman Empire, what an interest in this. Without creativity, any director will go berserk. So it turned out that Emperor Nero is the worst emperor of the Roman Empire.
Growing Up
Seneca and Burr from the beginning of the reign of Nero used the fact that the emperor is absolutely indifferent to public affairs. Agrippina tried to take on this burden, but she was not given. They managed well and looked at the licentiousness of the young monarch through their fingers, the main thing is that it does not interfere and that Nero's debauchery is not reflected in state affairs.
Agrippina minorthe situation did not suit her, she was power-hungry, ambitious. She needed absolute power over her son, undivided influence on advisers and equal imperial government and court honors. Agrippina's intrigues had no end and were successful for the time being. And then an unexpected hour came when the son tore the harness and reared up.
Octavia and Acta
This is where the real Roman emperor Nero begins, a brief biography of which he never dreamed of - too many events, both strange and terrible. From the strange: the young emperor was married. On Octavia, which was a stark contrast to Nero's behavior, habits, and all of Nero's ill-bred nature. That is why he always treated his wife with hostility.
His passions were constantly changing - not only women were among them, by the way, and one day Acta appeared among them - a former slave who was set free. She was beautiful, cunning and persistent, she managed to get quite a lot of power over her lover. The mother of the Roman emperor Nero, Agrippina, was furious. And not because Acta - yesterday's slave - brazenly behaves with her like a daughter-in-law, Agrippina had many lovers from freedmen, but because she clearly saw how she was losing power over her son.
Imperial response
Nero, the Roman emperor, stopped tolerating reproachful talk from anyone. Agrippina didn't love Acta? Perfectly. Why exactly the same freedman Pallant manages the Roman finances? Is it because he is the emperor's mother's lover? Shouldn't he be stripped of his position? Not enough. Why not put him inprison? Amazing. And let him die there. It is desirable - as soon as possible.
Agrippina famously bit the bit and carried over bumps. Don't scare her. She threatened her son with revealing the truth that Nero was a usurper on the throne of the emperor, as well as about the whole path that she had to go through for the sake of this throne for her own son (the sudden death of Emperor Claudius, a middle-aged and quite he althy man, for example, for whom Agrippina her last days married - also part of this story) that the emperor Nero is the worst emperor of the Roman Empire, and the rightful heir - the fourteen-year-old native son of Claudius Britannicus - will please the people much more.
She forgot that Nero is the son of Agrippina and the nephew of Caligula, that Nero's father, after the birth of his son, expressed himself unambiguously: apart from grief and shame for people, nothing can be born from Agrippina. And soon died. Now the blood of the emperor has begun to speak.
Nero expelled his mother from the palace and immediately poisoned Britannicus at the feast, fearing no one and embarrassing nothing. After that, he continued violent and vile debauchery and all kinds of tomfoolery. Acta was soon put aside - not because her mother wanted it that way, but because Poppea appeared in the field of vision, whose husband, a Roman horseman (professional military man), participated in almost all the outrages that Nero was up to.
Poppea vs. Agrippina
Poppea was noble, rich, beautiful, voluptuous, and also very smart. She led the emperor into the distance along the cheerful road of villainy. Her husband wassent to Lusitania, but not offended, since he was made the ruler of this glorious province. By the way, he abandoned revelry and debauchery there, plunged into state cares and succeeded. Even after Nero he was emperor for 120 days. But that was later. And now Poppea settled closer to the throne and inspired Nero with such a frightening disgust for his own mother that he decided to kill.
Several attempts have been unsuccessful, including those that were cleverly conceived and were difficult and expensive to execute: the case of a ship specially built to break apart with Agrippina aboard, for example. Agrippina, it must be admitted, understood everything and behaved simply stoically.
How did it happen
But the Roman emperor Nero was not going to retreat in the face of difficulties, and his policy towards his mother was uncompromising. Agrippina was still killed, and quite subtly. This time, Nero secured himself against the Romans: a freedman of Agrippina with a dagger was previously detained and accused of criminal plans against the emperor.
The most interesting thing about this story is that Seneca was not only aware of the terrible plan. He also helped the pupil write a letter to the Senate, where he explained the need for Nero to kill his own mother. What's more, her emperor didn't kill her.
Just after the arrest of her former slave with a dagger at the ready, she got scared and committed suicide. And she died from multiple blows with a man's heavy sword, yes. Fell on the sword seventeen times… Two thousand years sincemethod is alive. And the biography of the Roman emperor Nero is just beginning from this place.
Unworthy tendencies
It should be noted that ancient Rome was very little like the modern world. If in our country the word of a famous artist or musician is perceived by the people as a revelation from above, then in Rome at the time of Nero there were no more contemptible little people than actresses and musicians. Clowning and any entertainment of others is a shame and dishonor. The people recognized only gladiatorial fights and the eating of criminals by wild animals. This is a sight worthy of men.
Nero didn't just dislike gladiator fights. He banned them. The animals in the circus have so far regaled themselves with criminals, since there was no normal penitentiary system and punishment system in the empire. Therefore, entirely in accordance with Roman law, various criminals were given to animals. Nero did not like this either. He loved theater and music. He composed poems, sang them, masterfully playing along on the cithara, and terribly disliked when he was interrupted from this lesson. That is, the beautiful did not make him better. Rather the opposite.
Strength and weakness of art
He forced noble matrons and patricians to dishonor their high name by participating in theatrical performances, musical and poetry competitions, horse races in the circus, fencing for show, and not on business, and even right in front of the people, instead of gladiators …
It was impossible for the patricians to look at all this, but it was also impossible to leave. Theater doors were tightly closed and no one was allowed out until the end of the performance. Nero willinglyshowed his fellow citizens his dramatic and musical art. And the Romans themselves gradually got used to the unbridled orgies, and at concerts during the performance they learned to applaud their emperor in Greek - to the beat of the music.
Shame and oppression
Nero, the Roman emperor, whose years of reign were overgrown with all sorts of ugly stories, almost did not deal with public affairs. He loved art and devoted most of his time to it. The rest - inventive revelry and orgies. That is, if he did damage to his country, then more of a shame. However, such extravagance required continuous investment, and the finances of the empire suddenly came to an end.
Now, to the shame of the Roman Empire, extortion has also been added. It was necessary to get a coin to continue the fun. Trials and executions for lèse majesté began. They were extremely massive due to specially hired provocateurs and informers.
Honor - fight
Educated, we althy and smart have been especially hard hit. Being honest has become dangerous. It was during this period that one of the most decent people in Rome died - the prefect of the Praetorians and the tutor of Nero - Burr. Even Tacitus does not know if his death was natural. He was the only one who opposed Nero's marriage to Poppea, because, like all the people, he was very fond of his wife, the well-behaved Octavia.
Immediately after the death of his mentor, Nero, the Roman emperor, whose interesting biography facts have already become the talk of the town, divorces Octavia and marries Poppea. The deadly repressions continued. Noble Romans were killed without trial,accusations were built from scratch, and Nero no longer had a hold.
Seneca was a philosopher and knew perfectly well that he could not influence the emperor and bring him to reason. The emperor became hostile to him, and the educator decided to quietly retire from public affairs. Guessed wrong. I had to open my own veins by filling the bathtub with water in half with blood. But how. After all, he, too, was not only famous, but also truly rich, and Nero had nothing to celebrate.
A short widowhood
As soon as Octavia ceased to be empress, on the false accusation of Poppea she was exiled to the island of Pandaria and killed there. Rome was saddened, but the senate ordered to celebrate the next salvation of the emperor. Thus disasters became occasions for celebrations. And Nero never got tired of celebrating.
However, Poppea also did not celebrate the victory for long. Having achieved everything she wanted, she suddenly fell out of love with unbridled orgies. Probably got old quickly. The most wrong thing in her behavior was that she began to nag Nero on this occasion and demand a change in lifestyle. Nero listened, listened and began to beat her. Once it worked to death.
Fire in Rome
Where there is revelry, disasters are inevitable. The best part of the people of the empire was exterminated, the people became impoverished and sank. The result is this: in 64, Rome caught fire. It all started with the shops that stuck around the circus. Everything that could burn, and almost everything could burn, since Rome was then mostly a wooden city. The streets burned for six whole days, then the fire was stopped, but not for long, it flared up again, and three more blazedday. Of the fourteen districts of Rome, only four survived.
Nero enthusiastically watched this colorful spectacle and sang songs about burning Troy. For this, the people accused him of setting fire to Rome. This is how the biography of the Roman emperor Nero was overgrown with terrible details. Most likely, this is slander, since the emperor has accumulated a lot of ill-wishers. Still, in between bel canto classes, Nero himself helped put out the fire, fed the hungry, and even saved someone from the fire. And after the fire, with his own money, he built something like hostels for many victims of the fire.
New Rome
This time the city was rebuilt according to good architectural and engineering plans: the streets became wide, the houses were made of stone. Beautiful squares with colonnades, fountains, pools are scattered everywhere. Construction went quickly, Nero spared no expense to restore Rome.
And the new imperial palace exceeded in size and beauty all that existed hitherto, not only in Rome. It was unspeakably magnificent: several huge buildings, distant from each other, but united by colonnades, with artificial reservoirs, meadows, olive groves and vineyards in the areas between the buildings.
A statue depicting Nero as the sun god adorned the main palace. The Romans called this grandiose project of the architects Celer and Severus the "Golden Palace". It is a pity that he did not live to this day, ten years later he also burned down. An epigram went around Rome when the true scale of the construction became visible, advising all Romans to move toVeii (a city eighteen kilometers from Rome), unless Veii is swallowed up by this palace.
Persecution
And all the same, despite the exceptional generosity and even kindness towards the burnt people, Nero continued to be blamed for the fire of Rome. However, Nero, the Roman emperor, would not have been Nero if he had not figured out how to ward off this misfortune from himself.
He blamed the fire on Christians. And I must say, they believed him. Almost no one liked Christians in Rome, considering them a harmful sect. There were reasons for this. Christian teaching easily recruited young people and the elderly - these are the most easily addicted to religious opium parts of the population, who understand and are close to the idea of universal forgiveness. In addition, Christians had a tradition of signing off all property in favor of the church, leaving for the Lord. But all the newly recruited had relatives who hoped for an inheritance.
Many Christians have been torn apart by wild animals in circus arenas. Many were crucified like Christ. And St. Peter is not like Christ, but upside down, as he himself wished. For the construction and arrangement of the Roman streets and the "golden palace" funds appeared in this way. But not only Christians suffered for the restoration of the city. All the provinces were mercilessly plundered, even the best works of art were taken from the Greek cities to decorate Rome.
Conspiracy
The Roman people had to endure the infamy of the emperor for a long time, but the end of patience always comes. The rich Roman Piso, intelligent and respected for this, apparentlyalready foresaw his turn to "dispossession" and death. He decided to get ahead of the emperor and began to look for like-minded people. Found quickly and a lot. But the people were so demoralized by the years of the wildest revelry that the conspirators could not begin to act. Many were afraid, others were not sure of the correctness of the plan.
The idea was great: together with Nero, kill the monarchy. The Republican Party consisted of noble people - equestrian, senatorial, patrician families. They all lacked prudence and determination. An informer was found, and Nero severely punished everyone. Among the suspects was Seneca, who was close friends with Piso. This fact was enough for the prosecution.
Nero allowed Seneca to choose his own death, and Seneca opened his veins. Rome shook. Executions - one more terrible than the other - were carried out daily, and orgies and revelry did not stop between executions. Even nature helped Nero exterminate the Romans: thirty thousand people died from an epidemic. Nevertheless, Nero, the Roman emperor, did not stop the orgies. Photos of the preserved frescoes of those years are very eloquent.
Finally, an uprising broke out in the provinces and reached Rome. The Senate gladly went to meet the people's will and sentenced Nero to public execution. Nero fled from Rome, but the horsemen, who had previously guarded him, and now followed the orders of the senate, overtook the fugitive. Then Nero ordered his freedman to stab himself. It was 68 years old. Nero was thirty years old. Fourteen of them he ruled Rome.
