Claudius, Roman Empire

Claudius becomes emperor in 41 CE, hoisted to the position by the Praetorian guard. He is often written about as a mild and studious man, and described as walking with a limp and having difficulty with speech, which has led historians today to believe he may have suffered from cerebral palsy or a similar condition. Like many ancient cultures, the Romans made the error of equating physical disabilities with moral and mental deficiency, so it is thought that many who supported Claudius’ accession did so hoping that he would be easy to control. The later Roman historians who write about his rule tend to fall into this bias too, often stressing how Claudius was manipulated by his wives, Messalina and Agrippina.

In reality, Claudius was one of the more competent emperors in imperial history, and his reign must have felt mercifully calm and serene after the horrors brought by Caligula. Claudius worked diligently, improving the vast bureaucracy that was needed to rule the empire by hiring freed slaves to create a large civil service. He also invested heavily in infrastructure projects, making Rome's port Ostia one of the central nodes for shipping in the Mediterranean and worked to integrate the provinces more closely into imperial culture. In 48 CE, he extended the rights and privileges of Roman citizenship to many in Gaul, allowing eminent men from this province to join the Senate. 

Claudius begins the Imperial tradition of empowering freedmen. By creating a class of civil servants and administrators formed of former slaves to the imperial family, Claudius further isolates the elite by excluding them from these important roles that Senate members would have fulfilled previously (such as acting as advisors and administrators), and by reducing their direct access and contact with the emperor. Instead, Claudius builds a community of freedmen who relied on the Emperor alone for their position and were therefore more likely to be loyal. 

He also expands the empire’s borders, annexing the client kingdoms of Thrace and Mauretania. Then, in 48 CE, he orders the invasion of Britannia. Although this expedition has often been labelled as a vanity project, intended to add a military victory to the emperor’s lustre, it did add a large new province to the empire, rich in the vital resource tin. The campaign to pacify Britain is long and gruelling, the mountainous terrain perfectly suited for guerrilla warfare, and the locals stubbornly resistant to Roman rule. Eventually, the Romans prevail, over time establishing a Romano-British culture that still survives (very faintly) today in the culture, legends and languages of Wales and Cornwall.

One of the most interesting characters to emerge during Claudius’ reign is his wife, Agrippina the Younger. Agrippina was the sister of Caligula and married her uncle Claudius in 49 CE, after the death of his third wife. She was a savvy political survivor, having lived through both Tiberius’ purges and Caligula’s reign of terror. Ancient sources like to stress Agrippina’s control over her husband, relating how she used her influence to sideline and purge her rivals at court, and surround the emperor with her lackeys. In 50 CE, she manages to convince her husband to adopt her son Nero, naming him as his successor. More about her later! 

The circumstances surrounding Claudius’ death are unclear, the story goes that poor Claudius was served a plate of poisonous mushrooms. Tacitus claims that it was Agrippina who poisoned him, paving the way for the succession of her son, who was falling out of favour. We certainly have the means, method and motive here, but Roman historians are always quick to blame the woman, especially when poison is involved. Suetonius paints a more nuanced picture, with the blame perhaps falling on the cook who served the mushrooms making a mistake. Whatever the truth of the story, many in Rome will have cause to regret Claudius’ death as the reign of Nero begins.