Nero

This is a sample introduction. Paper Masters can produce a custom research paper on Nero. The Roman Emperor Nero (AD 37-68) was the last of the Julio-Claudian emperors, apocryphally famous for fiddling while Rome burned. The heir of Claudius, Nero's reign was first marked by the domination of his mother, and later marked by civil unrest that led to his overthrow.

Facts about Nero:

• 5th Emperor of Rome
• Reigned from 54 AD to 68 AD
• Born - Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
• Imperial Name - Imperator Nero Cladius Divi Claudius filius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
• Born - December 15th, 37 AD
• Died - June 9, 68 AD
• Father - Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
• Mother - Agrippina the Younger

Nero and Agrippina

Nero's mother, Agrippina, was the younger sister of the mad emperor Caligula. Ambitious and amoral, Agrippina maneuvered to marry her uncle Claudius in AD 49, and see her son Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus named heir, taking the new name Nero Claudius Caesar. When Claudius died in AD 54, poisoned by Agrippina, Nero was proclaimed Caesar at the age of 17.

Nero was able to firmly establish his grip on power by AD 59, the year he had his mother executed. His reign was characterized by vanity and appeals to the masses of Rome, attempting to repeal all indirect taxes in Rome. Following the massive fire in Rome in AD 64, Nero undertook an immense rebuilding program which nearly bankrupted the state.

Nero Defeated

In AD 68, several of Nero's generals began revolting. Servius Galba declared himself to be emperor. When the prefect of the Praetorian Guard came out in favor of Galba, Nero fled Rome, eventually too afraid to commit suicide that he had his private secretary assist him. With Nero's death, chaos reigned during what has been called the "Year of Four Emperors," before Vespasian brought stability to the empire.