From Tiberius to Claudius

• VIDEO L’impero dei Giulio-Claudii da Tiberio a Claudio 2F videolezione scolastica di Luigi Gaudio parte in inglese e parte in italiano su youtube, con il testo della lezione in inglese e in italiano

  • AUDIO L’impero dei Giulio-Claudii da Tiberio a Claudio 2F lezione scolastica del prof. Gaudio in mp3, disponibile anche in formato wma, con il testo della lezione in inglese e in italiano

The successor of Augustus, Tiberius, intends to continue his policy . In fact, he , along with Claudio , is a model of western emperor : the emperor who proclaimed himself not and does not make worship as a god. He was much criticized in his day, and the portrait that did Suetonius and Tacitus was a man incapable , which tended to shift the blame and feared confrontation. He , according to modern historians , it was definitely less affable of Augustus, but just as effective in the management of power, not in Rome threw unnecessary and bloody wars of conquest, healed the state coffers , and consolidated the empire at the expense of the senatorial oligarchy . Perhaps that is why he was hated by historians and biographers , who belonged to that class . He also was reasonably concerned about the weight of the power, which actually felt the responsibility and risks.

Begin under his empire in fact the rivalries and political machinations . Of one of these plots was the protagonist Agrippina the Elder , nephew of Tiberius and wife of Germanicus , an ambitious general who died under mysterious circumstances on 19 AD She was accused of treason, exiled , killed himself in exile.

Sejanus was the powerful praetorian prefect , who moved directly to Rome Praetorian troops , thus increasing his power. When Tiberius retired to Capri for a few years , he became the undisputed master of Rome, and devised a plot to destabilize Tiberius, but the plot was foiled and he was sentenced to death .

The successor of Tiberius, Caligula, son of Germanicus , was proclaimed emperor by the troops and the benevolent initially by the Senate. He, like Nero, embodies the eastern model of sovereign , self-proclaimed God , and that feels very far from the Senate and close to the people and the army. The populace and the soldiers indeed did many donations, which put in serious difficulty , however, the state coffers , healed by Tiberius . He did not appoint a senator horse crazy because , as he wanted the senatorial historiography , but because he wanted to prove that the perfect uselessness of the republican magistrates . With its excesses and its despotism succeeded only in uniting all , in Rome and in the provinces , against him, and was killed by a conspiracy .

Senators glimpsed for a moment , with the death of Caligula, the possibility of a restoration of the republic, but the Praetorians , conscious that their power would be gone if there had not been an emperor , tracked down , almost frightened and hidden, the only of the Jul’io-Claudian dynasty available at the time , Claudius, and appointed him as emperor with the favor of the people. At this point, the Senate could only ratify his appointment.

He actually proved to be a great king : it was caught and moderate , active and industrious .

Under Claudius was completed the conquest of Britain , was granted Roman citizenship to the Gauls , and some freedmen became imperial officials . In fact, he adopted the criterion that the power was not to go to a person belonging to a certain family , but on its own merits .

Claudius was a bit ‘ too weak against women .

His two wives were in fact the protagonists under his reign . The first , Messalina , for the scandals and multiple relationships and not hidden with most men , so that Claudius was forced to kill her publicly when she married another man who wanted to become emperor instead of Claudius.

The second wife , Agrippina , was his uncle Claudius as her third husband . In fact, his goal was to get more and more power for himself and for his son born from his first marriage , Nero. To do this, persuaded her husband to adopt Nero, who became his successor in place of Britannicus, son of Claudius. Then probably poisoned Claudius, Nero and placed on the throne , who influenced and led until the same Nero , exasperated, had her killed .

• VIDEO L’impero dei Giulio-Claudii da Tiberio a Claudio 2F videolezione scolastica di Luigi Gaudio parte in inglese e parte in italiano su youtube, con il testo della lezione in inglese e in italiano

  • AUDIO L’impero dei Giulio-Claudii da Tiberio a Claudio 2F lezione scolastica del prof. Gaudio in mp3, disponibile anche in formato wma, con il testo della lezione in inglese e in italiano