← Explore on the interactive map

Claudius

Type Figure Region Italy Time -10–54 Also known as Claudius、Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus、克劳狄乌斯

Claudius (c. 10 BCE–54 CE), the fourth Roman emperor, unexpectedly raised to power by the Praetorian Guard after Caligula's assassination, conquered …

Timeline

  1. -10–41Lugdunum · LugdunumBorn at Lugdunum, he was long ignored by the imperial family and Senate due to lameness and a stammer. Devoting himself to history, Etruscology, and law, he wrote several works, spending most of his life on the political margins yet accumulating deep learning and connections.
  2. 41–42Rome · LazioAfter Caligula's assassination, the Praetorian Guard found Claudius hiding during the unrest and proclaimed him emperor. He swiftly purged Caligula's old faction, pacified the army and Senate, and became princeps by chance, opening a thirteen-year reign.
  3. 42–50Rome · LazioDispatched the general Plautius on an expedition to Britain, incorporating southern Britain into the provincial map. Expanded the port of Ostia, dredged the Tiber, reformed provincial governor appointments, broadened equestrian participation in politics, and oversaw numerous public works.
  4. 50–54Rome · LazioIn his later years he married his niece Agrippina the Younger, adopted her former husband's son Nero and established him as principal heir, and became estranged from his own son Britannicus. He died in 54 CE, possibly from food poisoning; Nero succeeded smoothly, marking the final phase of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Sources