Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, son of Agrippina the Younger, was born on Dec. 15 A.D. 37 in Latium. Agrippina, sister of Caligula and niece of the Emperor Claudius, married her uncle. She persuaded Claudius to adopt her son and give him precedence over his own. So when Emperor Claudius died, Lucius became Emperor. However, the young man's name had been changed to Nero Claudius Caesar, which showed lineage from Augustus, so as emperor, Lucius was known as Nero.
A series of treason laws in A.D. 62 and the fire in Rome of A.D. 64 helped seal Nero's reputation. Nero used the treason laws to kill anyone he considered a threat. The fire opened an opportunity for Nero to build his golden palace, the domus aurea. In the year 65, Nero appeared in public as an entertainer. The next year, a conspiracy was hatched to replace him with Calpurnius Piso. The conspiracy uncovered, Seneca, Nero's former teacher, and Lucan were among those forced to commit suicide. Unrest throughout the Roman Empire turned the tables on the emperor: Nero was obliged to commit suicide on June 9 A.D. 68 in Rome.
Nero is remembered as a licentious emperor. Despite inadequate evidence, Nero is also known for burning Rome. Nero blamed the disastrous fire on the Christians.
Persecutions of the Christians
For information on the origins of the idea that Nero fiddled while Rome burned, see "Nero Fiddled While Rome Burned," by Mary Francis Gyles. The Classical Journal Vol. 42, No. 4 (Jan. 1947), 211-217.
