It is possible to encounter countless deviant leaders in world history, but none of them were as chilling as the Roman emperor Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, known as Nero. Let’s take a look at some information about Emperor Nero, who allegedly burned even the whole of Rome, and get to know this extraordinary historical figure.
Since the first days of humanity, countless civilizations have been established and countless leaders have been at the head of these civilizations. Unfortunately, most of these leaders were very disturbing people. Among them, the Roman emperor Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, known as Nero, is by far the most chilling. Even when Emperor Nero ascended the throne It was a story that started bloody and it was said that he even burned the whole of Rome.
Of course, when evaluating such historical figures, it is necessary to consider the conditions of the period. Before and after Emperor Nero, the Roman Empire was a rather strange place. But we have to admit that he is really strange, as Nero has managed to be a feared person even in such a strange time in his life. Bride Some information about Emperor Nero Let’s take a closer look at this extraordinary historical figure.
Interesting information about Emperor Nero:
At 17, he ascended the throne suspiciously:
Nero is the stepson of the Emperor Claudius, but is older than his real son Britannicus. Claudius, prepared by his wife Agrippa in 54 AD after eating a mushroom plate died mysteriously. So it was poisoned. In the time of Nero, mushrooms were called the food of the gods.
Since Britannicus, who was supposed to take the throne after Claudius died, was younger than 14 years old, 17-year-old Nero took the throne temporarily. Britannicus, at the party the night before he came to the throne He died mysteriously after drinking a glass of wine. So he was poisoned, too. Thus, Nero became the undisputed leader of the Roman Empire.
Emperor Nero killed his own mother:
Both husbands of Nero’s mother, Agrippina, died mysteriously. He finally put his son on the throne and He even had his own face stamped on the coins. However, since the flame of his passion for power did not extinguish for a moment, he often interfered in Nero’s affairs. Finally, when he got involved in Nero’s relationship with Poppaea Sabina, Nero made his decision. Agrippina was murdered in a country house on the Bay of Naples by a loyal slave of Nero in 59 A.D.
Emperor Nero killed his two wives:
Nero’s first wife, Claudia Octavia, was known as a virtuous wife. But Nero soon got bored with this woman and began to argue often. He tried to strangle his wife several times. It didn’t work, he divorced her and sent her into exile on the pretext that she was barren. When Claudia heard that Octavia had not left Rome, she ordered her death. Claudia Octavia’s veins were cut, she was put in a hot tub to bleed to death, and finally her head was cut off and sent to the emperor.
Nero’s reason for divorcing Claudia Octavia was actually that his mistress, Poppaea Sabina, became pregnant. She married him immediately and they had a child who died 4 months later. However, Nero also got bored with him and began to fight frequently. Poppaea Sabina while pregnant with their second child Nero gave her a terrible kick in the stomach. Poppaea Sabina died in 65 AD. After his death, Nero is said to have entered a period of mourning because this murder was accidental.
In fact, he was a very popular leader at first:
Although Nero was a violent pervert, he was still well liked by the people in the early years of his empire. The man had devil hair. He often held big festivals with the participation of all the people, pleasing people’s hearts. He even held a grand ceremony in which the Parthian King came to Rome. After years of austerity policies, Nero’s generous demeanor had a positive impact on the public. Of course, that later changed.
He was accused of orchestrating the Great Fire of Rome:
In 64 AD, on the night of 18 July to 19 July, a fire started on the slope of the Aventine overlooking the Circus Maximus, and the whole city burned for 6 days. During this fire, which was later called the Great Fire of Rome Nero was not in the city. This situation drew a great reaction and everyone, especially all the writers of the period, blamed Nero. It is a myth that Nero played the violin while watching Rome burn, but everyone who wrote about the period blamed Nero for the Great Roman Fire.
He supported the persecution of Christians:
After the 3rd century, Christianity would spread within the Roman Empire and even became the official religion of the state. However, in the early days Christians were greatly persecuted by the Romans. They were all rounded up, tortured, crucified, burned, and allowed to be mutilated by dogs. Unfortunately, all this cruelty was known to Emperor Nero, but he supported these actions, let alone objecting.
He built himself a golden palace:
After the Great Roman Fire, a huge gap opened in the city. Since shopping malls were not popular at that time, Emperor Nero decided to have a palace built in this area. but not from the palaces we know, but a golden palace. There was also a statue of Nero in this huge palace, which was built around a giant 37-meter column. Called the Golden Palace, this structure was completed shortly before Nero’s death. Not much remains today, because after the death of Nero, the palace began to be used for many different purposes.
He had one of his slaves castrated and married him:
This part is quite disturbing. In 67 AD, Nero ordered a child slave named Sporus to be castrated. She married him after he was castrated. According to historian Cassius Dio, Sporus was very similar to Nero’s wife, Poppaea Sabina, whom he accidentally killed. For this reason, Nero had this boy castrated and married him to relieve his guilt. The story is in your hands wherever you hold it.
Nero is actually an Olympic athlete:
We have said that Nero was a beloved emperor at first. It really was. It supports arts and sports, He also sang and played the lyre. He even gave public concerts. In this process, he ordered the Olympics to be held every five years and trained athletes. He himself had participated in the chariot race. However, he nearly died in this dangerous race. Therefore, she did not continue and continued to participate in competitions only as a singer.
It was feared that he would return as the Antichrist after he died:
When we came to 67 – 68 AD, Nero was beyond the line and popular revolts had begun. These revolts even turned into civil war in some regions. When he died on June 9, 68, the Julio-Claudian dynasty ended with him. The post-Nero Roman Empire went through very bad times. The people, especially Christians, who believed that these bad times were an omen, began to believe that Nero was the Antichrist and that he would return and bring the doomsday.
A man so extraordinary that it would be believed that he burned Rome. We talked about interesting information about Emperor Nero and we described this historical figure in all its details. You can share your thoughts about Emperor Nero, which is quite disturbing even for the time he lived, in the comments.