Julio-Claudian dynasty

Julio-Claudian dynasty
(AD 14–68) Successors of Augustus, the first Roman emperor: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero.

It was a loosely defined set of kin relations rather than a direct bloodline. Tiberius's rule was competent, with notable accomplishments, but it ended in cruel tyranny. The insane Caligula was wild and capricious. Under Claudius, Rome experienced marked development. Under Nero the empire prospered, but he was given to excesses, and his reign ended amid rebellion and civil war.

* * *

      (AD 14–68), the four successors of Augustus, the first Roman emperor: Tiberius (reigned 14–37), Caligula (37–41), Claudius I (41–54), and Nero (54–68). It was not a direct bloodline. Augustus had been the great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar (of the Julia gens), whereas Tiberius, the adopted son of Augustus, came from the aristocratic Claudia gens. Caligula was a great-grandson of Augustus; Claudius was a nephew of Tiberius; (Tiberius) and Nero was the great-nephew and adopted son of Claudius.

      The ablest of the line was Tiberius. He was undoubtedly a capable and vigorous ruler, who enforced justice in the government of the provinces, maintained the integrity of the frontiers, and husbanded the finances of the empire; but he became intensely unpopular in Roman society and in his last years became a cruel tyrant. His successor, Gaius, generally known as Caligula, became known for his wild caprices and uncontrolled passions, which issued in manifest insanity. Upon his assassination he was followed by his uncle, Claudius, whose personal disabilities made him an object of derision to his contemporaries but who had many statesmanlike faculties. His reign left an abiding mark on the history of the empire, for he carried forward its development on the lines intended by Augustus. Client-states were absorbed, southern Britain was conquered, the Romanization of the West received a powerful impulse, public works were executed in Rome and Italy, and the organization of the imperial bureaucracy made rapid strides. Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudian line, has been handed down to posterity as the incarnation of monstrous vice and fantastic luxury. But his wild excesses scarcely affected the prosperity of the empire at large; the provinces were well governed, and the war with Parthia led to a compromise in the matter of Armenia, which secured peace for half a century. The dynasty ended amid rebellion and civil war. Nero died, probably by suicide, and was succeeded by the general Galba, who had been a leader of one of the revolts.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Julio-Claudian dynasty — The Julio Claudian Dynasty refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus (Octavian), Tiberius, Caligula (Gaius), Claudius, and Nero. They ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC to AD 68, when the last of the line, Nero, committed suicide. These… …   Wikipedia

  • Marcus Claudius Marcellus (Julio-Claudian dynasty) — This article is about the nephew of Augustus. For the Second Punic War general from whom this man was descended, see Marcus Claudius Marcellus. Roman imperial dynasties Julio Claudian dynasty Marcellu …   Wikipedia

  • Julio-Claudian family tree — The Julio Claudian dynasty of the early Roman Empire has a family tree complicated by multiple marriages between the members of the gens Julia and the gens Claudia .See also: List of family treesFor a graphical version of the above, click …   Wikipedia

  • Julio-Claudian — 1. adjective of or relating to the , which ended with the death of Nero in the year 68 AD 2. noun Someone from the Julio Flavian dynasty …   Wiktionary

  • Dynasty (TV series) — Dynasty The iconic trio of Krystle, Blake and Alexis, as featured on the Season 3 (Part 1) DVD Genre Soap opera Created by Richard &am …   Wikipedia

  • Claudian letters — The Claudian letters were developed by, and named after, the Roman Emperor Claudius (reigned 41–54). He introduced three new letters: a reversed C (antisigma) to replace BS and PS, much like X stood in for CS and GS. The appearance of this letter …   Wikipedia

  • Dynasty — A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations. A dynasty is also often called a house , e.g. the House of Saud or House of Habsburg . In the histories of Europe, much of Asia and some of Africa, ruling and… …   Wikipedia

  • dynasty — dynastic /duy nas tik/; Brit. also /di nas tik/, dynastical, adj. dynastically, adv. /duy neuh stee/; Brit. also /din euh stee/, n., pl. dynasties. 1. a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock, or group: the Ming dynasty …   Universalium

  • Julio (given name) — Infobox Given Name Revised name = Julio imagesize= caption= pronunciation= gender = Male meaning = region = origin = related names = footnotes = Julio is a given name, and may refer to:In acting:* Julio Alemán, Mexican actor * Julio Mannino,… …   Wikipedia

  • Flavian dynasty — Flavian dynasty| The Flavian dynasty was a Roman imperial dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69 ndash;79 AD), and his two sons Titus (79 ndash;81 AD) and Domitian (81 ndash;96 AD).… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”