His paternal grandparents were Livia, Augustus's third wife, and Tiberius Claudius Nero. Claudius's maternal grandparents were Mark Antony and Octavia Minor, Augustus's sister, and he was therefore the great-great-grandnephew of Gaius Julius Caesar. His mother, Antonia Minor, may have had two other children who died young. He had two older siblings, Germanicus and Livilla. After his death at the age of 63, his grand-nephew and legally adopted step-son, Nero, succeeded him as emperor.įamily and youth Early life Ĭlaudius was born on 1 August 10 BC at Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France). Many authors contend that he was murdered by his own wife, Agrippina the Younger. Those events damaged his reputation among the ancient writers, though more recent historians have revised that opinion. Claudius was constantly forced to shore up his position, which resulted in the deaths of many senators. He was seen as vulnerable throughout his reign, particularly by elements of the nobility. Having a personal interest in law, he presided at public trials, and issued edicts daily. During his reign the Empire started its successful conquest of Britain. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire. He expanded the imperial bureaucracy to include freedmen, and helped restore the empire's finances after the excesses of Caligula's reign. His survival led to him being declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard after Caligula's assassination, at which point he was the last adult male of his family.ĭespite his lack of experience, Claudius was an able and efficient administrator. Claudius's infirmity probably saved him from the fate of many other nobles during the purges throughout the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula, as potential enemies did not see him as a serious threat. Īs he had a limp and slight deafness due to sickness at a young age, he was ostracized by his family and was excluded from public office until his consulship (which was shared with his nephew, Caligula, in 37). Nonetheless, Claudius was an Italian of Sabine origins. He was the first Roman emperor to be born outside Italy. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor at Lugdunum in Roman Gaul, where his father was stationed as a military legate. Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( / ˈ k l ɔː d i ə s/ Latin: 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54.
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