Claudius

:The name of two Roman emperors. This article deals with Claudius I. See Claudius II.

Claudius and the Praetorian Guard

Because he was proclaimed emperor on the initiative of the Praetorian Guard instead of the Senate – the first emperor thus proclaimed – Claudius's repute suffered at the hands of commentators (such as Seneca). Moreover, he was the first Emperor who resorted to bribery as a means to secure army loyalty. Nevertheless, his general approbation, in contrast to that of predecessors Tiberius and Caligula, is attested by his apotheosis and the raising of the temple to Divus Claudius, on the Caelian Hill in Rome, following his death. Those who regard this homage by Agrippina as cynical should note that, cynical or not, such a move would hardly have benefited those involved, had Claudius been "hated", as some commentators, both modern and historic, characterize him. Moreover, though Claudius's divinity was annulled by Nero, it was later restored by the "good" emperor Vespasian.

Related Topics:
Praetorian Guard - Seneca - Tiberius - Caligula - Agrippina - Nero - Vespasian

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Claudius was also the first emperor to be called "Caesar" purely as an honorific. (He had no legal claim to the name.) Caesar would thus become part of the nomenclature of every succeeding Roman emperor and would be adopted as the title of the German (Kaiser) and Russian (Czar) emperors.

Related Topics:
Honorific - Kaiser - Czar

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