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The son of Antonia, granddaughter of Marcus Antonius, nephew of Tiberius
and uncle of Caligula, Claudius was thrust onto the throne by the rampaging soldiers who killed most of the rest of his family. Claudius was treated as an idiot by his family prior to his elevation. As emperor (despite Robert Graves' cuddly image of him in "I, Claudius"), Claudius proved a cruel ruler. He is most famous for his invasion of Britain in 43, which finally brought the island under Roman control. He died in 54, probably poisioned by his 4th wife, Agrippina (mother of
Nero), in order to clear the throne for her repulsive son. |
