How I Dug Into Nero’s Messy Path to Emperor
Honestly, I always thought Nero just woke up one day and got handed the throne. Wildly wrong. Started scratching the itch yesterday after seeing some bad YouTube takes. Grabbed coffee, cracked open a couple dusty history books on Rome – not the boring academic ones, the ones telling messy human stories.
First thing? Realized Rome’s succession never was simple like passing the salt. Zero rules. Just vibes and power plays. Started mapping Nero’s family tree – what a circus! His mom Agrippina? Absolute boss player. She married her own uncle Emperor Claudius like it was NBD. Crazy Roman family drama right there.
Agrippina’s moves were straight out of Game of Thrones:
- First, she bullied Claudius into adopting Nero. Kidnapped a throne step-by-step.
- Then she shoved Nero’s tutor Seneca into the spotlight as his advisor – smart backup plan.
- Made damn sure Nero married Claudius’s daughter Octavia. Locking down royal connections.
Here’s the brutal bit everyone skips: Claudius dropped dead super sudden. History books cough awkwardly about poisoned mushrooms… with Agrippina conveniently hosting dinner. Coincidence? Yeah right. Found a source describing how the royal doctors totally faked helping Claudius while he choked. Cold-blooded. Nero just waltzes in as princeps like it’s all normal.
But wait! Claudius had a real son too – Britannicus. Teenage kid. Next potential headache. So what happens? Few months into Nero’s rule? Poof. Britannicus has a “seizure” during a banquet and dies. Ancient gossip columns whisper poison again. Nero immediately threw Britannicus’s entire circle to the wolves. Cleaning house.
Last step? The Senate rubber stamp. Seriously, read the speeches they gave afterward praising Nero – pure cringe. “Omg perfect young leader! Divine choice!” Yeah no shit. Everyone knew crossing Agrippina or Nero meant a knife in the dark. They fell in line. Nero walked over bodies – literal and political – to sit down. Wasn’t fate. Was ruthless family ambition playing the game better than anyone else.
Ended the night thinking: Rome’s throne was less a crown, more a bloody free-for-all. Nero didn’t “become” emperor. His mom weaponized family dinners, poison, and adoption papers until he couldn’t not get it. Dark stuff.
