Nero (37-68 CE) was Roman emperor from 54 to 68, the last ruler of the Julio-Claudian dynasty founded by Augustus. He came to power as a teenager after his mother Agrippina the Younger arranged the succession, and his reign is associated with the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, after which ancient sources record that he blamed and violently persecuted the city's Christian community. Ancient historians also describe him ordering the killing of his mother and his first wife, and his rule is remembered for extravagant personal spending, including the construction of a lavish palace complex, the Domus Aurea, on land cleared by the fire. Facing rebellion from provincial governors and the loss of support in Rome, he was declared a public enemy by the Senate and died by suicide in 68 CE, an event that plunged the empire into a year of civil war.
Facts
Death PlaceNear Rome, at the villa of the freedman Phaon outside the city; buried in the Mausoleum of the Domitii Ahenobarbi (modern Villa Borghese area of Rome) 1 Role
Role (category) Sources
1. Wikipedia: Nero
WikipediaLead paragraph, birth/death dates
Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37-9 June AD 68) was Roman emperor from AD 54 until his suicide in AD 68, as the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Early life section
Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on 15 December AD 37 in Antium (modern Anzio), the only child of the politician Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger.
Revolt of Vindex and Galba and Nero's death section
An imperial freedman, Phaon, offered his villa, 4 mi (6.4 km) outside the city.
Lead paragraph, role
Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37-9 June AD 68) was Roman emperor from AD 54 until his suicide in AD 68, as the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Lead paragraph, birth name
Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37-9 June AD 68) was Roman emperor from AD 54 until his suicide in AD 68, as the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Nero: Gender
He came to power as a teenager after his mother Agrippina the Younger arranged the succession, and his reign is associated with the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, after which ancient sources record that he blamed and violently persecuted the city's Christian community.
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