10 B.C.-54 A.D.
Claudius is one of the more bizarre
figures in Roman Imperial history. Because he was born with a variety of minor
birth defects, he was considered a fool and kept out of public life until his
insane nephew, Caligula, became emperor and appointed him consul as a joke.
Before that he had spent his life as a historian. When Caligula was assassinated
in 41 A.D., Claudius was the only member of the imperial family still alive.
The Praetorian guard, interested in keeping their job as the Emperor's body
guard, declared Claudius emperor and forced the Senate to do the same. Claudius
ruled for thirteen years, and on the whole his administration was a good one,
though full of bloody executions and treacherous wives, including his neice
Agrippina, the mother of Nero.
Check
out a WEB SITE
Student Work:
Katie
B.
Will
V.
Project designed and implemented by
Lee Burnett and the eighth grade Latin students of Germantown
Academy.
November 2001