Claudius the God (Penguin Modern Classics)

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Since Claudius was the first emperor proclaimed on the initiative of the Praetorian Guard instead of the Senate, his 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 and rewarded the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard that had elevated him with 15,000 sesterces. [21] Tiberius and Augustus had both left gifts to the army and guard in their wills, and upon Caligula's death the same would have been expected, even if no will existed. Claudius remained grateful to the guard, issuing coins with tributes to the Praetorians in the early part of his reign. [22] The novel has also been adapted for theatre. The 1972 production I, Claudius was written by John Mortimer and starred David Warner. [20] Audio [ edit ] Claudius, the god and his wife Messalina; the troublesome reign of Tiberius Claudius Caesar, emperor of the Romans (born B.C. 10, died A.D. 54)". Worldcat entry for 1st edition of Claudius the God.

Claudius the God by Robert Graves [A Review] – We Need to Claudius the God by Robert Graves [A Review] – We Need to

Continuing the saga begun in I, Claudius, Robert Graves's Claudius the God is a compelling fictional autobiography of the Roman emperor, published with an introduction by Barry Unsworth in Penguin Modern Classics. Claudius was described as physically repulsive, weak, and easily manipulated by his wives and companions by Suetonius, [9] but this historian cannot be entirely trusted. The surviving works of Claudius present a different view. They paint a picture of an intelligent, scholarly, well-read, and conscientious administrator with an eye to detail and justice. Thus, Claudius becomes an enigma. Since the discovery of his letter to the Alexandrians in the last century, [10] much work has been done to rehabilitate Claudius and determine where the truth lies.

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While Claudius had never been formally adopted either by Augustus or his successors, he was nevertheless the grandson of Augustus's sister Octavia, and so he felt that he had the right of family. He also adopted the name "Augustus" as the two previous emperors had done at their accessions. He kept the honorific "Germanicus" to display the connection with his heroic brother. He deified his paternal grandmother Livia to highlight her position as wife of the divine Augustus. Claudius frequently used the term "filius Drusi" (son of Drusus) in his titles, to remind the people of his legendary father and lay claim to his reputation. [20] During the period immediately after the death of Tiberius's son, Drusus, Claudius was pushed by some quarters as a potential heir to the throne. This again suggests the political nature of his exclusion from public life. However, as this was also the period during which the power and terror of the commander of the Praetorian Guard, Sejanus, was at its peak, Claudius chose to downplay this possibility. After the death of Tiberius, the new emperor Caligula (the son of Claudius's brother Germanicus) recognized Claudius to be of some use. He appointed Claudius his co-consul in 37 to emphasize the memory of Caligula's deceased father Germanicus. The madness having reached a tempest is finally quelled by Cassius Chaerea, a captain of the Praetorian Guard who plots with the other captains to assassinate Caligula, along with his wife and daughter. Horrified, Claudius hides behind a curtain and is discovered by a disgruntled Praetorian Guard. Realizing they need a new emperor, the Guards suddenly and bemusedly declare Claudius emperor. Claudius pleads that he does not want to be emperor and only wants to see the Republic restored, but the Guards ignore him. He sadly accepts for the sake of his wife and unborn child, and for the access the emperorship will give him to valuable historical documents, on a whim deciding that as emperor he will finally be able to demand that people read his books.

Claudius by Robert Graves, Barry Unsworth | Waterstones I, Claudius by Robert Graves, Barry Unsworth | Waterstones

Claudius set about remodeling the Senate into a more efficient, representative body. He chided the senators about their reluctance to debate bills introduced by himself, as noted in the fragments of a surviving speech:

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As time passed, Claudius was mostly forgotten outside of the historians's accounts. His books were lost first, as their antiquarian subjects became unfashionable. In the 2nd century, Pertinax, who shared his birthday, became emperor, overshadowing commemoration of Claudius. [102] In modern media [ edit ] Four years of Caligula’s rule had left state matters in a complete mess. This at least is how Claudius rationalises to himself why he accepted the role of Emperor despite his republican sentiments. Once in power, he gets to work strengthening the Secretariat, removing problematic senators, executing traitors, reorganising the Empire’s financing and reversing Caligula’s worst decrees. The Emperor Claudius, 41 AD Letter to the Alexandrians adapted from source: Loeb Classical Library (ed. A.S.Hunt and G.C. Edgar) 1934, pp8-89

‘It’s readable all right, but it’s not history’: Robert

Plautia Urgulanilla was the granddaughter of Livia's confidant Urgulania. During their marriage she gave birth to a son, Claudius Drusus. Drusus died of asphyxiation in his early teens, shortly after becoming engaged to Junilla, daughter of Sejanus. Things come together very smoothly, though there are regular problems with food shortages, conflict with Jews and Claudius’ own inexperience in Imperial matters. He is very grateful for Messalina, whom he marries. Though very young, she shows herself to be very resourceful and able and Claudius grants her considerable power to act on his behalf. But she is also jealous, independent and, since Claudius trusts her implicitly, her power increases rapidly. An episode from "Claudius the God" was adapted for comics in the EC Comics Two-Fisted Tales #36, in a story titled "Battle!", written by Colin Dwakins and drawn by Reed Crandall.Unfortunately, none of these major works survive. They do live on as sources for the surviving histories of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Suetonius quotes Claudius' autobiography once, and must have used it as a source numerous times. Tacitus may have used him for some of the more antiquarian passages in his annals. Claudius is the source for numerous passages of Pliny's Natural History. Pliny credits him by name in Book VII 35. [1] p83 Sometimes referred to as Claudius I, in reference to the later emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II). Momigliano, Arnaldo. 1934. Claudius: the Emperor and his achievement. Trans. W.D. Hogarth. Heffer, Cambridge. All Time 100Novels". Time. 16 October 2005. Archived from the original on 19 October 2005 . Retrieved 4 May 2010.