37 C.E.–c. 68 C.E.

Roman emperor
Performer

A Troubled Emperor in a Troubled Time.

Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus in December 37 C.E. to Agrippina the Younger and G. Domitius Ahenobarbus. His mother was the daughter of Germanicus Julius Caesar, grandson of the emperor Augustus and brother of the emperor Claudius. His father was a cruel and much vilified former soldier who swindled and killed for fun. His family was banished by the emperor Caligula in 39 C.E., and his father died soon afterward. When Claudius became emperor in 41 C.E., he restored Agrippina's civil rights and her estates, which had been confiscated by Caligula. Seneca the Elder, an historian and orator, tutored the young Nero. His uncle Claudius adopted him in 50 C.E., making him heir to the throne. Agrippina murdered Claudius in 54 C.E., and Nero became emperor. His dominating mother held the empire's...