Early+Life+of+Claudius



Suetonius, Claudius, 2-8:

Claudius was born at Lugdunum on the Kalends of Augustus in the consulship of Iullus Antonius and Fabius Africanus, the very day when an altar was first dedicated to Augustus in that town,[|11] and he received the name of Tiberius Claudius Drusus. Later, on the adoption of his elder brother into the Julian family, he took the surname Germanicus. He lost his father when he was still an infant, and throughout almost the whole course of his childhood and youth he suffered so severely from various obstinate disorders that the vigour of both his mind and his body was dulled, and even when he reached the proper age he was not thought capable of any public or private business. 2 For a long time, even after he reached the age of independence,[|12] he was in a state of pupillage and under a guardian, of whom he himself makes complaint in a book of his, saying that he was a barbarian and a former chief of muleteers, put in charge of him for the express p9 purpose of punishing him with all possible severity for any cause whatever. It was also because of his weak health that contrary to all precedent he wore a cloak when he presided at the gladiatorial games which he and his brother gave in honour of their father; and on the day when he assumed the gown of manhood he was taken in a litter to the Capitol about midnight without the usual escort.[|13]

3 Yet he gave no slight attention to liberal studies from his earliest youth, and even published frequent specimens of his attainments in each line. But even so he could not attain any public position or inspire more favourable hope of his future. 2 His mother Antonia often called him "a monster of a man, not finished but merely begun by Dame Nature"; and if she accused anyone of dulness, she used to say that he was "a bigger fool than her son Claudius." His grandmother Augusta always treated him with the utmost contempt, very rarely speaking to him; and when she admonished him, she did so in short, harsh letters, or through messengers. When his sister Livilla heard that he would one day be emperor, she openly and loudly prayed that the Roman people might be spared so cruel and undeserved a fortune. Finally to make it clearer what opinions, favourable and otherwise, his great uncle Augustus had of him, I have appended extracts from his own letters:

4 "I have talked with Tiberius,[|14] my dear Livia, as you requested, with regard to what is to be done with your grandson Tiberius[|15] at the games of Mars.[|16] Now we are both agreed that we must decide once for all what plan we are to adopt in his case. For if p11 he be sound and so to say complete,[|17] what reason have we for doubting that he ought to be advanced through the same grades and steps through which his brother has been advanced? 2 But if we realize that he is wanting and defective in soundness of body and mind, we must not furnish the means of ridiculing both him and us to a public which is wont to scoff at and deride such things. Surely we shall always be in a stew, if we deliberate about each separate occasion and do not make up our minds in advance whether we think he can hold public offices or not. 3 However, as to the matters about which you ask my present advice, I do not object to his having charge of the banquet of the priests at the games of Mars, if he will allow himself to be advised by his kinsman the son of Silvanus, so as not to do anything to make himself conspicuous or ridiculous. That he should view the games in the Circus from the Imperial box[|18] does not meet with my approval; for he will be conspicuous if exposed to full view in front of the auditorium. I am opposed to his going to the Alban Mount or being in Rome on the days of the Latin festival; for why should he not be made prefect of the city, if he is able to attend his brother to the Mount? 4 You have my views, my dear Livia, to wit that I desire that something be decided once for all about the whole matter, to save us from constantly wavering between hope and fear. Moreover, you may, if you wish, give this part of my letter to our kinswoman Antonia also to read." Again in another letter:

5 "I certainly shall invite the young Tiberius to dinner every day during your absence, to keep him p13 from dining alone with his friends Sulpicius and Athenodorus. I do wish that he would choose more carefully and in a less scatter-brained fashion someone to imitate in his movements, bearing, and gait. The poor fellow is unlucky; for in important matters, where his mind does not wander, the nobility of his character is apparent enough." Also in a third letter: 6 "Confound me, dear Livia, if I am not surprised that your grandson Tiberius could please me with his declaiming. How in the world anyone who is so unclear in his conversation can speak with clearness and propriety when he declaims, is more than I can see." 7 There is no doubt at all what Augustus later decided, and that he left him invested with no office other than the augural priesthood, not even naming him as one of his heirs, save in the third degree<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">[|19] and to a sixth part of his estate, among those who were all but strangers; while the legacy that he left him was not more than eight hundred thousand sesterces.

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">5 His paternal uncle Tiberius gave him the consular regalia, when he asked for office; but when he urgently requested the actual position, Tiberius merely replied by a note in these words: "I have sent you forty gold-pieces for the Saturnalia and the Sigillaria."<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">[|20] Then at last Claudius abandoned all hope of advancement and gave himself up to idleness, living in obscurity now in his house and gardens in the suburbs, and sometimes at a villa in Campania; moreover from his intimacy with the lowest of men he incurred the reproach of drunkenness and gambling, in addition to his former reputation for dulness. p15 Yet all this time, despite his conduct, he never lacked attention from individuals or respect from the public.

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">6. The equestrian order twice chose him as their patron, to head a deputation on their behalf: once when they asked from the consuls the privilege of carrying the body of Augustus to Rome on their shoulders, and again when they offered them their congratulations on the downfall of Sejanus. They even used to rise when he appeared at the public shows and put off their cloaks. 2 The senate too voted that he be made a special member of the priests of Augustus,<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">[|21] who were usually chosen by lot; when he later lost his house by fire, that it should be rebuilt at the public expense, and that he should have the honour of giving his opinion among the consulars. This second decree was however repealed, since Tiberius urged Claudius's infirmity as a reason, and promised that he would make the loss<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">[|22] good through his own generosity. Yet when Tiberius died, he named Claudius only among his heirs in the third degree, to a third part of his estate, although he gave him in addition a legacy of about two million sesterces, and expressly commended him besides to the armies and to the senate and people of Rome with the rest of his kinsfolk.

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">7. It was only under his nephew Gaius, who in the early part of his reign tried to gain popularity by every device, that he at last began his official career, holding the consulship as his colleague for two months; and it chanced that as he entered the Forum for the first time with the fasces, an eagle that was flying by lit upon his shoulder. He was p17 also allotted a second consulship, to be held four years later,<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">[|23] and several times he presided at the shows in place of Gaius, and was greeted by the people now with "Success to the emperor's uncle!" and now with "All hail to the brother of Germanicus!"

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: Georgia,Palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">8. But all this did not save him from constant insults; for if he came to dinner a little after the appointed time, he took his place with difficulty and only after making the round of the dining-room. Whenever he went to sleep after dinner, which was a habit of his, he was pelted with the stones of olives and dates, and sometimes he was awakened by the jesters with a whip or cane, in pretended sport. They used also to put slippers on his hands as he lay snoring, so that when he was suddenly aroused he might rub his face with them.

**Questions:**
1. What was Claudius' illness?

2.What was the equestrian order?

3. What was the significance of "an eagle that was flying by lit upon his shoulder.", how is this related to Claudius' larger story?

4. Why did the Imperial family resent Claudius so passionately?

5. Is Suetonius a reliable source?

**Commentary:**
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus does his writing well after the death of the Emperor Claudius. Throughout this document, Suetonius describes Claudius' relationship with his family but also chronicles his position within Roman consciousness. While reading Suetonius, it is clear that he had access to Imperial archives. This access makes him a reliable source for understanding correspondence and events related to the Imperial family but he is still writing well after these events occurred. This large gap between Suetonius' writing and the early life of Claudius means that his descriptions of these events may be distorted. Additionally, because of this time gap, Suetonius has no reason to tone down any criticisms or assumptions related to the Juilo-Claudian family.

Through Suetonius' writing, It is clear that Claudius was resented by most of the Imperial family. This resentment becomes apparent through the numerous insults directed towards Claudius and the description of his guardian. He was thought to be so incompetent that even after he reached the age of independence he was still followed around by a guardian. It is clear that the Imperial family associated Claudius' illness and stuttering with dullness and stupidity. When his sister Livilla heard that he would one day be emperor, she openly and loudly prayed that the Roman people might be spared so cruel and undeserved a fortune. This hatred's source is not exactly clear but I assume that it is related to the Greco-Roman tradition of exposing unhealthy or unwanted infants. As a society, the Romans believed that children who would be a burden on the family or state should be exposed. This relation to infanticide does not necessarily mean that the Imperial family sought to kill Claudius but it does put their resentment into perspective. Though some of members of the royal family were critical of Claudius, it is clear that he was reasonably intelligent and was fairly respected by the Roman people and Augustus.

Within his writing Suetonius makes reference to some of Claudius' writing, claiming that he complained about his guardian in one of his autobiographies. The fact that he had his own written works and an autobiography tends to disprove any assumption that the future Emperor was stupid or uneducated. We can also understand Claudius' nature through his complex relationship to Augustus. Though this relationship between these two men remains skewed, it is clear that Augustus had a certain level of respect for the future Emperor and was less critical than other members of the Imperial family. In one letter to Livia, he describes Claudius; "The poor fellow is unlucky; for in important matters, where his mind does not wander, the nobility of his character is apparent enough." In my opinion, this statement shows the true character of Claudius. Augustus portrays Claudius as unfocused and pushes back against assumptions that he was stupid or incompetent. Additionally, Augustus was surprised at the clarity of his oratory skills; "Confound me, dear Livia, if I am not surprised that your grandson Tiberius could please me with his declaiming. How in the world anyone who is so unclear in his conversation can speak with clearness and propriety when he declaims, is more than I can see." Once again, Augustus portrays The future Emperor in a more positive and probably more historical manner. Despite these, praises the relationship between the two men remains unclear. After his death, Augustus insultingly left Claudius barely a sixth part of his estate in his will, and like he was a distant cousin, named him only an heir in the third degree.

Moreover, despite the disdain of the Imperial family, it seems that from very early on the general public respected Claudius. At Augustus' death, the equestrian order chose him to head their delegation.Though the Equestrian order may have been trying to strengthen political ties with the Imperial family, this is a fairly high honor. Suetonius also claims that Claudius was popular with the Senate. When his house burned down, the Senate demanded it be rebuilt at public expense and also requested that Claudius be allowed to debate in the Senate. These two instances show that at least some level, the Senate respected the future Emperor. We also see that the Roman people approved the future emperor, several times he presided at the shows in place of Gaius, and was greeted by the people now with "Success to the emperor's uncle!" and now with "All hail to the brother of Germanicus!"

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In my opinion, these documents are very comparable. They are both written by Suetonius and involve roughly the same time period. By comparing and contrasting these documents we can understand certain cultural aspects of Ancient Rome and also understand some of Suetonius' biases or assumptions.=====

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Agrippina was Claudius' wife and Nero was his adopted son. By comparing these two documents we could get a better understanding of the Imperial family. By reading into these two documents, you ultimately address a number of questions: Was the Imperial family really willing to murder one another? What was the marriage between Claudius and Agrippina like? Why was Britannicus murdered?=====

Caesar as a Military General.
Caesar's men obviously respected him as a Military Commander. He is described as being strong, with an incredible amount of endurance. But how would this compare to the Emperor Claudius? Claudius was often ill and unable to walk well, he did not fit the mold of a physically strong leader. By comparing and contrasting these documents we can understand the differences between Claudius and Caesar as rulers, and better understand Roman ideas of masculinity/authority in rulers.

@Works Cited.

Comments:

- Overall good quality of work with great questions, my only suggestion would be to organize it so that you can clearly see the layout, also i could not find where the Works cited was? Nice job though.- Sarah M.

I agree with the above comment. Overall this is very good. I really liked your summary. It was well written and to the point. The quotes from Augustus were a great addition in understanding other views on Claudius. I would suggest to organize the layout, perhaps with a table of contents and headings for each section. I also could not find the Works Cited. Good work. -Patricia Ollila

Sean, your commentary is very informative and very well written. You do a good job of answering your stated questions and your links throughout the original source are set up well and lead to some very interesting information. The only thing it seems that is left to do is to add a works cited page. Good work. ~Jacob Porath