Emperor Claudius: Nomen Omen
Guaranteeing success later is something that happens rarely in antiquity was almost impossible if you had malformations or disability , but history gives us an example of how even though this is unlikely success in Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, born Tiberius Claudius Drusus, past to history just as the Emperor Claudius.
Its name in Latin means lame and the Latin phrase was never truer: "Nomen omen = the name is an omen"; the second son of Drusus and Antonia was born with a malformation that made him limp, probably due to problems at birth.
Fourth Emperor of Rome, Claudius was the first Augustus who was not born in Italy, he was born in Lugdunum (now Lyon) on August 1, 10 BC. Historians have conflicting opinions about him: some consider him a failure as emperor, others as a man of brilliant insights, his family did not think much of him certainly.
Although grandson of Augustus, was the son of Antonia Minor (daughter of Mark Antony and Octavia, sister of Augustus) and Druze Major; Claudius does not drew ever benefit from his relationship, in fact his mother Antonia called him "a human beings that nature had left unfinished" and she was habit to use the young Claudius as compared with negative things like "is more stupid than my son Claudius". The real motives behind these phrases are not certain yet, it is known that Claudius suffer from several diseases at a young age that marked deeply, in both, the physical and, most likely, in the spirit; but these shortcomings allowed the future emperor can devote much of his life to the study, reaching to write even historical treatises on the Etruscans and Carthage, analyzing deeply the Roman legal system and writing a defense of Cicero as well as minor treatises on the origin of alphabet and also on craps, all these works are lost unfortunately.
Yet, this man despised by all, got away from Augusto and mocked by his family became emperor; the way in which he came to power is singular; it seems that when Caligula was killed it were to create a set of circumstances favorable to him, first of all we must say that the Senate don’t made concrete move and determined to restore the republic, what allowed the Praetorian Guard to act. They will own the Praetorians in fact investing Claudius of Empire. When they found Claudius, hidden behind a curtain for fear of being killed as Caligula, they recognized him as the Empire heir as the last direct descendant of Caesar, and brought him safely in their camp for the night.
Here was the first act of Claudius as emperor: promised 15,000 sestertii each to the Praetorian Guard if they swore loyalty, all were quick to take the oath immediately. Claudius now could count on solid support from the military and on rapidly increasing popular support; he could deal only with the Senate which was fully aware now of having lost its chance and legitimized the title of Emperor ...
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by M.L. ©ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (Ed 1.0 - 20/11/2015)