Nero was Roman emperor from 54 to 68 AD. The last of the Julio-Claudians to rule the Roman Empire, his 14-year reign seems to represent everything decadent about that period in Roman history. We're told that he was self-indulgent, cruel, and violent - as well as a cross-dressing exhibitionist! His lavish parties combined with the burning of Rome continued the economic chaos that had plagued the Roman citizenry since the days of Tiberius (r. 14-37 CE). According to the historian Suetonius in his The Twelve Caesars, upon hearing of the emperor's death by suicide, "…citizens ran through the streets wearing caps of liberty as though they were freed slaves."
However...
Some modern historians question the reliability of the ancient sources on Nero's tyrannical acts. There is evidence of his popularity among the Roman commoners, especially in the eastern provinces of the Empire. At least three leaders of short-lived, failed rebellions after his death presented themselves as "Nero reborn" to enlist popular support.
Agrippina
Nero was brought up by his mother, Agrippina. After poisoning her second husband, Agrippina became the wife of her uncle, the emperor Claudius, and managed to get him to nominate her son, Nero, as his successor, rather than Claudius' own son, Britannicus. She eliminated her opponents among the palace advisers and had Emperor Claudius himself poisoned, poisoning Claudius' son Britannicus one year later.
Nero as emperor
Upon the emperor Claudius' death, Nero was proclaimed Emperor at the age of nearly 17. Nero was encouraged by his old tutor and the philosopher Seneca to think for himself and not be entirely under Agrippina's influence; and one year later Agrippina was forced into retirement, leaving Burrus, one of her previous allies, and Seneca as effective rulers.
Nero put an immediate end to some of the worst features of Claudius' latter reign, including secret trials, and he gave the Senate more power. His early years were full of generosity and clemency, banning bloodshed in the circus and capital punishment, reducing taxes and permitting slaves to bring civil complaints of mistreatment. Nero pardoned those who wrote against him and even those who plotted against him. He inaugurated poetry and theatrical competitions and encouraged athletics, against gladiatorial combats. Cities that suffered disaster received assistance and aid was given to the Jews.
He inherited the empire at a moment of great decline and financial difficulty. Rome had in fact entered into a period of rapidly changing emperors and instability. Nero undertook a typically Keynesian approach of public works, increasing taxes on the rich, which probably earned him an everlasting black mark in the history books.
It is true that, after he tired of his mother's constant meddling, he had her killed in the year 59, five years after acceding to the throne. He was also, at his young age, scandalously debauched, having no limits to his behaviour. He felt that his artistic talents were appropriate to giving performances in public, which was viewed as indecorous by many around him, but was actually very modern, rather like our current leaders on TV.
When the Great Fire of Rome started in 64, Nero rushed back from Antium, helped the effort to put out the flames, distributed food to the needy, and lodged the homeless in his palaces. When the fire started he was 35 miles (56 km) from Rome, so clearly did not start the fire. He did not "fiddle" during the fire either, as bowed stringed instruments would not reach Europe for almost a thousand years. He did, however, start a ridiculously ostentatious palace shortly afterwards, which was designed to cover fully one third of Rome. He would not be the first leader in history to be attracted to megalomaniacal building works, nor the last.
Claudius, the previous emperor, lost control to Agrippina while away fighting in the numerous wars that beset the Roman Empire in its decline. Claudius had allowed Armenia, an important buffer state, to gain a king that was no longer amenable to Rome. Nero managed to solve the problem, but the empire was increasingly stretched by wars and unrest. Nero had to raise taxes. It is said that the taxes were to pay for his excessive personal expenditure, but the constant military cost associated with all declining empires would have been far, far higher. His personal expenditure would have been publicised by his enemies and used to foment criticism.
As was typical in those years, there was constant plotting against Nero, and he was frequently saved by his slaves giving him warnings about imminent attempts on his life, in the nick of time. One such attempt, the Piso conspiracy, included 41 participants, only 18 being executed. This clemency shows Nero's great leniency.
By the year 68 he had the Senate against him, plus the wealthy families and a large part of the middle class, who were resentful of having to pay taxes and who found his artistic pretensions inappropriate for an emperor.
He was away when the Senate communicated to him that he was to be put to death. Apparently the aim was for him to abdicate but, taking the message seriously, Nero asked his private secretary to help kill him.
He died, age 30, in the year 68.
Most of what we hear is from the historian Tacitus, himself not perhaps an entirely impartial recorder of events. Throughout history, taxes raised on the rich tend to provoke a propaganda blitz of bad press.
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