Nero The Selfish And Cruel - 843 Words

Nero: The Selfish and Cruel Rome is considered by many to be one of the greatest empires in the world. Many great rulers like Augustus and Trajan made Rome the great nation we know of today. Some rulers, however, were not great leaders and were more focused on their own interests. The empire was in danger while under the rule of these cruel men. One of these men had the name of Nero. Nero was born in A.D. 37 and died in A.D. 68 when he committed suicide (â€Å"Nero,† par. 1). Nero originally had the name Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and was born to Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger (History.com Staff, par. 2). When she married Claudius I in A.D. 49 she persuaded him to adopt Nero, making Nero next in line to rule instead of his son Britannicus (History.com Staff, par. 2). Nero was an unsuccessful ruler. Nero focused too much on his own interests, didn’t handle tragedy well when it hit, and he killed many people to gain and keep power. Nero is well kno wn for his love of music and acting. He was not, however, known for being a good ruler. Nero was too focused on his own interests to rule his empire. He left that job for three crucial advisors: Seneca, Burrus, and his mother, Agrippina (History.com Staff, par. 3). Nero also did not have any experience leading an army. Nero relied heavily on his competent military generals Gnaeus Domitius, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, and Titus Flavius Vespasianus to lead in battles (Sienkewicz, par 8). Nero had to, by law, put toShow MoreRelatedThe Twelve Caesars : What Makes A Good Leader?1345 Words   |  6 Pagesthe eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire ( 51) and greatly expanded Romes territory (53). Augustus â€Å"showed not only skill as a commander, but courage as a soldier† in the eyes of his contemporaries (47). On the other hand, both Caligula and Nero, considered poor leaders by Suetonius, had very limited military success and aspirations. Only once did Caligula initiate a military exploit, and it was rife with his madness. His campaign into Germany was on a whim and all he accomplished was receivingRead MoreThe Roman Of Gladiatorial Games1369 Words   |  6 Pagespolitical ploy to gain citizen support, pay tribute to Roman gods, and feed the human craving for death and destruction. The Roman citizens saw the games as a way to improve social status, gain wealth, and provide punishment for those who deserved a cruel death. Gladiatorial games were therefore predominately supported by Roman society with the exception of Christians and a select number of philosophers. Though the philosophers and Christians objected to the games on the same grounds, the philosophicalRead MoreColosseum of Rome Essay2347 Words   |  10 Pageshad many choices of what to do during their spare time, such as ball games, board games, and watching gladiatorial fights in the Colosseum; this was the most popular type of entertainment. To many people today, Roman entertainment wa s classed as cruel. However, not all forms of entertainment involved such violence as within the Colosseum. There was also poetry reading available, although most people enjoyed the fights. The Colosseum was like our football stadiums, to provide entertainment forRead MoreKindred by Olivia Butler - Rufus Evil and Inhumane Nature2090 Words   |  9 Pages_Kindred_ unfolds, it becomes clear that Rufus turns in to a stereotypical slave owner and abuser. With every trip that Dana makes back to Rufus, there is a clear distinction of changes in his personality. He becomes more evil, over-obsessive and cruel as he gets older. In fact, he becomes very much like his father Tom Weylin, which in his childhood he never wants to be. However, this does not excuse the horrible actions that he commits towards his black slaves. Although at his time some white men