Claudius (Black Box) (ICLAUDIUS-BBOX)

$54.00

With his limp, his stammer, and his partial deafness, Claudius was seen as the runt of the imperial Roman litter. Because of his infirmities, he managed to survive the horrible purges of his uncle, Tiberius, as well as the tumultuous reign of his mad, megalomaniacal nephew, Caligula, to take the throne himself in AD 41.

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Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus^[b] (/ˈklɔːdiəs/ KLAW-dee-əs; Classical Latin: [tiˈbɛːrijus ˈkɫaːwdijus ˈkaːjzar awˈɡuːstus ɡɛrmaːnikus]; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor at Lugdunum in Roman Gaul, where his father was stationed as a military legate. He was the first Roman emperor to be born outside Italy.

As he had a limp and slight deafness due to an illness he suffered when young, he was ostracized by his family and was excluded from public office until his consulship (which was shared with his nephew, Caligula, in 37). Claudius's infirmity probably saved him from the fate of many other nobles during the purges throughout the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula, as potential enemies did not see him as a serious threat. His survival led to his being declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard after Caligula's assassination, at which point he was the last adult male of his family.