ABSTRACT

NERO, who resembled Gaius in so much else, was also like him in failing to make provision for the succession. This omission was to prove more serious, however, in 68 than it did in 41, for on this occasion no male member of the Julio-Claudian household could be conveniently found and elevated to the purple by the Praetorians. Nor were the provincial armies likely to give their unanimous allegiance to anyone but a Julian. Even the two Claudian emperors, Tiberius and Claudius, both of whom were closely associated with the Julian house, had encountered disaffection in some of the provincial armies at their accession.