ABSTRACT

Propelled to power by the age of 17 by an ambitious mother, self-indulgent to the point of criminality, inadequate, paranoid and the perpetrator of heinous crimes including matricide and fratricide, and deposed and killed by 31, Nero is one of Rome’s most infamous Emperors.

But has history treated him fairly? Or is the popular view of Nero as a capricious and depraved individual a travesty of the truth and a gross injustice to Rome's fifth emperor?

This new biography will look at Nero’s life with fresh eyes. While showing the man 'warts and all', it also caste a critical eye on the 'libels' which were perpetrated on him, such as claiming he was a madman, many of which were most probably made up to suit the needs of the Flavians, who had overthrown his dynasty.

 

chapter Chapter One|17 pages

The Political Background to the Reign of Nero

chapter Chapter Two|16 pages

Nero's Family

chapter Chapter Three|11 pages

The Path to Power

chapter Chapter Four|19 pages

The Expectation and Hope of All the World

chapter Chapter Five|12 pages

The End of the Beginning

chapter Chapter Six|25 pages

Nero and the Empire

chapter Chapter Seven|16 pages

The Imperial Builder

chapter Chapter Eight|26 pages

The Beginning of the End

chapter Chapter Nine|16 pages

Rebellion and the fall of Nero

chapter |6 pages

Epilogue