ABSTRACT
GAIUS, like Julius Caesar, was struck down by men who fondly imagined that, with the death of the tyrant, the Republic would automatically return. The Senate, although some of its members were realistically proposing potential candidates for the purple, actually discussed the feasibility of a republican restoration. Meanwhile the Praetorians did not stand upon ceremony. They acclaimed Claudius, the brother of Germanicus and hence Gaius’ uncle. The Senate thereupon tamely conferred the imperial powers upon Claudius. 1
