June 9 - Death of Emperor Nero

This Day in History: 9 June 2020

 

9 June 68

 

1952 years ago, today, the Roman Emperor Nero committed suicide. The problems he was facing had begun to pile up; he had killed his mother and first wife, and a financial strain was put on the empire, due to the rebuilding of Rome. He was forced to raise taxes wherever he could and take religious treasures. The emperor's support began to crumble as a result, with the Roman governor Gaius Iulius Vindex renouncing Nero, and declaring his support for Galba. Shortly afterwards, the Praetorian Guard, who were in charge of guarding the emperor himself, renounced their support, declaring him an enemy of the people. The following day, he committed suicide, with his long-time mistress Acte by his side.

 

Nero had ascended to power in 54 A.D., after the death of his adopted father, Emperor Claudius. He has become one of the most infamous men in history, notorious for murdering his female relatives and allegedly starting the great fire of Rome in 64 A.D., so that he could re-build the city centre. The blame fell on him for starting the fire, but he still took it upon himself to organise relief efforts. Additionally, he had a passion for music and the arts, and even gave a public performance to Rome in 65 A.D. After his death, the Roman Empire fell into chaos, and short-lived emperors tried to gain control. Supposedly, rumours spread about the emperor's death and people even refused to believe that he was dead.

 

Want to find out more about the life and death of Emperor Nero? Click here for more information, or here for a video with more on his death and its aftermath.