Julio-Claudian Emperors

Emperor Claudius

Claudius had congenital defects. The cause might be any number of things, but the symptoms are described in the histories. He stuttered badly, was lame or had a limp of some sort, had a tendency to drool, and his mind would wander so that he employed a slave whose sole job was to remind the emperor what he had been saying.

Claudius was not stupid, however, though of all the family only Augustus himself evidently recognized this. Claudius was an avid reader, wrote numerous histories and literary works, and was easily the most learned of the Julio-Claudians. Few knew this, for most dismissed him as a fool. He also drank too much. In short, he was never even remotely considered as a possible successor to any emperor. His sole qualification to office was that he belonged to the right family and was, indeed, virtually the only survivor, for the simple reason that no one had ever thought him dangerous enough to kill.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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