Julio-Claudian Emperors

His Reign

Claudius inherited a mess and, much to everyone's surprise, managed to restore order and stability, though not without missteps. His public career was generally successful, but his private life was a catastrophe.

He was determined to be a good emperor. Having lived in the imperial circle his whole life, he trusted no one among the great families of Rome. He relied heavily on slaves within the palace, some of whom were quite well educated (mostly Greeks). In so doing, Claudius began creating a sort of Imperial civil service, whose officials were directly dependent on the emperor and on whose loyalty he could rely. This did, however, mark a further step away from traditional Roman government as Augustus had conceived it.

Claudius' great achievement in foreign affairs was the final conquest of Britain, which had first been invaded by Julius Caesar.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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