History UsefulNotes / Nero

After Nero's death his name lived on in infamy, not least because everyone at the time not in his personal circle absolutely hated him. The aristocratic pagan writers of his day and the subsequent centuries loathed him for his affronts to Roman dignity--particularly his love of acting and the stage, seen as low pursuits--and the Christians who took charge 300 years later identified him with ''evil'' on account of his persecutions of the early Christians.[[note]]The Roman common people--whose accounts have not survived--were probably less negative at first, but he quickly fell out of their good graces too on account of high taxes, bad management, and stupid moves like building his ridiculously lavish palace after the Great Fire rather than using that wealth to rebuild the city as well as sending a load of sand to Rome instead of wheat.[[/note]] He is still seen as the prime example of a bad and mad emperor, while at the same being perhaps the most famous Roman emperor to the general public (save perhaps UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}). More recent historians have started to doubt whether Nero's reputation [[WrittenByTheWinners wasn't just the result of some serious badmouthing]]. By all means the guy was cruel, unhinged, and dangerously power-hungry, but several of the stories about him are certainly false.

He was adopted by Emperor Claudius on behalf of his new wife Agrippina The Younger, who was Nero's mother (and UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}'s [[InTheBlood sister]]). In 54 AC Claudius was poisoned by Agrippina, making Nero his successor. As emperor Nero immediately made sure nobody stood in his way. He poisoned his adoptive and step brother Britannicus in 55 AD, ordered the execution of his first wife Claudia Octavia and in 59 AD even the woman who placed him on his throne: mother Agrippina. In 65, he beat his second wife Poppaea to death while she was pregnant with their child.

Nero (born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, 15 December 37 – 9 June 68 AD) was a notorious [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints Roman Emperor]] and among UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine the Great is one of the most famous. Note that much of his infamy - similarly to Tiberius and Domitian - is handed down to us by how much the elite of ancient times hated him. In particular, the fact Nero loved to [[FunPersonified strum his lyre, host grand parties, and pined to become a gladiator]] was altogether against the morals of the kind of people who recorded history at the time. [[WrittenByTheWinners Further to this, he became one of Christianity's earliest and most infamous villains.]] It's worth bearing in mind when reading about how apparently despicable he was.

Nero (born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, 15 December 37 – 9 June 68 AD) was a notorious Roman Emperor and among UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine the Great is one of the most famous. Note that much of his infamy - similarly to Tiberius and Domitian - is handed down to us by how much the elite of ancient times hated him. In particular, the fact Nero loved to [[FunPersonified strum his lyre, host grand parties, and pined to become a gladiator]] was altogether against the morals of the kind of people who recorded history at the time. [[WrittenByTheWinners Further to this, he became one of Christianity's earliest and most infamous villains.]] It's worth bearing in mind when reading about how apparently despicable he was.

* In ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'', he is portrayed sympathetically early in his reign as a teenager whose controlling mother attempts to repress his artistic dreams.

* Nero appears in the webcomic side of ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' as someone under his mother Agrippina's command and who is interested in Greek arts and culture, much to the chagrin of his mother.

* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Nero thought he was going to be arrested and executed by the Senate, so he committed suicide.

* SelfMadeOrphan: He ordered the murder of his mother, Agrippina the Younger, in 59.

Nero (born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, 15 December 37 – 9 June 68 AD) was a notorious Roman Emperor and among UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine the Great is one of the most famous.

* TheCaligula: One of the most famous examples of this trope of all time. Whilst his overall wickedness is often exaggerated, Nero really ''was'' off his rocker.

* TheAntichrist: In the ''Literature/BookOfRevelation'', the author St. John of Patmos states that the NumberOfTheBeast is 666 (or possibly 616, depending on the translation), and that learned men can use it to figure out the name of the guy he is talking about. Many biblical scholars are in agreement that this is code (in Hebrew gematria and / or Greek isopsephy) for Nero, though there is some puzzlement about this as ''Revelation'' was likely written ''after'' the death of Nero. Some believe it refers to the then-reigning Emperor Domitian, who was considered to be depraved and acting like Nero by his critics, others that it refers to the conspiracy belief that Nero was actually still alive somewhere and might return. Incidentally, Nero was the guy who exiled St. John ''to'' Patmos, which is another reason for thinking he was talking about him.

Nero's early reign was decent, but after five years he started to become more preoccupied with leading a decadent life. He drank and ate a lot and immersed himself in perverted sexual behaviour, both with men and women. The emperor fancied himself a wonderful poet, singer and lyricist, so much even that he supposedly [[WhileRomeBurns played the lyre during the Great Fire of Rome]] in 64 AD and even lit the city on fire personally.[[note]]Nowadays, history presumes that both fires (yes, there were ''two'' Great Fires of Rome) were caused by bad city design and some spilled coals in a tenement section of the city.[[/note]] After the disaster Nero ordered the construction of a large palace, the ''Domus Aurea'' ("Golden House") on the destructed area of Rome, with a 40 meter high statue of himself. Nero also persecuted Christians and blamed them for the Great Fire. He had many of them tied up on poles next the road, then covered in tar and set on fire, so they could function as street lighting during parties.

He was adopted by Emperor Claudius on behalf of his new wife Agrippina The Younger, who was Nero's mother (and UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}'s [[InTheBlood sister]]). In 54 AC Claudius was poisoned by Agrippina, making Nero his successor. As emperor Nero immediately made sure nobody stood in his way. He poisoned his brother Britannicus in 55 AD, ordered the execution of his first wife Claudia Octavia and in 59 AD even the woman who placed him on his throne: mother Agrippina. In 65, he beat his second wife Poppaea to death while she was pregnant with their child.

* WhileRomeBurns: The most famous urban legend about him. Supposedly, he (at best) played his fiddle during the Great Fire of Rome (or just "fiddled about", ie. was slow to act), or (at worst) burned the city on purpose. In reality, Nero never did any of this, and did everything he could to help the homeless victims of the fire. Tacitus (who lived when it happened but was eight when it happened and thus might not be the most reliable source), states that Nero rushed back to the city to oversee the relief efforts, paying out of his own pockets quite generously. He did benefit from it, though, building a new set of buildings on the place where the fire had been, which probably contributed to the suspicion that he did this on purpose.

* WhileRomeBurns: The most famous urban legend about him. Supposedly, he (at best) played his fiddle during the Great Fire of Rome (or just "fiddled about", ie. was slow to act), or (at worst) burned the city on purpose. In reality, Nero never did any of this, and did everything he could to help the homeless victims of the fire. The most reliable source on the fire, Tacitus (who lived when it happened), states that Nero rushed back to the city to oversee the relief efforts, paying out of his own pockets quite generously. He did benefit from it, though, building a new set of buildings on the place where the fire had been, which probably contributed to the suspicion that he did this on purpose.

[[caption-width-right:251:[[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS29E10Blink}} Don't. Blink.]]]]

* TheCaligula: One of the most famous examples of this trope of all time. Some exaggerated accounts aside: Nero really WAS off his rocker.

Nero (15 December 37 – 9 June 68 AD) was a notorious Roman Emperor and among UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine the Great is one of the most famous.

'''Nero''' (37-68 AD) was a notorious Roman Emperor and among UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, and Constantine the Great is one of the most famous.

* The popular disk authoring software [[PunnyName Nero Burning ROM]] (made by Germans, who spell Rome that way), whose icon is even the Coliseum[[note]]Actually started 4 years ''after'' his death and completed 8 years later by the second emperor of the ''next'', Flavian dynasty, Titus.[[/note]] on fire.