On This Day In Roman History, January 25
The Senate convenes to discuss picking a new ruler after Caligula's assassination, eventually agreeing to the Praetorian's claim of Claudius' elevation to princeps on January 25, 41 CE. As I discussed yesterday, the conspiracy that ended Caligula's life and reign was plotted by several disgruntled Praetorian Guard members, as well as high-ranking Romans within the Senatorial class. Claudius witnessed first hand the carnage that ensued as Caligula's personal Germanic guardsmen slaughtered civilians and Senators alike, in retaliation for the assassination. It is rumored through tradition that a Praetorian named Gratus found Claudius hiding behind a curtain to escape from the retaliation of the Germanic guardsmen. It is probable that the Praetorians had pre-selected Caligula to present him to the senate. Caligula in later years would make bribery a normalized tool in controlling and securing the loyalty of the army and Praetorian Guard, and was the first to do so at this level.
Did you know?
After the death of Claudius, the Senate debated the idea of changing government types. In the end, however, squabbles between the Senators on who would become the princeps during the plebiscite caused the discussion and debates to end fruitlessly. When they heard that the Praetorian guard had proclaimed Claudius as Emperor, they sent for him to present himself for Senatorial approval. He was apprehensive at first, fearing the repercussions that may follow with his new title. Claudius, under the personal protection of the Praetorian, did present himself, and would later pardon all the assassins involved in the plot to kill Caligula.
Pictured: Proclaiming Claudius Emperor by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1867. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Gratus is seen in the image finding a fearful Claudius, mistaking the Praetorian for the Germanic guard. Josephus, a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, describes how Gratus had found him: "But when Gratus, who was one of the soldiers that belonged to the palace, saw him, but did not well know by his countenance who he was, because it was dark, though he could well judge that it was a man who was privately there on some design, he came nearer to him; and when Claudius desired that he would retire, he discovered who he was, and owned him to be Claudius. So he said to his followers, "This is a Germanicus; come on, let us choose him for our emperor."
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! Claudius used several tools, some new and some old, to secure his authority and legitimize his ascension to the purple. This was really the first time a Roman Emperor would use bribery on a large scale to bribe military officers and soldiers alike. It is a pretty simple formula and once everyone realized that true power lied within the martial hands of securing the army's loyalty, every Emperor after Claudius would follow suit. He used several proven tactics to secure authority as well, like adopting the name "Caesar" as a cognomen and dropping the "Nero" paterfamilias he had acquired years prior. It's my opinion, that such a financially loyal subject such as Claudius, had pre-arranged with the Praetorian what exactly would go down in terms of finance if they elevated him. It seems almost too random they stumbled upon an individual who would be so lucrative to their cause.
Sources
Josephus, F., & Whiston, W. (2001). The antiquities of the Jews. McLean, Va: IndyPublish.com.
Momigliano, A. (1961). Claudius, the emperor and his achievement. Cambridge: Heffer.
The tragedie of Claudius Tiberius Nero, Romes greatest tyrant: truly represented out of the purest records of those times. (1607). London: Printed for Francis Burton, dwelling in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Flower-de-luce and Crowne.
Further Reading:
Also on this day:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
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