On This Day In Roman History, February 11
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus dies at a dinner party after being poisoned on February 11, 55 CE. A year earlier Britannicus' father, Emperor Claudius, died after being poisoned by his wife Agrippina. This modern view of Claudius' death is cemented by the speed with which Nero was confirmed the new Emperor and how quickly Claudius' will was suppressed. Several other facts like Claudius' outward lamentation of his wife before his death and Agrippina's obvious spoils for committing this act all point the blame on her. Britannicus would prove to be too dangerous to be left alive if Nero wished to retain power and just one day before becoming eligible as a man (14 years) to contend against Nero, he was poisoned at the mentioned dinner.
Did you know?
Britannicus' father spent a large portion of his reign on expanding the Empire by annexing several territories. Britain was becoming too important of a territory for Gallic rebels and could no longer be ignored. He sent a Roman general named Aulus Plautius with his accompanying four legions. Eventually, Claudius would establish the province here as Britannia, with its capital at Camulodunum. The Senate went on to honor his work in a triumph and bestowing the honorific title of Britannicus for his achievement. He deferred this title and instead gave it to his son, to which the boy become known as.
Valeria Messalina was a first cousin once removed to Claudius. Contemporary historians classify Messalina as a "nymphomaniac" with the Roman senator Publius Cornelius Tacitus going as far to write about her saying she competed with a local prostitute to see who could sleep with more partners in a single night. Whatever Messalina's true attitude was, she did marry her lover Gaius Silius in public while Claudius was away. This marriage, like so many others involving high-ranking Romans, was probably for political reasons and the two realized they may have some traction to carry out a coup. The result was execution for both at the command of Claudius.
Opinion
Welcome to my daily opinion! I briefly mentioned above the initial invasion of Britain by the general Plautius. When the legions were attempting to make their initial landing, a mutiny was forming due to the fear of essentially sailing out of the known world. It was stopped by a freedman who was in charge of correspondence as well as other military duties by the name of Tiberius Claudius Narcissus. When the soldiers saw the former slave in the commander's position, they cried "Lo Saturnalia!" and regrouped to sail across the straights to Britain. Another cool fact is Claudius actually brought war elephants to the island. If I was a local native to the island and saw Romans advancing from across the known world tugging along war elephants, I would probably surrender too.
Sources
Barrett, A. (1996). Agrippina: Mother of Nero. London: Batsford.
Tacitus, C., Yardley, J., & Barrett, A. (2008). The annals: the reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
S., Graves, R., & Grant, M. (1979). The twelve Caesars. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Welch, G. P. (1963). Britannia: the Roman conquest and occupation of Britain. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.
Also on this day:
Special Thanks: Michael Houghan
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