There are many Claudius in Roman history; this is Claudius Germanicus. He was the uncle of the cruel Caligula. He was born crippled. Perhaps in this way, he was able to save his life from the pranks and anger of his cruel nephew.
He was proclaimed emperor after Caligula's death. His first job was the invasion of Britain. He was a scholar and a builder. The aqueducts he built are still standing. But he was not lucky in terms of his wives. Deceiving Claudius, Messina was the mistress of many senators. His third wife, Agrippina, who was his niece, also poisoned the emperor in 54.
Here is the life story
Known for his ugliness and frailty, Claudius was always ostracized by his family. He spent his entire childhood and youth under the supervision of someone, and he even mentions a caregiver he complained about in one of his works.
Even though Claudius is always belittled by his family, in the future he will realize that the people actually see him as an emperor.
Thanks to his frailty, many of his potential enemies did not perceive him as a serious threat. He had a dignified appearance, but although he had a generally tall build, he was not a slender person. He had a handsome face and hair that was turning white. His smile was ugly, especially his angry look was worse than that. It is said that when he gets angry, foam comes out of his mouth and he stutters.
Claudius is the only emperor known for his interest in history. In fact, before Claudius, Caesar is known for the works he wrote a century ago, but those works have more periodic characteristics. The works of Claudius are known as the history of a direct era. Unfortunately, not much is known about him, as his works have not survived to the present day.
Claudius' health was always bad. His mother is said to have described him as "a creature in human form that nature began and could not finish." His brother, on the other hand, wished that the Roman people would be protected from such a disaster when he heard that he would one day be emperor.
Knowing Claudius' weaknesses, no one wanted to put him in important jobs, but when he insisted on working, they eventually ordained him to the priesthood. Later, when he asked his uncle Tiberius for a job as a civil servant, this request was not met positively and he lost all hope and started living in a villa in Campania, which was far from the palace and out of sight.
Claudius turned fifty when he became emperor. When Emperor Gaius (Caligula) was assassinated, the assassins led the crowd out on the pretext that the emperor wanted to be alone, and Claudius stayed outside with the others. He withdrew into the building called the Hermaeum and, in great horror, threw himself onto a balcony and hid behind the curtains there. A soldier passing by by chance noticed Claudius' feet sticking out from under the curtain and introduced himself when he pulled him aside to ask who he was. As Claudius thought his end was near, the soldier greeted him as emperor.
Claudius is exactly this way M.S. He became emperor on January 25, 41.
He brought back his brothers, whom Caligula had exiled, restored their fortunes, and accomplished the important task of conquering Britain. Towards the end of the war, the emperor himself fought on the banks of the Thames and remained in Britain for sixteen days. Thereupon, the Senate gave him and his son the title of Britannicus.
Claudius also granted people citizenship to a large extent, but naturalized people would speak the language of the Romans. There is a decree on the naturalization of tribes in the Alps.
The attitude of Claudius toward his deification is also remarkable. According to a papyrus found recently at Philadelphia, he denied divinity in a letter written by him to the Alexandrians; but due to some political considerations, he had to settle for some godly worship.
However, the famous philosopher Seneca, who was offended by the fact that he was exiled, mocks the emperor's godly title in his work called Claudius' Coarseness (Apocolocyntosis Divi Claudi) and uses the Greek word "rubbing" instead of the word "deification".
Unfortunately, Claudius' life did not end well. Although his wife Agrippina had various powers, she could not get enough of her. She wanted to be as strong as Claudius. Claudius was aware of her movements. While Agrippina struggled to enthrone her first husband's son, Claudius started the necessary preparations to thwart her movements and to place her son Britannicus on the throne.
When Agrippina realized the danger, she collaborated with a famous poison dealer and fed her husband a mushroom dish containing poison. Claudius died quietly in his midnight sleep. Although it is certain that he was poisoned in some sources, it is not known by whom.