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His Mother
His mother was Julia Agrippina (The Younger) who bore him in her first
marriage with Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. Julia Agrippina was the daughter of
Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder.
When Claudius became emperor in 41 A.D. Agrippina (his niece) was recalled
from exile and allowed to return to Rome, and her estate was returned to her. In
49 A.D. following the fall and execution of Empress Messallina, Claudius married
Agrippina, and many things changed for the young Domitius (Nero).
This was Julia Agrippina’s third marriage, she was 34 years old and Claudius was 59 years old at the
time of their marriage. This marriage proved to play a big part in the diabolical
planning of Agrippina. Claudius was a strong leader and a very influential
man, and throughout his life he suffered from some form of cerebral palsy, and
this is probably why historians mentioned Claudius as a man with many strange
behaviors. Agrippina knew that she could have an influence over the affairs in
Rome through Claudius, and his life expectancy played a big factor in her
plotting.
She convinced Claudius to adopt her son and in 50 A.D. Nero became the
probable heir to the throne, even over Claudius's real son Britannicus. Seneca became
Nero’s tutor, and in 53 A.D. Nero married Claudius's daughter Octavia. In 54 A.D.
Agrippina murdered Claudius by giving him a plate of poison mushrooms, and Nero
became ruler at the age of seventeen.
By 59 A.D. Nero was fed up with her schemes and ordered her death. This had
been the first time and the last time that a woman had ruled Rome.
