ASSASSINATIONS AND CONSPIRACIES (True Crime) by Rodney Castleden Read Free Book Online Page B

underwent a significant transformation. First Burrus died, of natural causes. He was succeeded by two men who held his office jointly: Faenius Rufus and Gaius Ofonius Tigellinus. The latter was a very bad influence, encouraging Nero’s excesses rather than curbing them. Tigellinus also revived the hated treason courts. Seneca found Tigellinus and the new regime too much to bear and resigned. This left Nero without any sensible advisers and his life spiralled out of control. He divorced Octavia, then had her executed on a trumped-up charge of adultery, to make way for Poppaea Sabina whom he married. Poppaea too was later killed; Suetonius says that Nero kicked her to death when she complained at his coming home late.
    He then launched into stage appearances in public. His first performance was in Naples. The theatre was shortly afterwards destroyed in an earthquake, which was taken by Romans as a bad omen. A few months later Nero made his second stage appearance, this time in Rome. The senate was appalled. The empire was nevertheless still responsibly governed, so the senate was prepared to tolerate the mad emperor.
    Then, in July 64, a great fire ravaged Rome for six days, destroying huge areas of the city. Whatever other faults Nero may have had, whatever other mistakes he may have made, he did not fiddle while Rome burned.
    Suetonius describes him singing from a tower, watching as the fire consumed Rome. Tacitus wrote; ‘ At the very time that Rome burned, he mounted his private stage and, reflecting present disasters in ancient calamities, sang about the destruction of Troy .’ But Tacitus also took care to point out that this story was a rumour. To Nero’s credit, it does indeed appear that he had done his best to control the fire. Perhaps he sang out of grief, when he knew that no more could humanly be done.
    Nevertheless, it was a grave political error to use a vast area between the Palatine and the Equiline hills, where housing had been utterly destroyed by the fire, to build his Golden Palace and accompanying gardens. The scale of this complex was only possible because of the fire. It was natural that the Romans had their suspicions about who had started it. Nero did rebuild large residential areas of Rome at his own expense but, even so, the dazzling spectacle of the Golden Palace and its parks left a question hanging in the smoky air.
    Because a conspiracy was being talked about and he himself was being accused, Nero looked for others on whom the fire could be blamed. He singled out the Christians and launched a spectacular and brutal persecution, the first of a cycle of persecutions. Many Christians were arrested and thrown to the wild beasts in the circus. Some were crucified. Many were burned to death at night, serving as ‘lighting’ in Nero’s gardens.
    Nero’s relationship with the senate deteriorated sharply, largely due to the execution of suspects through Tigellinus and his revived treason laws.
    Then in 65 there was a major plot against Nero led by Gaius Calpurnius Piso. The plot was uncovered and 19 executions and suicides followed; Piso and Seneca were among those who died. Now there were no trials: people suspected or disliked by Nero were sent notes ordering them to commit suicide.
    Nero let the reins of power slip from his hands. He recklessly left Rome to go on tour in Greece. He performed in the Greek theatres. He won the chariot race in the Olympic Games, in spite of falling out of his chariot, and collected works of art; he opened a canal, which was never finished.
    Back in Rome the executions continued and many distinguished citizens perished in the terror. Eventually Helius, his regent, fearing catastrophe, travelled to Greece to summon back his master. By January 68 Nero was back in Rome, but it was too late. In March one of the governors of Gaul, Gaius Julius Vindex, withdrew his oath of allegiance to the emperor and encouraged the governor of northern and eastern Spain, Galba, to do