Claudius Trivia

1. Drusus the Elder was Claudius' father. Who was his mother?

From Quiz Roman Emperor: Life and Reign of Claudius

Answer: Antonia Minor

Born in 36 BC, Antonia Minor was the youngest of the two surviving daughters of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor. She was the niece of Roman Emperor Augustus, sister-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, and the grandmother of the Emperor Nero, Emperor Caligula, and Empress Agrippina the Younger. Antonia Minor died in 37 AD of a supposed suicide, due to the stress of Caligula's constant criticisms. It has also been argued that she was depressed at Caligula's beheading of her grandson, Gemellus, who was executed out of Caligula's paranoia that he may one day unseat him as Roman Emperor. There were, however, rumours that she had been poisoned on Caligula's orders. When Claudius became Roman emperor he made Antonia Minor's birthday a public holiday, where games were held and animal sacrifices were made. He also gave her the title of "Augusta" - an prestigious honorary title for imperial Roman women.

From Quiz Claudius and His Empire

Answer: Augustus

Claudius took pains to model his method of governing after Augustus. He was courteous to the Senate, even though he was not popular with many of the members of that body. He generally made no inquiry into private conscience, just as Augustus did and rarely punished those who spoke ill of him. Tiberius was dour and reclusive and Julius Caesar ruled as a dictator. Sulla belongs to the last century of the Republic and he violated all precedent by marching an army into the city of Rome.

From Quiz Good Emperor Claudius

Answer: Claudius was the brother of Germanicus

The Guard immediately recognized Claudius as the brother of Germanicus. To Romans, family connections carried a great deal of weight. Claudius was concealed in the imperial palace; he had proceeded there alone from the theater where the assassination of Caligula had taken place. There is no record of either a bribe from Herod Agrippa or a letter from Caligula.

From Quiz Claudius

Answer: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

Though the position of Clauius was precarious, his reign (AD41-54) saw a large increase in the territory of the Roman Empire, including the start of the conquest of Britain.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Tiberius Claudius Drusus

Claudius was born on 1st August 10 BC, in Lugdunum (now Lyons) in Gaul. The town's shrine to Augustus was dedicated the same day and this was seen as a good omen for the young child. The death of his father the following year led him to adopt the name Germanicus after his brother was adopted by Tiberius. Fabius Africanus was one of the two consuls for the year 10BCE. Claudius Caudex was a figure from 264BC. It was he who first expelled the Carthaginians from Sicily after crossing the Straits of Messena. Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus was the father of Nero. A member of a high ranking family, his son was later adopted by Claudius and rose to the purple following his death.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Antonia

Claudius was the son of Drusus who was the brother of Tiberius.

From Quiz Claudius and His Empire

Answer: Three

Claudius completed the Aqua Claudia, which Caligula had begun construction on, but never finished. He restored the Aqua Virgo, which had fallen into disrepair. He ordered the construction of the Anio Novus, and it was completed from beginning to end during his reign.

From Quiz Good Emperor Claudius

Answer: Judea, Samaria, Perea, and Galilee

Claudius granted Herod Agrippa Judea, Samaria, Perea, and Galilee. Caligula had already given Chalcis and Trachonitis to Herod. Syria remained under imperial control, ruled by a governor appointed by the emperor.

From Quiz Claudius

Answer: Caligula

He was a madman who sat around and killed people all day and took credit for conquering Britain although it was not fully conquered until Hadrian's reign.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: 41CE

The murder of Gaius Caligula led a power vacuum in Rome. The Senate initially talked about removing the Emperors as the only male left in the Julio-Claudian dynasty at that time was the cripple Claudius. The Praetorians, happy with the soft and relaxing life in Rome, decided to promote Claudius. Legend has it they found him cowering behind a curtain and they instantly proclaimed him Emperor. It is far more likely that following their deliberations he was brought to the Praetorian camp sometime in the following day. He officially became Emperor in 24/25 Jan 41CE and took the name Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Cerebral Palsy

Claudius's movements were jerky, he had a speech impediment and had a tendency to dribble.

From Quiz Roman Emperor: Life and Reign of Claudius

Answer: Augustus

The reason behind this was to have Roman society believe that Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome, was Claudius' paternal grandfather. This would certainly help to strengthen his claim to the Roman throne. While Drusus the Elder was a popular, powerful, and successful Roman general, Claudius understood that being related to a Roman Emperor, particularly Augustus, he would have fewer challenges to his claim to the Roman Empire.

From Quiz Claudius and His Empire

Answer: Their Praetorian Camp

The soldiers immediately placed Claudius in a sedan chair and rushed him to their Praetorian Camp. They wanted to guarantee that he would be absolutely safe and secure. He remained there that night and the next day while the Senate bickered among themselves. They sent a delegation to Claudius, wanting to know his intentions. Later, the Senate discovered that they were helpless in the face of the formidable forces Claudius had at his command.

From Quiz Good Emperor Claudius

Answer: The defection of the City Cohorts

A major deciding factor was the defection of the City Cohorts, a band of a few thousand men, to the Praetorian Camp. Technically, the Cohorts were under the control of the Senate, but their defection left the Senate with no bargaining chips. There is no record of Claudius bribing the Senate, nor did Caligula leave a will naming his successor. Claudius always respected the Jewish way of life and beliefs, but no known delegation appealed to the Senate in this case.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Hiding behind a curtain

Claudius was found hiding behind his curtain and when a soldier found him, he hailed him as the new Emperor.

From Quiz Roman Emperor: Life and Reign of Claudius

Answer: His disabilities

Claudius was afflicted with what historians have concluded could have been cerebral palsy or Tourette's syndrome, conditions which were not well understood in ancient Rome. Antonia Minor is quoted as describing him as "a monstrosity of a human being, one that nature began and never finished." Claudius also faced constant public ridicule and humiliation from his nephew, Caligula. If Claudius ever fell asleep during a feast, Caligula would encourage the other guests to throw the stones from dates and olives at him. Claudius did have a fondness for drinking and sexual encounters, however, this was not the reason he was kept from the public eye. Rome had seen several emperors by then that were fond of both of those things.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Messalina

Messalina was the first wife to bear Claudius a son. His name was Britannicus.

From Quiz Roman Emperor: Life and Reign of Claudius

Answer: Livy

Claudius was at first kept far from the public eye because of his family's opinion of him. He used this time of being isolated in the background to read books for hours and study continuously. Livy was a Roman historian who died between 17 AD and 12 AD. He had a friendship with Augustus, the first Roman Emperor. When Livy saw how astute Claudius actually was, he encouraged him to take up writing. Claudius produced a lot of works, all of which have been lost. This includes works covering topics from the Roman alphabet, the history of Carthage, the Roman Republic and the Etruscans.

From Quiz Claudius and His Empire

Answer: One

Claudius only actually ordered the execution of one assassin, Cassius Chaerea. He judged that Chaerea's motives were more personal than political. Chaerea murdered Caesonia, Caligula's wife, and his little daughter, Drusilla, as well as Caligula, and he probably intended to kill all the members of the imperial family. Another guardsman, Cornelius Sabinus, was Chaerea's henchman in the plot, but Claudius pardoned him. Nevertheless, a few weeks later, Sabinus took his own life.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Britain

Claudius was acutely aware that he lacked the necessary military credentials. After disposing of Caligula's assassins he planned a major invasion of Britain. The summer of 43CE saw four legions conquer Britain, marking the first major gaining of territory since Augustus. Claudius himself attended the troops in Britain and partook in a formal triumph when he returned. He was then satisfied that he was seen as a military leader as well as a civil one.

From Quiz Roman Emperor: Life and Reign of Claudius

Answer: Livilla

Born in 13 BC, Livilla was the sole daughter of Drusus the Elder and Antonia Minor. She was also the paternal aunt of Caligula. She was named after Livia Drusilla, Augustus' wife. Livilla's first husband was Augustus' grandson, Gaius Caesar, who died of a sudden illness in 4 AD. She later married Tiberius' son, Drusus the Younger. They had three children. Tacitus states that although Livilla was a very beautiful woman, she was jealous and resentful of Agrippina the Elder due to the unfavorable comparisons regularly made between the two of them. Livilla had an affair with Sejanus, the close friend and confidant of Tiberius, who later had him executed. Rumours abounded that Sejanus was the biological father of Livilla and Drusus the Younger's twins. Suetonius, Tacitus, and Cassius Dio all agree the Sejanus had Drusus the Younger poisoned, and possibly had Livilla's help. This was supported by Sejanus' wife's suicide note, which claimed that both her husband and Livilla had poisoned Drusus the Younger. It it not known exactly how Livilla died, but she died around 31 AD. According to several sources, Tiberius handed her over to her mother, Antonia Minor. Her mother then locked Livilla in a room to starve to death, as she wanted to avoid public embarrassment for her family.

From Quiz Claudius and His Empire

Answer: That an owl would signal his death

Ancient people, particularly the Romans, believed in omens, and birds played a role in this. A fellow prisoner told Herod Agrippa that that he would be king, but that his impending death would be signaled by an owl. Herod Agrippa was in Caesarea, preparing to deliver a speech to a large crowd in a theater. An owl swooped down and perched on a rope above Herod. Almost immediately, he was seized by a violent pain in his abdomen, and a few days later, he died.

From Quiz Good Emperor Claudius

Answer: He left the theater early, minutes before the assassination

Conjecture has been made along these lines. Was it a coincidence that Claudius departed from the area of the assassination, or had he been warned to leave the area in safety? This will always be a matter of conjecture and theory, and, truthfully, we will never know unless something more comes to light. There is no evidence of any letter from Callistus to Claudius, nor does Herod Agrippa seem to have known about the plot. Unfortunately, none of Claudius' writings have survived, so we do not know what he wrote in his autobiography.

From Quiz Claudius

Answer: Scribonianus

He was later exiled and killed on the island of Issa. This is the only known assasination attempt on Claudius before Nero's mom killed Claudius. Then Nero's mom proceeded to rule the empire for him until she was killed by some of Nero's men.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Valeria Messalina

Valeria Messalina was a young woman (probably in her early 20s) and was married to Claudius for almost a decade. She bore him Britannicus, who became his heir until Nero replaced him in the ageing Emperor's affections. Messalina is portrayed as a woman who used sex and blackmail to dispose of her many competitors. This much is probably true, and she was certainly free with her affections. She wielded tremendous influence over her husband. In 47/48CE she participated in a mock marriage to Gaius Silius. This may well have been a joke at a party, but her enemies (of which she had many) ensured that Claudius learnt of this. Unsurprisingly, he did not see this as very funny and her execution followed shortly. The other three women were all competitors to become Claudius' new wife. Lollia Paula was childless and backed by the freedman Callistus. She was seen as a good candidate because she did not have children to compete with Britannicus. Aelia Paetina, his previous wife, was promoted by Narcissus and seen as a good prospect because she had already had a daughter with Claudius (proving her fertility). The last, and successful, competitor was Agrippina the Younger. It would be fair to say that she was Messalina's equal in sexual excess and viciousness. She also enjoyed murder as a way of removing obstacles to her (and Nero's) rise to power.

From Quiz The Reign of Claudius

Answer: Nero

Agrippina did what ever she could to make her son, Nero, the next emperor. But she soon paid the price for such a wrong decision.

From Quiz Roman Emperor: Life and Reign of Claudius

Answer: Ran away then hid behind a curtain

Although there is no concrete evidence that Claudius had any direct involvement with Caligula's assassination, it could be considered suspicious that he left the scene of the crime just before the murder took place. The Praetorian Guard found Claudius cowering behind a curtain, but instead of killing him, they hailed him as the new Roman Emperor. Some historians argue, however, that because Claudius pretended to be dimmer than he was to protect himself, he was capable of helping organise a plot against Caligula undetected as nobody would suspect him.

From Quiz Claudius and His Empire

Answer: Cuspius Fadus

Cuspius Fadus was dispatched to Palestine to govern Herod's lands until Herod Agrippa II came of age. At the time, Agrippa II, the son of Herod Agrippa, was living in Claudius' palace, receiving his education in Rome. Vetellius had earlier served as Governor of Syria, Lateranus Plautius was removed from the Senate because of his liasison with Messaline, and Publius Petronius had served as Governor of Syria during the reign of Caligula.

From Quiz Good Emperor Claudius

Answer: Claudius withdrew Roman legions from the region

For the first time in almost one hundred years, Roman legions were withdrawn from Judea. Herod Agrippa was left with his own military force to protect his lands. Claudius made no donation to the Holy Temple, and the appointment of the Jewish high priest was usually the prerogative of the governor of Syria or the prefect of Judea. After the death of Herod, the Roman legions swiftly returned.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:49 AM

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