2. Nero Had His Own Mother Murdered
Perhaps one of Nero’s darkest acts was ordering the murder of his own mother, Agrippina the Younger. Initially, mother and son shared a close relationship; Agrippina even orchestrated Nero’s rise to power by allegedly poisoning Emperor Claudius, her husband. Over time, however, Nero grew weary of Agrippina’s political interference and sought to eliminate her influence. Historical sources recount Nero’s attempts at assassination, including sabotaging her boat to sink and drown her. When Agrippina survived this ploy, Nero’s patience ran thin, and he eventually dispatched assassins to finish the job, solidifying his ruthless reputation and shocking even contemporary Romans.
