A Wannabe Artist’s Last Words
Nero, the infamous final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, descended into history as one of Rome’s most despised rulers. Born into a lineage fraught with intrigue, Nero’s ascent to power was marred by familial betrayal and manipulation. Following the poisoning of Emperor Claudius by his own mother, Agrippina, Nero ascended to the throne at a tender age under her shadowy influence. However, their relationship soured, leading Nero to orchestrate Agrippina’s demise through a series of failed attempts, culminating in her brutal murder by the hands of sailors.
Freed from his mother’s control, Nero indulged in his extravagant whims, fancying himself a virtuoso musician and aspiring Olympian. His performances, characterized by interminable concerts and grandiose Olympic aspirations, elicited both ridicule and fear among his subjects. Nero’s reckless extravagance and neglect of governance plunged the empire into turmoil, sapping its resources and alienating its populace. As discontent simmered and rebellion brewed across the Roman Empire, Nero’s downfall became inevitable. Faced with the Senate’s declaration of his public enemy status and impending arrest, Nero grappled with his fleeting options before ultimately choosing self-inflicted demise. His final lament, “Oh, what an artist dies in me!” encapsulated the delusions of grandeur and tragic demise of a ruler whose reign epitomized excess and tyranny.
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Addison, Paul – Churchill: The Unexpected Hero (2005)
American Battlefield Trust – The Death of John Sedgwick
Anderson, John Lee – Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life (1997)
Arnold, Oren – The Mexican Centaur: An Intimate Biography of Pancho Villa (1979)
Berlin, Isaiah – Karl Marx: His Life and Environment (1963)
Cassius Dio – Roman History, Books 64 – 66
Catton, Bruce – The Civil War, Three Volumes in One (1984)
Derrida, Jacques – Without Alibi (2002)
Eck, Werner – The Age of Augustus (2002)
Encyclopedia Britannica – Hugh Latimer
Encyclopedia Britannica – Pancho Villa
Gilbert, Martin – Churchill: A Life (1991)
Goldsworthy, Adrian – Augustus: First Emperor of Rome (2014)
Hart, Joseph – Che: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of a Revolutionary (2003)
History Collection – Geriatric Glory: Historic Figures Who Did Amazing Things in Their Old Age
Jenkins, Roy – Churchill (2001)
Libcom – Stjepan Filipovic: Everlasting Symbol of Anti Fascism
Levick, Barbara – Vespasian (2016)
New York Times, May 3rd, 2007 – When That Guy Died on My Show
Nonument – Stjepan Filipovic Monument
Party Like 1660 – The Black Nun of Moret
Sperber, Jonathan – Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life (2013)
Suetonius – The Lives of the Twelve Caesars: Augustus, Nero, Vespasian
Wise Geek – How Successful Was Emperor Nero at the Olympic Games?
