The Impact of Emperor Nero on the Roman Empire (Essay Sample)

Introduction
The initial birth name for Emperor Nero was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. At the age of 13, Nero was adopted by Emperor Claudius (Uncle) since his father had died. In 54 AD, Emperor Claudius died, and Nero at the age of 17 years had to take over the throne of as the Roman Emperor (Suetonius).
Fig 1: Statue of Nero at Young Age
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Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/zX1dSM18AMD7NCEPA
Nero ruled in Rome during the period of 54 A.D to 68 A.D, a period of 14 years. During his leadership, from 54 A.D to 59 A.D, Nero gained a good reputation due to political generosity, power-sharing with the opposing groups, the Senate and bringing to an end the closed-door trials. Later after the execution of his mother and the fire in Rome which resulted into the persecution of Christians, Nero’s leadership began to distort. Nero’s leadership affected the romans and their way of life since before the end of Nero’s reign, he had strained the economy and devalued the imperial
currency. In this paper we will look at how Emperor Nero’s leadership led to Rome’s economic recession, political and financial strains.
Nero’s leadership
Nero came to power after the death of his uncle (Emperor Claudius) in 54 A.D. In the first five years of his leadership, Nero showed aspect of good leadership. Later in 59 A.D, Nero executed his mother, Agrippina because she did not support his ruling (History.com Editors). On June 19, 64 A.D, during morning hours, Rome broke into flames. Destruction occurred to an extent that three Rome’s 14 districts were burned down and other seven were damaged.
Fig 2: The Fire of Rome by Hubert Robert (1785)
Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/VSgJTTNNV6WbKCCc8
During the fire, Nero, sang “The Sack of Ilium” a Greek epic song at the roof of his palace. Rumors held Nero liable, however, Nero deflected the blame to the Christian religion. He went ahead and persecuted the Christians, for the blame he laid on them (daily history.org). To rebuild the city after the fire, costed a fortune and Nero exhausted the Roman treasury while trying to rebuild the city. Nero also constructed the Golden House that occupied 100 acres (Domus Aurea) which was the palace complex.
Fig 3: Domus Aurea
Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/J2b9xmFsfzscANxS6
With the use of the roman treasury fund, Nero also structured Colossus Neronis, a 100-foot-tall bronze statue of himself (History.com Editors).
Fig 4: Colossus Neronis statue
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Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/s7fZhw4aLSXMVUL47
During his power, Nero implemented various policies such as tax policy, marital stability policies that impacted positively on the romans life. He also ensured that ensured that after every five years public games were conducted. However, Nero was a selfish leader and during his last year before suicide, the Roman Empire was under political, economic and financial strain. Some of the major events that led to the strain involved the Britain and Judea revolts, the rebuilding of the burnt Rome districts, palace complex and conflicts of interest with Parthia. To accommodate all the strains, Nero devalued the imperial currency. This led to the decline of Nero’s ruling since during the period of 65 A.D, there were rumors that other officials in the empire wanted Nero dead. In 68 A.D, Nero was declared the enemy of the people and the Praetorian Guard, governors and senators wanted to arrest Nero and execute him. This led his suicide, since, he was unable to flee and he was bound for execution. According to Suetonius, a historian, Nero last words were “What an artist dies in me!”
The impact of Emperor Nero on the Roman Empire
According to the study conducted by Lucan (75), regarding whether or not Nero praises were ironic, it is evident based on the life he lived that Nero performed in acts of praise and disgrace. Lucan (76), illustrates that an idea of personal praise can be recognized from the operations of Nero. Nero made various achievements such as expansion of network of the Roman roads, development of an advanced tax system and census. Nero also passed laws to boost marital stability which helped a lot of families. He also led to the destabilization of the Roman Empire due to economic recessions which affected the Roman Empire years after his death. Nero’s tax policy, devaluation of the imperial currency and his lavish spending led to economic recession. The alienation of elites in Rome in other regions also altered Nero’s legacy since the elites would have helped his reign through advice. As a leader he failed to offer strong protection via formation of a strong government to his people and he failed in the provision of a sustainable and strong government, this is evident due to the Vindex and Jewish revolt. Rome was known for religious functions but instead Nero persecuted the Christians. Notably, a leader who commits suicide portrays weakness and after the death of Nero, Rome was in chaos due to the strains Nero impacted to the economy.
Importance of studying Emperor Nero to the reader
Study of history impacts our present and future lives. The study of Emperor Nero ruling aids in offering guidance to leaders. The repercussion of poor leadership and the effects of dictatorship. The Emperor Nero regime 54 A.D to 68 A.D (14 Years) offers an insight on how a short period can impact the development of a nation. The ancient Romans were identified for their modern world set up due to the use of great city planning, great art, language, law, literat