Latest / Nero: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Emperor? — Fexingo History / Nero and the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 AD
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Nero's later years — the fire, the Christians, the building projects — but there's one event that really marks the turning point in his reign, and it's the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 AD. Luna: That's the one where almost everyone plotted against him, right? Lucas: Exactly. It was the most serious threat to Nero's life before the final rebellion in 68. And what's fascinating is how many high-profile people were involved — senators, equestrians, even officers of the Praetorian Guard. The conspiracy takes its name from its intended replacement, Gaius Calpurnius Piso. Luna: Piso was a senator, right? What was his deal? Lucas: Piso was a wealthy, well-connected senator with a reputation for being affable and approachable — kind of the anti-Nero in terms of personality. Our main source, Tacitus, says he was popular because he was generous with his wealth and had a dignified but not overbearing manner. The conspirators thought he'd make a better emperor, though ironically, Piso himself may not have been the driving force behind the plot. Luna: So who actually started it? Lucas: Tacitus names a few ringleaders: a senator named Subrius Flavus, a tribune in the Praetorian Guard, and a centurion named Sulpicius Asper. There was also the poet Lucan — yes, the author of the epic poem Pharsalia, about the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. Lucan had a personal grudge: Nero, once his patron, had banned him from public recitations, maybe out of jealousy. Luna: Wow, so even the literary world was involved. Lucas: Absolutely. And Lucan wasn't the only writer. The conspiracy also drew in Seneca the Younger — or at least, his name was invoked. Seneca was Nero's old tutor and advisor, but by 65 he was out of favor, living in semi-retirement. Tacitus is careful to say it's unclear whether Seneca actually knew about the plot, but the conspirators probably hoped to make him emperor or at least a key figure afterward. Luna: What was their plan? Did they have a specific moment in mind? Lucas: The plan was to kill Nero during the Circus games, at the festival of Ceres, in April. Subrius Flavus, as a Praetorian tribune, would be close enough to strike. But then everything fell apart. A woman named Epicharis, a freedwoman who was part of the plot, tried to recruit a naval commander named Volusius Proculus. He got cold feet and informed the prefect of the watch, who passed it up to Nero. Luna: So it was a leak from within the conspiracy itself. Lucas: Yes. But even before that, there was hesitation. Subrius Flavus kept delaying, and Piso himself was reluctant to leave his house on the day of the planned attack. Eventually, Nero's agents began rounding up suspects. The prefect of the Praetorian Guard, Faenius Rufus — who was actually in on the plot — ended up betraying his co-conspirators to save himself. It didn't work; he was executed anyway. Luna: So Nero found out, and then what — mass executions? Lucas: Not exactly mass executions, but a series of forced suicides and a few executions. Seneca was ordered to kill himself, which he did in a famously stoic manner — cutting his veins, then taking hemlock, then suffocating in a steam bath. Lucan also committed suicide, and as he died, he was reciting lines from his own Pharsalia. Luna: That's almost poetic. Lucas: It is. Subrius Flavus showed remarkable defiance. When Nero asked him why he had broken his oath, Flavus replied bluntly: 'I hated you. None of the soldiers was more loyal to you while you deserved loyalty. I began to hate you when you became the murderer of your mother and your wife, a charioteer, an actor, and an incendiary.' Tacitus records that verbatim. Nero then had him executed. Luna: That's a pretty damning indictment. Lucas: It sums up why so many turned against him. After the conspiracy, Nero became deeply paranoid. He executed or exiled several prominent Stoic philosophers, including Thrasea Paetus, who had been a quiet critic but wasn't involved in the plot. Nero also created a new Praetorian unit, the 'German bodyguard,' because he no longer trusted the regular Guard. Luna: So the conspiracy actually made things worse for him. Lucas: Exactly. It's a classic case of a crackdown that sowed the seeds of future rebellion. Nero's response alienated the very elites who might have supported him. And ironically, the conspiracy failed partly because it was too broad — too many people with different motives, and no clear leadership. If it had succeeded, history would remember Piso as emperor, not Nero. Luna: But Piso himself — what happened to him? Lucas: Piso was also forced to commit suicide. He opened his veins, but not before writing a will full of flattery for Nero, probably hoping to protect his family. It didn't matter; his property was confiscated anyway. The conspiracy was over, but it left Nero more isolated than ever. Luna: And three years later, he was overthrown. Lucas: Right. The Pisonian Conspiracy was a rehearsal for the final act. So when we think about Nero's fall, we shouldn't just focus on the big rebellions of 68 — the seeds were planted here, in 65, when even his own guards and senators decided they'd had enough. Luna: And we've been talking about that kind of internal opposition, and it reminds me — you know, we keep these episodes ad-free by choice. If that matters to you, supporting us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo helps keep it that way. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small way to keep the show independent. No pressure, just if it's something you value. Luna: Exactly. So back to the conspiracy — it's interesting that Tacitus is our main source. He was writing about 50 years later, but he had access to senatorial records and oral histories. Lucas: That's right. Tacitus' Annals, Book 15, gives us the most detailed account, though he's clearly biased against Nero. Still, the core events are corroborated by Suetonius and Cassius Dio. One detail Tacitus includes is that after the conspiracy was crushed, Nero gave a speech to the Senate thanking them for their loyalty, and the Senate responded by decreeing sacrifices and public thanksgivings — the usual flattery. Luna: But it must have been eerie — everyone knew many senators had been involved. Lucas: Absolutely. The conspiracy had involved dozens of people, and many more were suspected. Nero even pardoned a few, like the poet and Stoic philosopher, Musonius Rufus, but that was rare. The overall effect was to create a climate of fear. And that fear, ironically, is what drove the next round of plots.