Latest / Nero: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Emperor? — Fexingo History / Nero and the Senate: The Final Rupture
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Nero's artistic side, the fire, the building projects — but the thing that actually brought him down was politics. Specifically, his relationship with the Roman Senate. Luna: Right, because early on things seemed pretty good between them, didn't they? Lucas: Exactly. The first five years of Nero's reign — from 54 to 59 AD — were later remembered as the 'Quinquennium Neronis,' a period of good governance. Trajan supposedly said that no previous emperor matched those five years. And that was largely because Nero was guided by Seneca and Burrus, who kept the Senate on board. They consulted the Senate on major decisions, respected its privileges. Luna: So what changed? Lucas: The murder of Agrippina in 59 AD was the turning point. After that, Nero became more paranoid and less willing to compromise. He started sidelining the Senate, relying more on his inner circle — especially Tigellinus, who became Praetorian Prefect after Burrus died in 62. Seneca also lost influence and eventually retired. The Senate, which had been a partner, was now seen as either a threat or an obstacle. Lucas: Then came the Pisonian Conspiracy in 65 AD. That was a plot led by the senator Gaius Calpurnius Piso to assassinate Nero and install Piso as emperor. It involved senators, equestrians, even Praetorian officers. And when it was uncovered, Nero's response was brutal. Luna: That's when Seneca was forced to commit suicide, right? Lucas: Yes, Seneca was implicated — probably falsely, or at least tangentially — and ordered to kill himself. The poet Lucan, Petronius — the 'arbiter elegantiae' — also died. Over a dozen senators were executed or exiled. Nero used the conspiracy as a pretext to purge anyone he distrusted. Luna: So after that, the Senate must have been terrified of him. Lucas: Terrified and resentful. Nero's subsequent policies didn't help. He started courting the plebs directly — giving lavish games, distributing grain, even abolishing some indirect taxes like the portoria — customs duties on goods entering Italy. That was popular with the masses but infuriated the senatorial class, who saw it as demagoguery and a threat to the treasury they controlled. Lucas: He also began treating the Senate with open contempt. According to Suetonius, he once joked that the Senate was like a herd of sheep — easily led. And when the Senate passed decrees honoring him, he'd sometimes mock them privately. The gap between ruler and ruling class grew enormous. Luna: So by 68 AD, when the rebellion of Julius Vindex in Gaul started, the Senate was ready to abandon him? Lucas: Exactly. Vindex was a Gallic governor, and though his revolt was quickly crushed by loyal legions, it set off a chain reaction. Then Galba, governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, declared himself a legate of the Senate and People of Rome — essentially rebelling with senatorial backing. When Nero sent the Praetorian Guard to suppress him, the Praetorians themselves turned on Nero. They demanded a donative, but he didn't have the cash. Luna: And the Senate declared him a public enemy. Lucas: Yes. On June 8, 68 AD, the Senate declared Nero a public enemy — hostis publicus — and ordered his arrest. When Nero heard that the Praetorians had abandoned him, he fled to a villa outside Rome and, with help from his secretary Epaphroditos, stabbed himself in the throat. His last words, according to Suetonius, were 'Qualis artifex pereo' — 'What an artist dies in me.' The Senate then imposed damnatio memoriae — a decree that erased his name from public records, statues, and inscriptions. Luna: So in the end, it was the Senate that gave the final judgment. Lucas: Completely. Nero's fall was less about the Great Fire or his artistic pretensions and more about alienating the one institution that could legitimize his rule. Once the Senate turned on him, no amount of popular support could save him. And the damnatio memoriae was the final insult — but in a way, it also backfired. By trying to erase him, they ensured that people would remember him. You know, it's funny — if this episode was worth a coffee to you, that's the link: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Because keeping this ad-free and deep in the weeds matters to us, and listener support is what makes that possible. Luna: Yeah, it's a small thing that makes a huge difference for independent shows like this. Lucas: Exactly. So anyway, back to the Senate's role: after Nero's death, the Senate briefly tried to restore its authority, but they quickly found that the Praetorians and the legions had the real power. The Year of the Four Emperors showed that whoever controlled the army controlled the empire. And that lesson — that emperors needed to keep the Senate, but also the soldiers, happy — would define the next century of Roman rule. Luna: So Nero's reign was a turning point in that balance of power. Lucas: Absolutely. His failure to manage the Senate set a precedent. Later emperors like Domitian would face similar conflicts, but they also learned from Nero's mistakes — some, like Trajan, bent over backward to respect the Senate. But the damage was done. The principate was never the same after the Senate declared an emperor a public enemy.