Claudius Biography

Claudius was the fourth emperor of Rome, following Augustus, Tiberius and the infamous Caligula. Because he stammered and had a clubfoot, Claudius was lightly regarded until he was made emperor after Caligula’s murder in the year 41. (According to legend, members of the Praetorian Guard installed Claudius on the throne after finding him cowering behind a palace curtain.) Despite his reputation as a feeble man, Claudius proved to be a sturdy emperor; he is particularly remembered for conquering and colonizing Britain, and for improving the civil administration of Rome. Claudius died in 54 A.D. under mysterious circumstances; many historians believe he was poisoned by his wife, Agrippina, so that her son Nero would become emperor.