I Claudius

Claudius introduces himself and speaks about his visit to Sibyl and her prophesy.

Claudius introduces his father, Augustus and Livia.

• Augustus, Livia, Marcellus - Julia, Agrippa, Octavius, Maecenaes, Tiberius (Uncle), Drusus (Father)
• Livia: “malignity” & ambition

• Relationships and heir apparent - Marcellus(adopted son) vs Agrippa (right hand man)
• How Agrippa sidesteps confrontation with Marcellus by becoming the Governor of Syria
• Marcellus unexpectedly dies, and then Agrippa returns and marries Julia
• Tiberius as man and general
  • relationship with wife
  • with brother Drusus

• Drusus, Tiberius, Augustus, Livia, Xenophon

• Drusus' idea about freedom and rule –> conflict with Livia … and then Augustus
• Conflict with Livia
• Death, just as he was recalled back to Rome of gangrene – saw Tiberius at deathbed
• Claudius birth
  • 1 year before Drusus' death
  • 7th child, weak consitution –> most people did not expect him to live, much less rule

• Tutors: Marcus Portius Cato (bad, relative of Cato the Censor), Athenodorus, Sulpicius
• Livy
• Physical defects
• Relationships
  • Mother
  • Gemanicus and Postumos
• Wolf cub story
• Elegiac epigram between Augustus, Athenodorus and himself –> Marmoset
• His views on slaves and working animals

• Estrangement with Julius - background, events and aftermath
• The banishment/self-exie
• Julia's bad behaviour (due to Livia's love philtre) –> eventual severe exile
• Rise & fall of Gaius and Lucius –> ending with their deaths
• Restoration of Tiberius

• Aemilia (wife of Lucius, daughter of Aemilius), Medullinus, Medullina/ Camilla, Livia
• Meeting Camilla, match and death by poison on wedding day
• Match with Aemilia planned (but opposed by Augustus, Aemilia herself, and Claudius)
• Triangle between Livilla (Cladius' sister with Postumus and Castor) –> marries Castor
• Failed nascent plot by Aemilius and Cornelius against Augustus –> repercussions including marriage with Claudius called off

• People: Urgulania (the Confessor to Vestal virgins, and Livia's best friend), Urgulannilla (her grand daughter)
• The hideous Urgulania and her usefulness to Livia
• Son Silvanus and the AEmilius plot
• Claudius and Urgulanilla - their strange match and comparison to Aristophane's Flood

• Claudius meets Pollio who comes to the Library with Livy and Sulpicius looking for a martial tactics book
• They discuss Claudius reading - which is Pollio's own book
• The two styles of the history they write are contrasted
  • Claudius chooses Pollio over Livy
  • “There are two different ways of writing history: one is to persuade men to virtue and the other is to compel men to truth”
  • Pollio gives Claudius a prophecy and advice about his both their lives

Claudius becomes a priest of Mars, and we learn about what Livia and Augustus think of Claudius through their letters.

Postumus is set up and banished to Planasia

Germanicus puts down a German revolt, and Julilla is banished - ostensibly for adultery, but also because she coudl potentially bear an heir to Augustus.

Germanicus finds out the truth about Postumus, tells Augustus, who is poisoned.

Augustus dies, and Tiberius becomes Emperor

Germanicus handles a mutiny by the Balkan forces.

Tiberus's rule and his attempts to break the cipher

From Chapters 11-17: A mutiny arises because of poor conditions of the troops. Germanicus puts it down, but his relationship with Tiberius deteriorates.

After some revelations, Augustus seems ready to reconcile with Postumus but dies suddenly. Tiberus suceeds Augustus, but remains under Livia's thumb.

Livia consolidates her position. Claudius becomes financially poorer (helping Germanicus).

Claudius connects with Postumus, who reveals himself and is killed.

Germanicus fights the Germans

Germanicus incurs Tiberus's wrath and eventually dies under mysterious circumstances.

Piso, who opposed Germanicus dies

Sejanus becomes a close confidante of the Emperor, and instigates Tiberius to go against Castor. Castor dies (likely of poisoning).

Claudius meets Urgulanilla at Plautius' (his brother-in-law's) home. That night, his new wife Apronia is killed in mysterious circumstances.

The relationship between Tiberius and Livia deteriorates

Claudius has dinner with Livia where he is told Caligula will become Emperor, and the Claudius will not be killed. Livia makes him take an oath to make her a God.

She explains:

I quite agree about the ignorant rabble. It's not so much my fame on earth that I'm thinking about as the position I am to occupy in Heaven. I have done many impious things - no great ruler can do otherwise. I have put the good of the Empire before all human considerations. To keep the Empire free from factions I have had to commit many crimes …. And what is the proper reward for a ruler who commits such crimes for the good of his subjects? The proper reward, obviously is to be defied.

Sejanus offends Tiberius by asking for Livilla's hand in marriage. This is start of his downfall. Livia dies and Tiberius inherits her fortune, keeping even those parts that were due to others.

Tiberius becomes even more unrestrained after Livia's death, getting rid of Agrippina, Drusus, Gallus and Livilla. He uses Caligula to remove Sejanus who is killed on orders of the senate.

Tiberius is killed by Marco and Caligula. Caligula becomes Emperor.

Caligula as emperor. Initially welcomed (after Tiberius' rule, and as son of Germanicus). He is a profiglate spender, soon emptying out the royal coffers. He then finds ways to get money from the rich and powerful, eventually gaining many enemies.

He also goes ?mad, and sees himself as a God, equal to the other Gods. Along the way, he rids himself of many enemies, including Marco, who initially helped him get into power. Many family members, including his mother are also directly or indirectly killed by him. Claudius survives by his wit and perceived lack of threat to Caligula.

Caligula marries Messalina to Claudius, who leaves Calpurnia.

Finally, Caligula is killed in a plot by Cassius Chaerea, who is in turn killed by Caligula's German bodyguards. In the chaos, Claudius is made emperor, and the book ends here.

Graves, R. (1978). I, Claudius: From the autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Emperor of the Romans, born 10 B.C., murdered and deified A.D. 54. Penguin Books.