What, Me, Claudius?

-Tiberius Claudius Drusus was born in 10 BC in Lugdunum (modern-day Lyon, France), Gallia Lugdunensis. 
   -Son of Drusus the Elder (brother of Tiberius) and Antonia Minor (daughter of Marc Antony and Octavia), making him the grandson of Livia (father's side) and Marc Antony (mother's side) and brother of Germanicus and Livilla (lover of Sejanus). 
   -Considered an idiot by his family due to some sort of nervous tick and/or speech impediment that made his family see him as a joke (at best) and an annoyance (at worst).
   -We don't actually know what his deal was, as he could have had cerebral palsy, Tourette syndrome, polio, or even some combo of the above (or none and it was something else!).
   -Even Claudius' mom referred to him as a monster! :(
      -She dumped him off on his grandmother, Livia, who in turn dumped him off onto a "tutor" who was actually a former mule driver who used harsh physical discipline to try and get Claudius to control himself (he also believed that Claudius was lazy and lacking in "strong moral fiber").
   -When Claudius grew into his teens, it became clear that he wasn't mentally retarded, he just had trouble communicating. Surprisingly, Claudius turned out to be a great orator!  He just had trouble communicating privately.
      -He really loved history, so Augustus hired the historian Livy to tutor him.
         -He tried to write a history of the Roman civil wars, but Livia rejected his interpretation of the events and the rise of Augustus.  This resulted in the family believing that Claudius couldn't be trusted with family secrets.
            -Claudius also did manage to put out some respected scholarly works, however, including both a history of the Etruscans and the Carthaginians, respectively.
    -After Augustus died, Claudius requested to be appointed to the government position of cursus honorum, but this was rejected by Tiberius.
   -In his 20s, Claudius decided to lay low since the times were so tumultuous- when Sejanus took power everyone who was deemed an enemy was being killed off, and this was followed by Tiberius' killing off of anyone HE deemed to be an enemy.
      -During this time he was also forced to marry Plautia Urgulanilla (adopted sister of Sejanus) in order to cement family ties.
         -Claudius divorced Plautia after Sejanus lost power, however.
-Eventually became quite popular with the equestrians and common folk just because he seemed to the be the only one who wasn't lusting after power, in addition to never "rocking the boat" or creating any controversy.
   -However, Claudius was thrust into the spotlight when Caligula (his nephew) named him as co-consul (along with Caligula himself).
      -This was not out of respect- it seemed that Caligula just wanted to have someone serving as consul who was related to the well-respected Germanicus (in addition to someone who also wasn't powerful or ambitious).  Caligula actually treated Claudius like a court jester (except much more cruel), and unfortunately caused Claudius to be deeply in debt by randomly charging him insane amounts of money for bullshit.
         -The legend of Claudius being found scared and behind a curtain by the Praetorian Guard is possible, but other sources say that he was just instead doing whatever (like chilling at home) before the Praetorian Guard visited him to escort him back to their camp to declare him princeps.
            -At this point it is interesting to note that the role of princeps was so entrenched in the government that with the death of Caligula, the senators began to argue over who was to be princeps rather than how the Republic could finally be restored to its former power.
               -Of course, none could argue when the Praetorian Guard named Claudius as Caligula's successor.
-41 AD- Claudius is officially declared princeps of the Roman Empire!
   -Of course, Claudius had to agree not to go after or prosecute the conspirators behind the assassination of Caligula, although the lead conspirator, the senator Cassius Chaerea, was prosecuted and executed (most likely so as to not set a precedent for those who wished to dare to try and assassinate a princeps because they didn't like the way shit was going).
      -This didn't deter everyone, however, because in 42 AD a plot was discovered (and foiled) between Senator Vinicianus and Scribonianus, the governor of the province of Dalmatia. 
         -Ultimately, the troops in Dalmatia decided this was a dumb idea, and so the rebellion fizzled out and the conspirators killed themselves.
-So, how was Claudius as princeps?
   -He was actually one of the greatest Roman emperors of all time!  He also changed his name in order to reflect Augustus, so his new name as princeps was "Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus".
      -Unlike Tiberius or Caligula, Claudiu took an active interest in governing.  He made government bureaucracy stronger, introduced legal reforms, and issued lots of edicts aimed at improving Roman life.
         -However, many Romans still saw him as an idiot and attributed his executive prowess to his advisers. 
            -This group of advisers was actually a cabinet (all freedmen, too) that Claudius himself had set up, which included:
               -Secretary of Correspondence- Narcissus (Claudius' closest adviser)
               -Secretary of Justice- Callistus (one of the conspirators behind Caligula's assassination)
               -Secretary of Treasury- Pallas (super rich dude)
               -Secretary of Miscellany- Polybius (eventually executed for treason)
         -Claudius knew, however, that his legal reforms and shit wouldn't quite be enough to garner widespread public support- he needed military victories! 
            -Unfortunately, Augustus had decreed that the empire was big enough as it is, so what was he to do?
               -Claudius eyed Britannia.  While he wanted to follow Augustus' example of rule, it was true that Julius Caesar had fucked around with the island, so why not finish the job?
                  -Additionally, Britannia seemed to be rich in mineral deposits, as well as being a safe haven for Gallic rebels who were a constant nuisance for the Romans.
-43 AD- Rome finally found an excuse for a full-on invasion of Britannia when a Roman-allied Briton chief fell in a power struggle within his own tribe.
   -For the invasion, Rome summoned four legions (along with 20,000 auxiliary troops).
      -The exact details of the beginning of the invasion are murky due to conflicting historical records and theories, so all we DO know is that the Romans invaded from Gaul into Britannia.
         -Upon landing, the Romans immediately started kicking ass.  Other tribes immediately began to surrender. 
            -Southeast Britannia was now successfully occupied by Rome, and Britannia was declared to be a new imperial province. 
               -Because of his victories, Claudius headed back to Rome, where he held a triumph.