Claudius

Introduction & Top Questions
Early life
Emperor and colonizer
Administrative innovations

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Claudius summary

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Statue of of the Roman emperor Nero with the lighthouse in the background at Anzio, Lazio region, Italy

Roman and Byzantine Emperors Quiz

Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.

Kings and Emperors (Part III) Quiz

Related Questions

How did Caligula’s assassination lead to Claudius becoming emperor?
How did Claudius change the pomerium, the sacred boundary of Rome?
How did Claudius deal with senators and knights who opposed him?
How did Claudius divide Mauretania after annexing it?
How did Claudius encourage Roman citizenship in the provinces?
How did Claudius personally participate in the conquest of Britain?
How did Claudius promote Romanization in the western provinces?
How did Claudius secure the loyalty of the Roman army after becoming emperor?
How did Claudius’s freedmen secretaries gain political power?
How did Roman client kingdoms help protect the frontier in Britain?
How did Seneca portray Claudius in the satire Apocolocyntosis?
How did the client kingdom of Prasutagus contribute to later conflict in Roman Britain?
How did the exile of Verica contribute to Claudius’s decision to invade Britain?
How was Claudius related to Augustus and Tiberius?
How was Claudius related to Caligula?
When did Claudius first serve as consul?
When did Claudius rule as Roman emperor?
Where did Claudius establish a veteran colony in Britain?
Which ancient Roman religious traditions did Claudius revive?
Which provinces did Claudius return to the administration of the Roman Senate?
Which rebellion against Claudius received support from Roman senators in 42 CE?
Which territories did Claudius annex in North Africa, Asia Minor, and southeastern Europe?
Who succeeded Claudius as Roman emperor?
Who were Claudius’s parents?
Why did Claudius become a censor in 47 CE?
Why did Claudius build a new harbor at Ostia?
Why did Claudius change Roman law before marrying Agrippina the Younger?
Why did Claudius make Judaea a Roman province in 44 CE?
Why did Claudius rely on freedmen to help run the imperial administration?
Why did the Praetorian Guard support Claudius’s claim to the throne?
Why do surviving documents suggest that ancient historians gave a one-sided picture of Claudius?
Why was the Roman Senate uncertain about Claudius’s rule at first?
Why was the capture of Camulodunum important in the Roman conquest of Britain?
What was Claudius’s childhood like?
How did Claudius come to power?
What were Claudius’s achievements?
How did Claudius die?
What did Titus do?
What was Titus’s family like?
What was Caligula’s legacy?
How did Greek culture influence Hadrian?
What was Hadrian’s architectural legacy?
What was Hadrian’s relationship with his Jewish subjects?

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External Websites

Hektoen International - Claudius: the Caesar never meant to be emperor
ABC listen - Nightlife - This Week in History: The Death of the Emperor Claudius
De Imperatoribus - An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors - Claudius (41-54 A.D.)
History Today - Death of the Emperor Claudius
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - The death of Claudius
UNRV Roman History - Claudius
Ancient History Encyclopedia - Biography of Claudius

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Claudius - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Claudius

Roman emperor

Also known as: Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus(Show More)

Written by

Arnaldo Dante Momigliano

Alexander White Visiting Professor, University of Chicago, 1975–87. Professor of Ancient History, University College, University of London, 1951–75. Author of Claudius, The Emperor and His Achievement...

Arnaldo Dante Momigliano

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 8, 2026 •History

Claudius (born August 1, 10 bce, Lugdunum [Lyon], Gaul—died October 13, 54 ce) was a Roman emperor (41–54 ce), who extended Roman rule in North Africa and made Britain a province. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus, a popular and successful Roman general, and the younger Antonia, he was the nephew of the emperor Tiberius and a grandson of Livia Drusilla, the wife of the emperor Augustus. Ill health, unattractive appearance, clumsiness of manner, and...

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