Episode 11 Evidence Chart

Claudius' first acts as Emperor

Claudius 11 Suetonius

Having thus established himself in power, his first object was to abolish all remembrance of the two preceding days, in which a revolution in the state had been canvassed. Accordingly, he passed an act of perpetual oblivion and pardon for everything said or done caring that time; and this he faithfully observed, with the exception only of putting to death a few tribunes and centurions concerned in the conspiracy against Caius, both as an example, and because he understood that they had also planned his own death. He now turned his thoughts towards paying respect to the memory of his relations. His most solemn and usual oath was, "By Augustus." He prevailed upon the senate to decree divine honours to his grandmother Livia, with a chariot in the Circensian procession drawn by elephants, as had been appointed for Augustus, and public offerings to the shades of his parents. Besides which, he instituted Circensian games for his father, to be celebrated every year, upon his birth day, and, for his mother, a chariot to be drawn through the circus; with the title of Augusta, which had been refused by her while alive. To the memory of his brother, to which, upon all occasions, he showed a great regard, he gave a Greek comedy, to be exhibited in the public diversions at Naples, and awarded the crown for it, according to the sentence of the judges in that solemnity. Nor did he omit to make honourable and grateful mention of Mark Antony; declaring by a proclamation, "That he the more earnestly insisted upon the observation of his father Drusus's birth-day, because it was like wise that of his grandfather Antony." He completed the marble arch near Pompey's theatre, which had formerly been decreed by the senate in honour of Tiberius, but which had been neglected. And though he canceled all the acts of Gaius, yet he forbade the day of his assassination, notwithstanding it was that of his own accession to the empire, to be reckoned amongst the festivals.

Messalina and Silanus

Roman History LX.14 Dio Cassius

The imperial freedmen and Messalina were responsible for this; for whenever they

desired to obtain any one's death, they would terrify Claudius and as a result would be allowed

to do everthing they chose. Often, when in a moment of sudden alarm his immediate terror had

led him to order some one's death, he afterwards, when he recovered and came to his senses,

would search for the man and on learning what had happened would be grieved and repentant. He

began this series of murders with Gaius Appius Silanus. He had sent for this man, who was of

very noble family, and governor of Spain at the time, pretending that he required a service of

him, had married him to Messalina's mother, and had for some time held in honor among those

nearest and dearest to him. Then he suddenly killed him. The reason was that Silanus had

offended Messalina, the most abandoned and lustful of women, in refusing to lie with her, and

by this slight shown to her had alienated Narcissus, the emperor's freedman. As they had no true

or even plausible charge to bring against him, Narcissus invented a dream in which he declared

he had seen Claudius murdered by the hand of Silanus; then at early dawn, while the emperor

was still in bed, trembling all over he related to him the dream, and Messalina, taking up the

matter exaggerated its significance. Thus Silanus perished because of a mere vision.

 

More about Silanus' murder

Claudius 37 Suetonius

No suspicion was too trifling, no person on whom it rested too contemptible, to throw him into a panic, and induce him to take precautions for his safety, and meditate revenge. A man engaged in a litigation before his tribunal, having saluted him, drew him aside, and told him he had dreamt that he saw him murdered; and shortly afterwards, when his adversary came to deliver his plea to the emperor, the plaintiff, pretending to have discovered the murderer, pointed to him as the man he had seen in his dream; whereupon, as if he had been taken in the act, he was hurried away to execution. We are informed, that Appius Silanus was got rid of in the same manner, by a contrivance betwixt Messalina and Narcissus, in which they had their several parts assigned them. Narcissus therefore burst into his lord's chamber before daylight, apparently in great fright, and told him that he had dreamt that Appius Silanus had murdered him. The empress, upon this, affecting great surprise, declared she had the like dream for several nights successively. Presently afterwards, word was brought, as it had been agreed on, that Appius was come, he having, indeed, received orders the preceding day to be there at that time; and, as if the truth of the dream was sufficiently confirmed by his appearance at that juncture, he was immediately ordered to be prosecuted and put to death.The day following, Claudius related the whole affair to the senate, and acknowledged hisgreat obligation to his freedmen for watching over him even in his sleep.

Question for you to answer:

Describe the influence that Messalina and the freedmen, epecially Narcissus, had over Claudius' decisions and actions.