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Nero was the most brutal and evil Roman Emperor. He was involved in crazy scandals. From killing his second wife, setting fire to Rome while playing the flute, and making a 13-year-old boy named Sporus appear in public as his bride incest with his mother (The Roman Empire: In the First Century 1). PBS article says that “Before long, however, stories were circulating that he seduced married women and young boys, and that he had castrated and "married" a male slave. He also liked to wander the streets, murdering innocent people at random” (1). These are just some instances. Some other examples are the killing of his second wife and mother. He allegedly kicked her to death while she was pregnant because she questioned him for spending too much time at the races. Her questioning sent him into a rage, and she was embalmed for her funeral which led researchers to believe Nero felt bad about what he had done. Although Nero was brutal, he started his reign well; (The Roman Empire: In the First Century 1). He provided assistance to cities that had suffered disasters, gave aid to the Jews and established open competitions in poetry, drama and athletics, and allowed slaves to sue owners but before long his dark side started to show (1). Sprouse was a young boy Nero castrated and married (Carmean 1). The reason why he married was said to have looked like Poppaea Sadina, Nero's second witch he had murdered. Sprouse would soon take his own life. Nero also seduced and married women and other young boys. Nero was cruel and evil to his mother (10 Questions about the Emperor Nero… and Some Curious Answers | British Museum 1). Nero decided to have her killed. There was a failed murder attempt then Nero later finished the job. For the first attempt, He invited her to travel by boat to meet him at the seaside resort where he was staying. When their reunion was over, Agrippina left for home. She was never meant to get there, (The Roman Empire: In the First Century 1). It failed so sent troops to her home and killed her. Claiming his mother was plotting something against him murdering one's mother was considered one of the worst crimes in Rome at that time (1). Without a doubt, Nero was evil and brutal. Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born on December 15, 37 AD (The Roman Empire: In the First Century 1) . His father died when he was three at eleven years old; Claudis the emperor his mother married adopted him as his heir when Claudis died Nero came to power at sixteen years old (1). An article says, “Once he got into power he got rid of capital punishment, reduced taxes and allowed slaves to sue their owners” (1). But, Nero had dark impulses, and he allegedly killed his second wife and his mother. The conspiracy theory is that Nero killed his second wife and mother. It's hard to say if he actually was behind the killing of his mother due to the lack of eyewitnesses according to historians (The Roman Empire: In the First Century 1). Nero's “murder attempt failed” (1). He invited her to a resort he was staying at in a boat that was designed to sink, but she swam ashore when that attempt failed (1). He “sent troops to her home to finish the job” (1). Why did Nero kill his mother? Because Nero's mother Agrippina was in opposition to her son's affair with his second wife Poppaea Sabine (Barrett 1). Research proves Nero killed his mother. Nero was seduced by Sabine at the time she was still married. Later, she would get pregnant with Nero’s child; it's still debated on if she died in pregnancy or if Nero kicked her to death. Nero was a brutal husband. It is uncertain of the time of his second wife’s death or how she was allegedly killed, but Nero kicked her to death according to historians (“Poppaea Venus: The Cult of Nero’s Wife.” 1). “Her body was embalmed”, leading historians to think Nero felt bad for what he did to his wife (1). The killings of his wife and mother shows that Nero was brutal and quick to anger. Even though this was alleged and not a lot of proof that Nero did these things, his dark impulses show that he could be the one behind all this. Nero had different relationships, and he was married a couple different times. He was very close to his mother Agrippina (“5 Myths About Emperor Nero You Need to Stop Believing.”1). She did everything she could to make sure Nero stayed in power (1). Making herself Nero’s guardian soon became too overbearing and her power did not last long. Nero was fed up and removed her from the palace and that's when she lost her grip over Nero. Nero would kill his mother then have a brutal relationship with his wife and also kill her. There's plenty of evidence to prove Nero was a brutal emperor.“Nero was one of the most notorious leaders of Rome”(“5 Myths About Emperor Nero You Need to Stop Believing.”1). Nero was a complex figure; there are still rumors and debates going around if he actually did the things he was accused of. There are lots of conspiracy theories about him as well, but one thing is for sure Nero was evil and brutal. He allegedly murdered his second wife by kicking her to death Nero and is without a doubt the most evil Roman emperor in history. Works cited10 Questions about the Emperor Nero… and Some Curious Answers | British Museum. https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/10-questions-about-emperor-nero-and-some-curious-answers. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.Carmean, Kyle. Sporus and Nero: The Controversial Union in Ancient Rome. 30 Jan. 2024, https://www.historydefined.net/sporus/. The Roman Empire: In the First Century. The Roman Empire. Emperors. Nero | PBS. https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/nero.html#:~:text=However%2C%20like%20 Caligula%20before%20 him ,murdering%20innocent%20people%20at%20random. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.Barrett, Anthony A. Agrippina: Mother of Nero. Routledge, 1996,https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203012352. “5 Myths About Emperor Nero You Need to Stop Believing.” TheCollector, 5 Feb. 2023, https://www.thecollector.com/roman-emperor-nero-myths/.“Poppaea Venus: The Cult of Nero’s Wife.” History Forum, 23 Feb. 2023,https://historum.com/t/poppaea-venus-the-cult-of-neros-wife.195217/.

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