Claudius the only of the 15 emperors who loved only women
Tiberius Claudius Germanicus (10 B.C.-A.D. 54) was the fourth emperor of Rome. Deemed a weak emperor, he nevertheless extended the borders of the empire and reformed its administration. Claudius’ love life was unusual for an upper-class Roman of his day, being that he was the only one out of the first 15 emperors not to take men or boys, but only women as lovers. Suetonius and the other ancient authors used this against Claudius. They accused him of being dominated by these same women and wives, of being uxorious, and of being a womanizer.
Born in Lugdunum (modern Lyons) on Aug. 1, 10 B.C., Claudius was the son of Drusus and Antonia and the grandnephew of Augustus. Although Claudius was the sole surviving heir of Augustus after the assassination of Caligula, he was given the throne. Claudius married four times, after two failed betrothals (the first marriage was when he was 18 years old). The first betrothal was to his distant cousin Aemilia Lepida, but broke due to political reasons. The second was to Livia Medullina, which ended with Medullina’s sudden death on their wedding day.
The aristocracy, which had hoped for a restitution of their former powers and privileges after the death of Caligula, became disappointed and angered. In particular, when the new emperor surrounded himself with his friends, mainly slaves and freedmen. And that chocked the middle class, who felt that Claudius’s associates were degrading the dignity of the imperial power. This dissatisfaction led to the first conspiracy against the Emperor, in A.D. 42.
However, the details surrounding Claudius’s death are unclear. Meanwhile, many ancient historians, including Tacitus, say that he may have been poisoned by Agrippina, his fourth wife.
Claudius died in Rome on Oct. 13, 54.
Claudius the only of the 15 emperors who loved only women
Source:
Encyclopedia of World Biography. Vol. 04. Chippendale- Dickinson
