Claudius playing the fool in order to survive, shows how smart he was. He even managed to survive Caligula's terror regime. In a royal family were assasinating relatives to get rid of rivals was the norm, being shunned and considered an idiot could save your life. Claudius was despised by his own mother because of his physical defects and shyness. He had a tendency to stutter too. However, Suetonius noted that his stuttering and stammering improved pretty noticeably after he became Emperor. Claudius did a pretty good job in being an emperor.

@Cj-xt6tv

3 жыл бұрын

It is the smart man that plays the fool as the fool is underestimated

@DeadlyAlienInvader

3 жыл бұрын

Something that I used to hope the same would happen to Trump.........

@ajph5088

3 жыл бұрын

Claduis is my favourite roman emperor

@derianvandalsen

3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like Tyrion Lannister... come to think of it, that whole family sounds Roman.

@terrorsaur599

3 жыл бұрын

Claudius had quite possibly the most clever rise to power in the history of politics. Even if he secretly wanted to become emperor after all, Claudius knew that survival was his top priority. He decided to turn his weaknesses into a strength, using his physical and mental disabilities to appear harmless. He couldn’t appear power-hungry or ambitious because he really didn’t know how to. His harmless appearance allowed him to always be spared. Caligula even appointed him as a close advisor of sorts. When Caligula was assassinated, you could argue that Claudius’ decision to hide away in fear of his life could’ve also been apart of his strategy. When the praetorians rose him to power, they and the senate believed they could use him as a puppet and the beginning of Claudius’ reign somewhat proved that. However, after years and years of appearing weak, with one great military conquest, Claudius showed the whole Roman world that he was capable and shouldn’t be taken lightly. From that point forward, he ruled Rome with effective and innovative policies that reformed and restored the empire. Perhaps Claudius wasn’t perfect, nor the greatest Roman emperor of all time, but you can’t argue that he wasn’t one of the most intelligent rulers in history.

Claudius is my favourite Roman Emperor. He was smart, tenacious and cunning; even Augustus praised him highly for his mind. Everyone underestimated him but he turned out to be the best of his entire family

@mism847

2 жыл бұрын

Well, if we exclude Augustus, that's for sure!

@nothisispatrick4644

2 жыл бұрын

Augustus and most of the royal family saw him as a fool. Augustus only praised him because he was honestly surprised when he found out Claudius was actually pretty sharp

@martiawesome

2 жыл бұрын

If only his older brother germanicus lived and become and emperor..

@jamellfoster6029

2 жыл бұрын

So true. But his evil niece had him poisoned...

@fedoramaster6035

2 жыл бұрын

@@mism847 and Caesar, and aenius, and Germanicus. But yeah right behind those guys.

"Filled the little boy's boots." I see what you did there.

@fionafiona1146

4 жыл бұрын

I got into leather crafting recently but have no child to dress up yet.

@icatz

4 жыл бұрын

Yep yep

@alduin69

4 жыл бұрын

I literally lol'd when he said that

@DoReMi123acb

4 жыл бұрын

DAMMIT! Got it in before me! Nice!

@redjirachi1

4 жыл бұрын

You're thinking of Tiberius

I love Claudius lmao, my guy hid behind a curtain because he didn't want to be emperor but ended up being one of the better emperors.

@Coryraisa

2 жыл бұрын

IKR. I love Claudius also...he was darling.

@heronekkotheanimer7386

Жыл бұрын

Dude didnt want the job, but he wasnt gonna to half ass it

@mariusmatei2946

Жыл бұрын

No, Claudius hid behind a curtain (away from Caligula's assailants) out of fear/as a desperate attempt to save his (own) life/skin (not "because he didn't want to be emperor"); once he (Claudius) was proclaimed Emperor, he gladly accepted!

@omkarkavitkar8112

10 ай бұрын

Not the better but one of the best

@kjamlin

7 ай бұрын

​@@mariusmatei2946I've never seen someone use so many parenthesis

Claudius is one of my favorite of the Julio-Claudians. He didn't want the job, and his reign shows the early and rapid rise of the Praetorians as a power to make or break emperors.

@jordanianchristian8387

4 жыл бұрын

Jimmyinvictus it kinda reminds me of the janissaries of the Ottoman Empire.

@Jimmyinvictus

4 жыл бұрын

@@jordanianchristian8387 Definitely some parallels with Ottoman janissaries!

@slav1467

4 жыл бұрын

It's one of those underdog stories in history that you don't often see.

@slav1467

4 жыл бұрын

@Randy Mayfield Yep, indeed.

@thenomadrhodes

4 жыл бұрын

They even hard their own deep state. Should've hung them all.

"Emperor Butt-Cactus" might be the funniest thing I've heard all year.

@icatz

4 жыл бұрын

You can't say enough bad things about Tiberius.

@UnchainedAmerica

4 жыл бұрын

well, the insult fits Tiberius.

@SafetySpooon

4 жыл бұрын

Notice the "...soothing scream of Germanicus would never be far BEHIND!!!"

@aceace8374

4 жыл бұрын

Because of form of torture this emperor likes to do is that

@annescholey6546

4 жыл бұрын

Legionary Cadaverus😁

Finish the Julio-Claudian dynasty with the man who started it all, Augustus.

@blasteatkill

4 жыл бұрын

FloopyDoopy seconded

@jackiereed1296

4 жыл бұрын

Fourth

@alfredseabrook8065

4 жыл бұрын

Fif

@jprophet2870

4 жыл бұрын

Sixth

@vespasianflaviustheemperor7901

4 жыл бұрын

@@jprophet2870 you had a good run,good job.

Speaking of Claudius, it is truly ironic how Caligula spent much of his life humiliating his disabled uncle Claudius, when the latter obtained when he became emperor (as his sympathetic portrayal of Derek Jacobi in "I, Claudius" and his realistic and deglorified depiction by Richard Kiley in "A.D." showed) everything that his nephew couldn't in life: -While Caligula wanted the people to remember him as the greatest emperor who ever lived and ended being considered by them as the worst in all history, Claudius won the love of the people and is currently known as one of the best Roman rulers that ever existed. -At the end of his reign, Caligula decided to start a series of military conquests in order to achieve victories that would be remembered for eternity. However, none of those prospered. Instead, Claudius did warlike wonders such as recovering the last lost eagle from the Teutoburg's disaster and creating the first Roman settlements in Britain. -The only woman Caligula wanted to marry was his sister Drusilla. However, he was never able to do that because incest between brothers or between uncles and nephews was very frowned upon in Rome. However, Claudius was able to marry his niece Agrippinilla without any problem. -Perhaps Caligula's greatest purpose was for the people to consider him a God, which it only made them kill him in the end. Although Claudius did not want to be a God, he would end up being considered as such in some parts of Britain That said, I wonder what Caligula's face looked like in Hell when he saw what his "dummy" uncle Claudius did as emperor.

@myaccount4699

11 ай бұрын

Such was life for Uncle Claudius

Claudius has always been one of my favorite emperors. Having to survive two tyrannical paranoid dictators under Tiberius and Caligula, he survives long enough (BY acting simple minded and therefore not a threat) and does it well enough to become an Emperor himself and actually do Rome some good before he gets murdered by Nero's mom.

@bobthejester3105

3 жыл бұрын

It’s always the third dictator that gets ya

@Cj-xt6tv

3 жыл бұрын

It is the smart man that plays the fool as the fool is underestimated

@inigomontoya6968

3 жыл бұрын

Some parallels to Khrushchev, no?

@Cj-xt6tv

3 жыл бұрын

@@inigomontoya6968 great comparison

@tiberiuscave4617

3 жыл бұрын

Well, Claudius himself was no better than Tiberius in the paranoid behaviour depart. Superstitous and quick to anger, with a fondness for blood, he's known for having killed at least 35 senators and 300 equites, after trialing them in his bedroom. Sure, he was a competent emperor - and even Tiberius was - but he was not the good old Santa Claus-like guy depicted in Graves' books and series based upon them.

Claudius was a cool emperor, his wife done him dirty.

@stormbringer2840

4 жыл бұрын

both of them .

@jasonbelstone3427

3 жыл бұрын

...But such was life for Uncle Claudius.

@TheCompyshop

3 жыл бұрын

If you want to get technical she did the entire kingdom dirty... heh

@full-timepog6844

3 жыл бұрын

@@jasonbelstone3427 dovahatty based history

@mychalharris

3 жыл бұрын

Dude was a chump. Openly turning head when wife is trying to set records for how many different men she could sleep with in a day. Old G's dont stroll that way. Chump!

"Tiberius was as popular as a rectally inserted cactus" I lost it. The one liners are getting better and more frequent making way for Simon to have yet one more pod-job option (like he needs one) as a stand up comic. But seriously, if he tries to leave Bio or Geo please offer him more money.

I think he might have been the inspiration for Tyrion Lannister.

@Gyrusdorf

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah! That was MY exact thought when I first read about him! On top of that, Caligula, his nephew don't forget, certainly reminded me very much of Joffrey: A notoriously unpopular ruler who felt no urge to rule properly while treating his uncle as a toy to be mocked and undermined. Even if Caligula's supposed plan to make his favorite horse co-consul alongside Claudius (as another way of mocking him) really was just a legend and nothing else, it still sounds like the kind of idea both he and Joffrey would have gone through with. Like if someone said it to him he would have responded, "Hey! That DOES sound fun!"

@TheRonster9319

4 жыл бұрын

I was felt that Joffery was a little more Nero than Caligula

@stormbringer2840

4 жыл бұрын

Definitely , as Joeffrey is inspired by caligula .

@Kris-wo4pj

4 жыл бұрын

@@TheRonster9319 Wow insult Nero why don't ya? Nero atleast was decent at ruling for a time.

@TheRonster9319

4 жыл бұрын

@@Kris-wo4pj Nero was a puppet though. Same as Joffery lol

I feel really bad for Claudius. Poor kid was hated and mocked by his own family. He was just a child.

@killme2675

2 жыл бұрын

Such was life for Uncle Claudius

@sethboyd5354

2 жыл бұрын

I suggest reading I Claudius and Claudia's the God the book is a pieced together autobiography using the pieces of the letters, memoirs and self descriptions that survived to modern times . This was combined with historical records and other people's accounts of the emperors reign and childhood and a little-large amount of fiction used to make the story flow. Some of the dialogue is fictionalized, but all of the facts are true. A portion of the writing is his own accounts though. I found the sections on early Christianity very interesting.

@Coryraisa

2 жыл бұрын

Me too...sweet Claudius.

@omkarkavitkar5674

Жыл бұрын

Still be ended up being one of the best emperor

@DFletcher413

Жыл бұрын

Well he ended up being the most powerful man in the world so he good.

I don’t know why but Claudius’ stories makes me want to cry. Here was a man who was routinely abused, mocked, disrespected his entire life, only for him to rise to power, and show his empire morality, kindness and mercy. He did not let resentment, and revenge poison his mind, and genuinely tried his best to make his empire great, and his people happy. In the end his people worshipped him as a god.

@tiberiuscave4617

2 жыл бұрын

Well, no. Claudius was as vicious as his predecessors. If anything, he's known for acting in an even stricter way than other Julio-Claudians. Plenty of informers encouraged by his wives, bedchamber trials, an high number of executions, disregard for Senate's authority. He was a good emperor, but as a man he was ruthless.

Claudius was a historian and when it comes to learning to be a leader history is the best subject you can study because you are essentially learning from the mistakes of others and you can sidestep the pratfalls as they appear. It is just as good as getting genuine experience, but as Maxwell Smart quipped "Experience isn't everything."

@sugarnads

3 жыл бұрын

Pitfalls.

@thunderbird1921

3 жыл бұрын

Napoleon was also that way. Later on in exile he actually wrote a book on Julius Caesar and explained where he went wrong in his quest for power over Rome.

@yunleung2631

3 жыл бұрын

If we discover his lost works it’d be an earthquake.

@James_Wisniewski

3 жыл бұрын

@@thunderbird1921 What's the book called, if you don't mind my asking?

Augustus noticing Claudius' disabilities & intellectual gift: "Oh you poor thing, you just needed some actual care, attention and help. Here have this teacher, he'll help you get better" Rest of the family: "BEAT THE SINFUL DISABILITIES OUTTA HIM"

@radonrodan8332

3 жыл бұрын

What a good step grandfather/granduncle he was.

@full-timepog6844

3 жыл бұрын

Caesar did the same with him

“such was life for uncle claudius”- Dovahhatty

"And as for being half-witted? Well, what can I say? Except that I have survived to middle age with half my wits, whilst thousands have died with all of theirs intact! Evidently, quality or wit is more important than quantity!"

@pyromania1018

4 жыл бұрын

I think you mean "quality OF wits".

@louthegiantcookie

4 жыл бұрын

@@pyromania1018 Don't be pedantic, it's a very unattractive quality.

@pyromania1018

4 жыл бұрын

@@louthegiantcookie Get the quote right, and I won't have to, Bucky ;)

@James_Wisniewski

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I've also watched I, Claudius.

@louthegiantcookie

3 жыл бұрын

@@James_Wisniewski Damn good isn't it? For my money it's one of the greatest TV shows ever made. I wish they still did historical shows of that caliber.

Not just born with a silver spoon in his mouth he was practically born suckling a whole cutlery set 😂

@bonefetcherbrimley7740

4 жыл бұрын

Your profile pic concerns me.

@madt1008

4 жыл бұрын

Bonefetcher Brimley rightly so

@ilkkarautio2449

4 жыл бұрын

No, a golden fist in the butt! 😌 And only golden showers and everything golden & weird! 😇

@bigsouth010

4 жыл бұрын

Mad T yes ancient roman men bathed each other

Augustus showed him kindness and claudius became the first emperor to be worthy of being his successor.

@myaccount4699

11 ай бұрын

Tiberius was a solid emperor. People just didn’t like him because of his lack of charisma. Also, I don’t believe those stories about him in Capri. Seems like slander. He was a very strict man.

@Izixster

6 ай бұрын

@@myaccount4699 Agree with this strongly. He was a bit of a terror to the senate but a solid emperor and general, and much of the killing of his family was done by Sejanus, rather than him. I think a part of it is that some of his best work was during Augustus's reign such as securing the Illyrian and German borders, and Augustus is given credit for them since they happened during his reign on his orders.

Rome in cartoons. Sophisticated noble people. Roman's in history: Nah these guys were nuts.

@mariano98ify

4 жыл бұрын

What cartoons? beside did you see ever a old movie about Roman?? they were far from good guys and worst, in real history they were the "better" guys than barbarians

@joellaz9836

4 жыл бұрын

Fritz XXI-TFK-777 Yeah I always have this image of Romans being all noble and sophisticated and then I actually read about them and I remember again that they were crazy as hell. And rather being amazed that the Roman Empire collapsed, I am far more amazed that it lasted as long as it did.

@mariano98ify

4 жыл бұрын

@@joellaz9836 but do you know around those times the people were mad like hell?? not just Roman, but everyone around the world-wide, and not for nothing after the Fall of Rome those times are called the "Dark Ages"

@Hugh_Morris

4 жыл бұрын

Joella Z for the day Romans were very civilised, but this was a day where life was a struggle in every way and people had less rules, you could be killed for the slightest transgression. Compared to other states at the time Rome might’ve been the most forgiving. However, when they started killing each other, certainly went overboard. An example of this is with Sejanus, who through plotting brought upon himself the ire of Emperor Tiberius. Sejanus was killed, but then his entire family was also in a bloody purge. Rome was all about its law and order but given the opportunity would slaughter each other willingly.

@mycelia_ow

3 жыл бұрын

Not mutually exclusive \. Usually it's ancient Greeks seen like that

I can't hear the name Claudius whithout seeing Sir Derek Jacobi. Excellent, as always.

@lkgreenwell

4 жыл бұрын

morskojvolk I’d be interested to find out just how much modern views of Claudius have been influenced by Robert Graves. There is an interview where Graves describes the traditional view of Claudius, in Graves’s own time, as an insignificant dotard. Graves talks of “Claudius wasn’t like that” as an intuition. As a Briton myself, I am aware that Claudius succeeded dramatically where Caesar himself very nearly came badly unstuck.

I am sorry you didn't mention Claudius' work as an academic. This included a History of the Etruscans, and a History of the Carthaginians. And apparently Claudius could read, write and speak Etruscan and wrote a Lexicon / Dictionary of Etruscan. Sadly aside from a few fragments none of Claudius' works have survived.

@kasvinimuniandy4178

Жыл бұрын

ooooo... wow...

@thevisitor1012

8 ай бұрын

Dang, so we could've rediscovered the Etruscan language thanks to his efforts? What a shame.

@Atrahasis7

6 ай бұрын

Yes, I still hold my hope one day in some forgotten basement they find examples, Claudius was an interesting dude.@@thevisitor1012

Emperor Claudius: Proof that kid picked last for sports can get to live longer than the ones that were picked first. Like a cross of "The Tortoise and the Hair" and "Game of Thrones".

@LeglessWonder

3 жыл бұрын

“When you race the tortoise and the hare, you either win or you die”

@Cj-xt6tv

3 жыл бұрын

It is the smart man that plays the fool as the fool is underestimated

@James_Wisniewski

3 жыл бұрын

Well, you know what they say. The tall poppy gets cut down.

@str8edgedenigmamp96

2 жыл бұрын

The tortoise and the throne....aka "fast and furious 25"

I really like the reign of Claudius. And Claudius as a man. He jumped at his chance when fortune gave it and made himself the greatest man in the world even with his personal handicaps and failings. I didnt remember till this video how bad claudius had it growing up; and in any case I havent read Seneca yet. I have read Cassius Dio.

The best leaders are those who do not want power.

@KapiteinKrentebol

3 жыл бұрын

Not always, actually if you look up emp. Tiberius, he didn't want to be and because of that he was a pretty weak emp. It's always said he was paranoid but that was for a good reason because of the powervacuum his reign created there were a lot of candidates to fill it. It's more the reasons you want power, in order to fix a broken system or just for personal gain or glory.

@littlebigheroman

3 жыл бұрын

This axiom is true, if those leaders also have a strong desire to serve the common good. Standing by and doing nothing is letting evil prosper.

What I think one of the most tragic aspects of his story is that Agrippina was probably able to gain Cladious’ blind trust so easily because all she needed to do was be nice to him. He was so mistreated by his family and everyone else that he was starved for kindness and she may have been the first one to show him kindness, although insincere.

@thevisitor1012

8 ай бұрын

I should really stop watching these roman Biography videos as they're seriously hurting my love life. Acts of kindness/decency seem like a cover for something more nefarious.

If I ever meet a woman called Agrapina I'm making a run for my life...

@kimberlypatton9452

4 жыл бұрын

Lol! Best pun I've heard in a long time!

@nhlanhlashamase3453

3 жыл бұрын

She has a new name now

@setsenblank

3 жыл бұрын

@@nhlanhlashamase3453 Karen?

@Iuliusgiovi

3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure there is an agrapina hiding somewhere in southern Italy

@vigneshsajith1227

3 жыл бұрын

Will anybody have that name today? 😂

We'll I would say Claudius likely had a sense of empathy and knew from experiences of seeing all the evil done around him to leave some things alone.

9:45 that relief was perfect. The Praetorians look like. "What the Hell do we do now? I don't know!? But try looking that way and I look this way!"

Sentient spiky suppository: I'm not supposed to be giggling this hard at work!

@shebbs1

4 жыл бұрын

Same problem! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂

@JJMHigner

4 жыл бұрын

Love it!

I must admit my interest in Claudius began with Robert Graves's books, I Claudius and Claudius The God (and then the BBC series I Claudius) in 1976. I later read all I could find about him. He was a study in bad judgment in his personal life, but he lived to become emperor of Rome and did a mostly good job of it. He tried to undue Caligula's tyrannical edicts, built more aqueducts, and conquered Britain among some of them. The fact that he managed to stay alive through Tiberias and Caligula's bloody reigns are proof of how clever he was. Unfortunately, he didn't have the foresight to realize what a monster his nephew was before making him his heir, instead of his son Britanicus.

If you like this watch 'I Claudius with Derek Jacoby you'll love it

@kimberlypatton9452

4 жыл бұрын

Best series ever! In the top 10 best quality series ever made...they do present it on PBS very rarely...But a definite MUST watch at least once on your life....totally accurate about the general atmosphere,family connections and unfolding diabolical connivances (including murder) and every human evil behavior the Romans are famous for.A great program in every detail.

@Hivernal

4 жыл бұрын

Great series I have rewatched it multiple times, and it's on youtube as well.

@markwarren250

4 жыл бұрын

Also the books by Robert Graves that inspired the series are very good. I, Claudius & Claudius the God

@marquee6

4 жыл бұрын

P-p-p-poison??!!!

@exquisitesplendor7175

4 жыл бұрын

I saw it when it originally aired. I was 6 yo, and my father, who was a total Anglo-file, had me stay up an hour after my bedtime on a school night to watch, (it aired on Sundays). Ironically, at the same time as this, he forbade me to watch The Flinstones, which aired in reruns during the afternoons. One day when he came home from work, he almost caught me watching it, and I would have been in so trouble, but my mom helped me keep it from him.

Claudius has always been one of my favorite emperors. I've always thought history didn't give him the credit he deserved.

@tiberiuscave4617

2 жыл бұрын

Don't think so. Legions of people praising Claudius (or rather the Gravesian fictionalized depiction of Claudius) surely go to show he gets appreciated enough. Considering the fact he was as far from being a benign emperor as Tiberius and Gaius, I don't reallt understand why he's passed as some kind of hero.

@minimax9445

2 жыл бұрын

@@tiberiuscave4617 what do you mean by "far from benign" his whole thing was about being cool with literally everyone

@tiberiuscave4617

2 жыл бұрын

@@minimax9445 Well, he executed 35 senators, 221 knights, often trialing them in his own cubiculum, starved to death his niece, executed another, lead a bloody kangaroo court in the aftermath of Messalina's downfall. How is Claudius benign? No doubt he was not evil, but no doubt he was quite ruthless, much like his relatives.

@altairiel6335

Жыл бұрын

Truly underrated as a man and Emperor. Such was life for Uncle Claudius

1:40 - Chapter 1 - The family of blood 4:45 - Chapter 2 - From bad 8:00 - Chapter 3 - To worse 11:10 - Mid roll ads 12:35 - Chapter 4 - Stepping stones to greatness 15:45 - Chapter 5 - Changing attitudes 18:40 - Chapter 6 - Goodbye , Uncle

Honestly if I was Claudius after 3-4 assassination attempts, I’d go full Caligula on the 5th guy. By the time I’m done everyone who ever thought about it would suffer a leaky bladder at the mere thought.

Claudius was a man who totally deserves my respect. Despite his disabilities, the constant bullying he suffered since his childood, his tragic amorous life, the great amount of assassination attempts he suffered and losing many of his loved ones (specially his brother Germanicus), he probably became the best Roman Emperor in history. This disgusting World we live in didn't deserve someone like him. I just hope he's now reading his works in Heaven among the other Gods

I could not stop laughing at "rectally-inserted cactus", lost it when you called Tiberius x 'General Butt Cactus' 🤣

"As popular as a rectally inserted cactus," I knew those things were gonna take off!

Hail Emperor Butt-Cactus! That's an even better nickname than Caligula!

@pyromania1018

4 жыл бұрын

I disagree. Long live Emperor Bootsie!

@shaitarn1869

4 жыл бұрын

@@pyromania1018 Just don't offer to sacrifice yourself in exchange for the gods sparing him!

I'm a proponent of Claudius' pro-flatulance policies.

@pyromania1018

4 жыл бұрын

According to Suetonius (something of a flatulist himself), as Claudius began choking from the poisoned mushrooms, he discharged an explosive fart that might have saved him, so a slave on Agrippina's payroll inserted a poison-dipped feather into his mouth to finish the job.

@LeglessWonder

3 жыл бұрын

Make Rome Fart Again

Claudius is the Forrest Gump of Rome it seems.

@daanvos194

5 ай бұрын

exept hes smart

I don't envy historians having to sift through the timeline of events where practically everyone has the same dozen names just shuffled around in random order

I believe Claudius was the best emperor of the julian claudian dynasty after Augustus of course.

I love how Claudius looks like Augustus, look at their ears! I think certain disability comes with humility and a greater capability for compassion, and this was his strength in the end. Although as I said before about Caligula, if the disability is a constant suffering that no one seems to understand, this can turn in the complete opposite direction.

“Butt Cactus” Sounds like a good name for a band. Their hit single “Hemorrhoid Rage”

@CptMoroni35

4 жыл бұрын

Zack Belden 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Great job, as always! I live in Lyon, the city where he was born and a few months ago, there was an exhibit on dear old Claudius and it was such a massive success, it was almost always sold out and they had to add more dates !! Not too bad, for a fool lol

I just discovered this channel and I am completely - and pleasantly - blown away ! My academic achievements vis-a-vis ancient history have always been,, I am ashamed to say, abysmal. This channel has awakened an appreciation for history - I cannot thank Simon and his coworkers enough - the presentation is brisk, to the point, and engaging in no small measure due to the injection of witty humor here and there. Gentlemen, I thank you most sincerely !

Caligula named Claudius as Consul, and was in fact quite fond of Claudius, because - in his own words - Claudius was the "only one to ever be truly kind to him." The 'forcing' Claudius to take out huge loans was more the actions of a spoiled boy than the demands of a tyrant. _(As in whining until Claudius found a way to pay for his whims. Most of us know a relative such as this.)_ Claudius knew the boy was sick in the head, but he also pitied him. He saw _how_ he had been pushed to become a monster.

@daanvos194

5 ай бұрын

that actualy makes caligula a very sad tale

'Emperor Butt-Cactus': I am going to have some weird dreams tonight.

I, Claudius was an outstanding series on PBS years ago. I think it had been put out by the BBC. It’s lengthy but worth the watch.

11:01 “…the greatest Emperor since Augustus” As much as I love Claudius, the competition for that role was not fierce 😂

“...an entire cutlery set.” Yikes, what a mangled metaphor. The whole time Simon was waxing poetic, I could not help but think of Sir Derek Jacobi and his tour-de-force performance as Claudius for PBS so many years ago. Still, this was a pleasant reminder of one of history’s true albeit unlikely success stories.

I, Claudius used to be free on KZread. Shame something so classic can't be offered to the masses free of charge. It's a timeless masterpiece.

@hannahretel1073

Жыл бұрын

You can find it if you search

This has become one of my fav channels recently, keep up the great work!

Claudius was _sharp._ Highly sensitive also.

Dereck Jacobi's performance as Claudius was brilliant.

My favorite, well, one of my favorite Roman emperors. He passed legislation that you could break wind at a senate meeting. And he did everything he could to integrate the Gauls and was a good adminestrator.

6:40 - Fill the little boy's boots? I see what you did there.

These Roman Emperor videos are great. Terrific work.

That PBS mini-series "I, Claudius" is pretty good, especially for the production value. We watched it in History class back in the day. Its more like a play than a TV show.

@phildavies7666

Жыл бұрын

Great series although it's a BBC production

@gwoody4003

Жыл бұрын

@@phildavies7666 oh derp 😆 I didn't even think about it. It was PBS where I always watched it and where my teacher recorded it from. Back in the days of VCRs and that big, heavy bulb TV ratchet-strapped to a cart. That kinda ages me, doesn't it.

@hannahretel1073

Жыл бұрын

BBC not PBS! Clearly a UK production

@phildavies7666

Жыл бұрын

And when we had paper books :-) Have you read the original books by Robert Graves?

@gwoody4003

Жыл бұрын

@@phildavies7666 no. We just watched the series. Back when math wasn't conceptual.

Such is life for uncle Claudius...

Disappointed I only just discovered this fantastic channel today with the Augustus video. Great work, please keep it up...

I'd love to see a Monty Python of Claudius' life. With guest star, Peter Sellars as Claudius. Ah, the good ol days.

Simon and Team....I truly don’t know how you all do it. You had me laughing at “rectal cactus” and somber at the deep felt words at the close. To be considered a good and decent man is a wonderful thing whether it be Ancient Rome or our modern society. Thank you all for this video. You should be nominated for an award.

"The soothing hemorrhoid cream of Germanicus.." hahahhahah love you Simon

His brother germanicus is who should have been emperor he was Rome's Alexander the great

@icatz

4 жыл бұрын

I believe it was Augustus' wife who poisoned Germanicus? And I totally agree with what you say here.

@NYCfrankie

4 жыл бұрын

@@icatz there's alot of possibilities on who poisoned him but him and his father drucus the elder were amazing military minds and if either him or germanicus had become emperor I think they might have possibly even outdone Augustus I believe they would have conquered up to the Elba river and pacified Germania and conquered Dacia before Trajan and continued conquering into Mesopotamia as caesar was planning and I think they had the military minds to have been successful at all 3 especially if drucus the elder hadn't died so young from a freak accident and germanicus and him had been in control of the legions working together cause germanicus displayed military genius at a young age

@icatz

4 жыл бұрын

@@NYCfrankie Preaching to the choir.

@dsnodgrass4843

4 жыл бұрын

Claudius, by all accounts, would've agreed with you. He was often heard to say he wished Germanicus had been alive to rule instead of him. However, Germanicus might not have been nearly as good an Emperor for Rome, domestically, as Claudius turned out to be.

@andrewsuryali8540

4 жыл бұрын

Germanicus was a glory hound who was very popular in the army but had little to no political skill. The main reason he kept campaigning out of Rome was because he hated dealing with the Senate. From what has been written of him by contemporaries like Claudius himself it's apparent Germanicus would have behaved like Tiberius towards the Senate if he had become emperor. Also, he wasn't that successful in actual warfare, given that the Arminius campaign was basically a series of slogging quagmires with very little to show in the end. The reason Germanicus has a great rep today is because he had two emperors who were his fanboys and never ceased extolling his virtues while he was alive: His own son and brother. The comparison to Alexander is apt. Alexander's campaigns bankrupted Macedon and denuded his core lands of productive youth. This became immediately apparent once the Diadochi split the empire, showing Macedon as the poorest and weakest of the lands, primed for takeover by fledgling warlords. This would have been the case with Rome had Germanicus become emperor.

Mr. Simon might overestimate Tiberius's unpopularity; he was considered an able administrator after all. Most of the criticism has to do with jockeying for power at the top.

Absolutely love this channel!

I'm new to this channel (2 days) and I subscribed yesterday. It's a great channel!! And this video is pretty damn good!! Chalk it up to Simon!!

My sleeping wife: What is so funny. Your shaking the bed Me pulling headphones out: 😂I’m watching a biography on a Roman Emperor🤣 My wife: 🤫🙄 (eyes rolling out loud).

jajajaja man, I've seen TONS of your videos, but the humor in this one is particularly good ! Keep those videos coming !

I recommend doing a video on the Roman Emperor Commodus, who styled himself as being Hercules.

Now I gotta rewatch "I, Claudius"

Great vid, brilliant points you make. Keep up the good work!!

Good work guys. Love the way you tell the story

“Say not always what you know, but always know what you” Claudius

@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un

4 жыл бұрын

Stop with the quotes

@ethanramos4441

2 жыл бұрын

@@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un Never

Thank so much for posting.

Aggripina the Younger is one of my favourite Romans we know about.

My personal favorite player of the imperial game. If anything it shows that he was Nikita Kruschev of his era. Playing an idiot saved his life and was the best course of action.... but bloody hell over 300 assissination attempts...or alleged ones. This is insane levels right there. It rivals everything else thus far. If he only saw the dangers of Aggripina in time... but alas. All Hail to the best emperor :).

"no mean feat when you remember those other relatives were total arseholes" And that sort of thing, Simon Whistler, is why I watch your many, many channels.

That viper in the intro to 'I, Claudius' was awesome!

Agreed. Claudius is one of the very best Rome produced--a surprisingly steady hand for a very critical time. He is a personal favorite historical figure for me.

Awesome bio.Can you do a video on Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier?

Caligula most likely made Claudius consul because he was the brother of his father, Germanicus. Caligula, in his early reign, made attempts to raise up his side of the family. Including honouring Livia's will, whicb Tiberius ignored.

I haven't seen your videos in forever. Top Tenz back in 2015 I watched your videos all day. You're one of my top eight favorite youtubers. I'm watching a TV show on Netflix and they mentioned Emperor Claudius who was poisoned by his wife. And I looked it up and it just popped up so I'm going to watch it later.

Another note about how Claudius was considered strange by his subjects, was the fact that he had no known male lover. It was considered fashionable for men of power at that time to have a, often younger, male lover, in addition to their wives and whatever mistress's they had. In a time when bisexuality was considered the norm, Claudius was an odd duck for being completely straight.

It wasn't an accident. He was Livia's hail mary...

I recommend the series “I, Claudius” if you are interested in the story of Claudius

I loved it! Thank you Simon

Thank you SO much for this! Being a history and bio fiend, Ancient times (B.C. and around those eras )are my favorite interests.I was wondering just how close to actualities and facts my beloved series "I,Claudius" came to follow...I think he was actually the smartest of the whole bunch of his insane family, he played upon and took advantage of everyone thinking he was feeble and a detriment- smart enough to use it to keep himself alive and under the radar.Not so dumb.

@ShadowedOne413

2 жыл бұрын

None of them were insane. Not even Caligula.

I so love Simon's adlibs and smart antics lol so funny!!! A whole cutlery set!!!! Lol

These videos are awesome. I'm having fun watching the emperors back to back in order. I concur with other commenters that an Augustus video would be amazing.

Fun fact, Drusus death was possibly caused by choking on a pear. According to Vita Divi Claudii XXVII.1 by Roman historian Suetonius: “[Drusus] died just before manhood, choked by a pear which he had playfully thrown up and caught in his open mouth.”

Ah, this one, I've been waiting for. Thanks for posting!

Emperor Claudius - The Dale Gribble of Roman age

The BBC series "I, Claudius" from 1977 is a probably the best rendition I've ever seen. Derek Jacobi brilliantly plays Claudius, and the rest of the cast is just as brilliant. A young John Hurt plays Caligula, Sian Phillips, Brian Blessed, Patrick Stewart before Star Trek or even Excalibur, John Rhys-Davies et al. If it has any faults it would be the lack of production value. That aside, the acting and story is so engaging you hardly notice.

I wonder if Augustus saw a bit of himself in Claudius. Maybe not in the full "He's like the son I always wanted" way. Moreso like "Everyone thought I wouldn't amount to anything until Caesar took me in. Maybe I should keep a close watch on the kid."

It is amazing how machiavellian the Romans were 1500 years before Machiavelli was even born. Machiavelli probably studied the Romans and took a few pages from the their playbook when forming his ideas. It is fascinating to see how these things play out over many centuries.

I, Claudius is an extremely underrated and influential TV show. Watch it, Love it.

@mikshinee87

3 жыл бұрын

I second that. I saw it five years ago for the first time and loved it.