Nero (54 - 68CE)

Nero (54 - 9 June 68CE). Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus was renamed Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus upon adoption by his great uncle, the Emperor Claudius in 50, then to Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus upon his accession to the throne. His reign was marked by tyranny and extravagance. Many Romans believed that the Great Fire of 64 was started by Nero in order to clear land for his palatial complex. He executed his mother, Agrippina Jr. and probably poisoned his step-brother, Britannicus. He was known to have burned alive captured Christians as a source of light. The Julio-Claudian Dynasty ended when he committed suicide on June 9, 68.