(Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus). Born 10 B.C. in Lugdunum [now Lyon]; died 54 A.D. Roman emperor from 41 to 54 of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Elevated to the throne by the Praetorian Guard, Claudius was sickly and the butt of jokes by his contemporaries, but left a significant mark on the history of the Roman Empire. Under Claudius, imperial authority was broadened at the expense of the Senate and the basis for an imperial bureaucracy was created. He advanced “new” people drawn from the equestrian class and from freedmen. He extended the rights of Roman citizenship to the provinces, especially Gaul. Finances were improved and a large program of public works carried out, including construction of the harbor in Ostia and of the famous 72–km aqueduct called the Aqua Claudias. Claudius also brought order to the provisioning of Rome. In 43 A.D., Britain was conquered and turned into a Roman province. In 44–45, he secured Mauretania for Rome; this was then divided into two provinces. Claudius was interested in history and archaeology: he wrote two works, no longer extant, on the history of the Etruscans and the Carthaginians. Claudius was poisoned by his ambitious wife, Agrippina.
(also spelled Clodius from the first century B.C.). An illustrious family in ancient Rome.
The founder of the family is considered to have been Attus Clausus, a Sabine who settled in Rome circa 504 B.C. and changed his name to Appius Claudius Sabinus; he received patrician rank. During the struggle between the patricians and the plebeians that lasted from the early fifth century B.C. to the early third, the Claudians were known for their arrogance and their stubborn defense of the rights of the patricians. After the fourth century B.C., the plebeian Marcellus line separated from the family. The consul G. Claudius Nero, the victor over the Carthaginians at Metaurus in 207 B.C., began the separate Nero line, which in time produced the emperor Claudius.
Among the best known members of the family were Appius Claudius Crassus, Appius Claudius Caecus, Appius Claudius Caudex, and Marcus Claudius Marcellus.
Appius Claudius Crassus. Died c. 448 B.C. Consul in 471 and 451 and one of the decemviri from 451 to 450. According to tradition, he was responsible for the second secession of the plebeians (449), after which the Code of the Twelve Tables was issued.
Appius Claudius Caecus (the Blind). Censor in 312, consul in 307 and 296. He carried out major construction work, including the first large aqueduct in Rome and a paved highway from Rome to Capua, both named after him. In 296 B.C., he fought against the Samnites and the Etruscans. After he became blind, he retired from state affairs.
Appius Claudius Caudex. The brother of Appius Claudius Caecus. During the First Punic War, while he held the title of consul, he seized Messana (264 B.C.) after destroying the armies of the Carthaginian Hannom and the Syracusan tyrant Hiero II.
Marcus Claudius Marcellus. Born c. 270 B.C.; died 208 B.C. General; consul in 222, 215, 214, 210, and 208. In 222 he warred successfully against the Gauls. After the battle of Cannae (216), he defende Nola against Hannibal. From 214 to 211 he headed the Sicilian expedition that took Syracuse after a long siege. In 209 he was defeated and then caught in an ambush by the Carthaginians near Venusia, where he died.
Publius Claudius Pulcher. The son of Appius Claudius Caecus. During the First Punic War, when he was a consul in 249, he commanded the Roman fleet at Lilybaeum and was defeated, losing nearly the entire fleet.
Appius Claudius Pulcher. Praetor in 57 B.C., consul in 54, censor in 50. Political foe of Cicero. Publius Clodius Pulcher also belonged to the Claudius family.