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Roman Period Study: the Julio-Claudian Emperors 31 BC to AD 68

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did Augustus disguise monarchy as the restored Republic, and what powers actually underpinned the principate?

Augustus and the creation of the principate: the settlements of 27 BC and 23 BC, proconsular imperium and tribunician power, the language of the restored Republic, the Res Gestae, and the foundations of one-man rule.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to Augustus and the creation of the principate. Covers the settlements of 27 BC and 23 BC, proconsular imperium and tribunician power, the fiction of the restored Republic, the Res Gestae as self-presentation, and the foundations of one-man rule, with evaluation of the Res Gestae, Tacitus, Suetonius and Velleius.
16 min answer →

How did Claudius, an unexpected emperor, secure and strengthen his rule, and why are his freedmen and the conquest of Britain so important?

Claudius as emperor: his accession through the Praetorian Guard, the administrative role of his powerful freedmen, the conquest of Britain in AD 43 and its propaganda value, his relations with the Senate, and the difficulty of judging him from divided sources.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the reign of Claudius. Covers his accession through the Praetorian Guard, the administrative power of his freedmen (Narcissus and Pallas), the conquest of Britain in AD 43 and its propaganda value, his relations with the Senate and his wives, and how the sources divide between mockery and respect.
16 min answer →

Why did Gaius (Caligula) turn from a popular new emperor to a hated tyrant, and how reliable is the tradition of his madness?

Gaius (Caligula) as emperor: his popular accession, the change in his behaviour and relations with the Senate, the financial and political crises, the tradition of his madness, his assassination in AD 41, and the difficulty of judging him from hostile sources.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the reign of Gaius (Caligula). Covers his popular accession, the change in his behaviour, the breakdown with the Senate, financial and political crises, the tradition of his madness, and his assassination in AD 41, with evaluation of the hostile sources Suetonius, Cassius Dio and Seneca.
15 min answer →

How did Nero's reign decline from a promising start to revolt and suicide, and what does the fall of the dynasty reveal about the principate?

Nero as emperor: the guided early reign under Seneca and Burrus, the murder of his mother Agrippina, his artistic and Greek interests, the fire of Rome in AD 64 and the persecution of Christians, the conspiracies, and the revolt that ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty in AD 68.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the reign of Nero. Covers the guided early reign under Seneca and Burrus, the murder of Agrippina, his artistic and Greek interests, the fire of Rome in AD 64 and the persecution of Christians, the Pisonian conspiracy, and the revolt that ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty in AD 68, with evaluation of Tacitus and Suetonius.
16 min answer →

Why was the loyalty of the army and the Praetorian Guard the real foundation of the principate, and why did succession remain a recurring crisis?

The army, the Praetorian Guard and imperial succession: the role of the legions and the Praetorians in making and unmaking emperors, the lack of a fixed succession rule, the use of adoption and marriage, and how these structural problems shaped the whole Julio-Claudian period.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the army, the Praetorian Guard and imperial succession under the Julio-Claudians. Covers the role of the legions and Praetorians in making and unmaking emperors, the absence of a fixed succession rule, the use of adoption, marriage and donatives, and how these structural problems shaped the whole period from Augustus to Nero.
16 min answer →

How did Tiberius rule the principate he inherited, and what does the rise and fall of Sejanus reveal about its dangers?

Tiberius as emperor: his accession and relations with the Senate, the use of treason (maiestas) trials, the rise and fall of Sejanus and the retreat to Capri, and the problems of judging Tiberius given the hostility of Tacitus and Suetonius.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History period study guide to the reign of Tiberius. Covers his accession and difficult relations with the Senate, the growth of treason (maiestas) trials, the rise and fall of the praetorian prefect Sejanus and the retreat to Capri, and the problem of judging Tiberius given the hostility of Tacitus and Suetonius.
16 min answer →