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Historical facts about Nero already shown in Paulo, o Apóstolo

Learn more about Nero through historical events portrayed in Paulo, o Apóstolo, from his rise to power and artistic talents to his family conflicts.

3 min readBy Editorial team

Those following Paulo, o Apóstolo have been increasingly surprised every time Emperor Nero appears. Intense, unstable and deeply wounded, this historical figure's many talents recorded in accounts of his life were as abundant as his sufferings.

Nero

One we saw in the latest episodes released on univervideo.com was an open-air theatrical performance with the people of Rome as his audience. Besides being talented, Nero was known for his fondness for the people—a fact that greatly displeased the senate, whose members, despite holding some power, did not enjoy Caesar's favor.

Nero canopy cover

Going back to the beginning, Nero inherited his position—and not through traditional or even discreet means. His mother Agrippina's marriage to Emperor Claudius, followed by Nero's appointment as his heir, leaves no doubt about the Empress's political maneuvers.

Nero and Claudius (1)

He was not yet Emperor, but he was in love… His intense involvement with an enslaved Greek woman disrupted Agrippina's entire plan, since to secure Nero's position, a marriage arrangement with Octavia, Claudius's legitimate daughter, was made against Nero's wishes—and he made no effort to hide his contempt for the union.

Octavia

After Claudius's death (murder), Nero had the imperial throne but still lacked autonomy. Risking the people's hostility over Octavia, Nero married the enslaved woman to a man he himself promoted, to silence rumors about them. Agrippina, seeing her son “spreading his wings,” found an interesting ally in a potential threat to Nero's power: Britannicus, Claudius's youngest son and none other than the legitimate heir to Rome's throne.

Britannicus

True to Nero's style, the peak of this tension between an Emperor appointed by questionable means and the legitimate heir would naturally unfold in a public display. During a competition for the title “king of Saturnalia,” Nero decided he and Britannicus would be the candidates. Attempting to humiliate him and end the people's affection for him, he invited Britannicus to sing before everyone—never expecting him to give a magnificent performance and win Rome's undivided attention.

Saturnalia

With signs of involvement in Britannicus's sudden death afterward, falsely accusing Octavia of adultery so he could divorce her, and becoming entangled with a figure as manipulative and shrewd as his mother… Poppaea is the name of this new—and worse?—phase of Nero.

Poppaea

And if you thought that was a lot, wait for the next episodes… After all, Rome was not built in a day, but it burned for six.

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