Misformed monster or masterful magnate? Emperors of Rome
Misformed monster or masterful magnate? Emperors of Rome Part 3: Claudius (Part A) Famous for being found hiding behind a curtain and declared accidental emperor by the praetorians, there is much more to Claudius than meets the eye (more than a single post- so there will be three) Born in 10BC, the child of Antonia Minor and Nero Claudius Drusus, Claudius' grandparents included Mark Antony, Octavia (sister of Augustus) and Livia, wife of Augustus. With such regal bloodlines, one might have expected big things of Claudius, and yet, in his early years, he was hidden from public view, out of sight and out of mind. Nothing was expected of Claudius and yet he would come to outshine all his siblings. Sadly Claudius, the third child of illustrious parents, had been born with a disabling illness. According to sources (Suetonius, Seneca and Dio Cassius), Claudius had a ‘tottering gait’ a shaky head and hands, his right foot dragged and his legs would collapse from under him. To make it wo