Nero (ad 37-68), fifth emperor of Rome (54-68) and the last of the Julio-Claudian line.

Born Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus on December 15, 37, at Antium and originally named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, Nero was the son of the consul Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger, great-granddaughter of Emperor Augustus. In 49 Agrippina married her uncle, Emperor Claudius I, and the following year persuaded him to adopt her son, whose name was then changed. Later, Claudius married Nero to his daughter Octavia and marked him out for succession, bypassing his own son, Britannicus. Following the death of Claudius (54), the Praetorian Guards, under their prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus, Agrippina's agent, declared Nero emperor at the age of 17.

Under the guidance of Burrus and the philosopher Seneca, Nero's tutor, the first five years of Nero's reign were marked by moderation and clemency, although Nero had his rival Britannicus poisoned. In 59 he had his mother murdered for her criticism of his mistress, Poppaea Sabina. In 62 he divorced (and later executed) Octavia and married Poppaea. Burrus died, possibly poisoned, and Seneca retired.

In July 64, two-thirds of Rome burned while Nero was at Antium. In ancient times he was thought to have been responsible, but most modern scholars doubt the truth of that accusation. According to some accounts (now considered spurious), he laid the blame on the Christians and was the first emperor to persecute them. He sheltered the homeless, however, and rebuilt the city taking measures against fire. His building programmes, like the spectacles and free grain he provided for the populace, were financed by plundering Italy and the provinces. He regarded himself as an artist and a religious visionary, scandalizing the army and aristocracy when he appeared publicly as an actor in religious dramas.

Meanwhile, the empire was in turmoil. Nero established Armenia as a buffer state against Parthia, but only after a costly, unsuccessful war. Revolts broke out in Britain (60-61) and in Judaea (66-70). In 65 Gaius Calpurnius Piso led a conspiracy against the emperor; 18 of the 41 prominent Romans implicated in the plot perished, among them Seneca and his nephew, the epic poet Lucan. Poppaea died as a result of Nero's violence towards her, and he married Statilia Messalina after executing her husband. In 68 the Gallic and Spanish legions, together with the Praetorian Guards, rebelled against Nero, forcing him to flee Rome. Declared a public enemy by the Senate, he committed suicide on June 9, 68.