9th June 68: Emperor Nero commits suicide

Nero, the last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, committed suicide. Nero was Augustus’ great-great grandson and was adopted by his great-uncle, Claudius, after he married his mother Agrippina the Younger. Following Claudius’ death in 54 CE, the sixteen year old Nero became emperor with the support of the Praetorian Guard whose leaders were loyal to his mother. There are few surviving sources relating to Nero’s reign, with the majority of what we know being drawn from Tacitus, Sueto...