How Nero Became Emperor
Nero rewarded the soldiers with a gift, and to each citizen he gave
four hundred sesterces (Roman money). Nero also was very clever in getting
on the good side of the Senate from the very beginning. His first manipulation
was by modestly taking control of "only" the army and ignoring
the other powers he was offered. In his early years, Nero displayed many
good virtues, only one of which was modesty (not accepting the offering
of gold and silver statues). At the same time, because he was a young boy,
he allowed Agrippina to run much of the Empire, and allowed her face to
be carved next to his on the imperial coins. Seneca and Burrus were appalled
at the fact that a woman was running the empire so they got the favor of
Nero on their side and were able to run the empire themselves. Because
of this, Agrippina became mad and claimed that Britannicus (the natural-born
son of Claudius) was the real heir to the throne and she threatened to
unmake Nero. Then Nero had Britannicus poisoned. In a desperate final effort
to ruin Nero, Agrippina ruined herself by writing her memoirs and disclosing
all of the terrible things that she had done. With Agrippina gone, however,
the Empire prospered. Nero was not ruined by his mother's acts. He would
be responsible for ruining himself.