Initially Nero was seen as a capable emperor due to the fact that he had many strict advisors who influenced his decisions and he started making progress in the restoration of the empire after Caligula left it in a state of disorganization. While he was politically decent he was hated by many as he had ordered the killings of his friends and foes alike, whether it be through acts of intentional poisoning or work related accidents. However, when his closest adviser, Burrus, died he had no one to direct him in maintaining the empire and see that the people's needs be taken care of and that is when things really got out of hand. Neglecting the people’s needs and only trying to fulfill his own desires, Nero decided to set fire to Rome, without the citizens knowledge, because he wanted to design the square differently. While the fire was ravaging throughout Rome it has been rumored that Nero sat in his palace and oversaw the destruction of his city while playing a lyre. This story about him singing and playing the lyre circulated widely, and whether it was accurate or not many people became angry at this fact. As the relief efforts to rebuild the city drew nearer it became obvious that a giant, ornate new palace was a key part of the new civic plan, resulting in the citizens gaining resentment throughout the city. It later began to be suggested by the people themselves that Nero himself had the fire started to make room for his new palace and the 100 foot high statue of himself that was to be its centerpiece. Yet no action was taken against the emperor and then things progressively got worse. Barbarian uprisings led by Boudica started to threaten the empire's existence, and instead of organizing his armies to mount a defence, Nero cowered away from reality and planned to sail away to a different island. Luckily Rome was able to defend itself, although at a cost, despite Nero's absence due to the bravery and military expertise of several generals. When word of Nero's cowardice spread, Nero was hated by all as everyone had felt that he betrayed Rome and its people.
Eventually, the problems Nero faced had piled up. He had killed his first wife, mother and, and quite possibly his second wife. Additionally, the rebuilding of Rome, not to mention the construction of his new palace was putting a financial strain on the now weakened empire. This then forced him to raise taxes wherever he could and even take religious treasures away from adherents throughout the city. At this point, after all of his crimes and mischievous acts, conspiracies about Nero's assassination arose. Nero had no one left to hide behind and one night in his palace he woke up and found it completely deserted. His guards, friends, and advisors all deserted him as they believed his end was near and supported his death and also refused to serve under someone as vile and radical as him. Fearing the worst, Nero took off to an old friend's villa, four miles away from his palace, planning on committing suicide there. However what Nero did not know was that, while people longed his death, it had been motioned that Nero should live because he was the last living member of a family with royal blood, so due to this it was decided that he be allowed to live. The plan was to take him back to Rome where he would rule with the help of many advisers who would manage him closely. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on what opinion you have, Nero proceeded to kill himself muttering his last words of, “ Qualis artifex pereo,” meaning what an artist dies with me. This can be interpreted as Nero reflecting on all the ways he fooled people and deceived the Roman people. Whether it be through his secretive killings, his plans of betrayal, or obtaining his needs through false promotion, Nero was a master of artifice.
NERO
Reflecting on his overall ruling, Nero himself almost singlehandedly took down the Roman empire. He set fire to Rome which left the empire in massive debt due to its incomplete reconstruction. Also, because he mounted little resistance to the wars with the barbarians the empire almost fell completely because he ordered no resistence,and large portions of the empire were destroyed. Finally his deceptive behavior led to an unhappy society which then contributed to citizens refusing to work under the emperor. His decisions left Rome in a state that was impossible to recover from as the empire was suffering from severe debt, had an unhappy population, and was left with a terribly weak infrastructure.
