Asses the views of Tacitus and Suetonius on the reign of Claudius

        Tacitus view on Claudius’ reign is hard to conclude on as the accession and early years of the reign of Claudius have been lost. It is clear that he disliked Claudius and believed that he was used and manipulated by his freedmen and wives.

        In the case of Claudius’ reign, both sources are untied in portraying Claudius as a dupe to his imperial freedmen advisors as well as to his wives. It is possible that the hostile stance of the elite towards Claudius extended back into his reign; he was, after all, a usurper who had been foisted on the aristocrats by the solders. If so, Claudius’ reliance on his freedmen, may have stemmed form this circumstance, in that the ex-slaves were (as far as he was concerned) more trustworthy that the sullen aristocracy. For whatever reasons there is no doubt that Claudius reign is the first era of the great imperial freedmen. The rise of powerful individuals like Narcissus, Polybius and Pallas were a distinctive mark of Claudius’ reign. The powers of these men were demonstrated early on when the emperor chose Narcissus as his envoy to the legions as they hesitated to embark on their invasion of Britain. According to the sources, the freedmen were frequently to exert less beneficent influences throughout Claudius’ reign.

        The sources hatred for Claudius and his reign may have been from his disability. Suetonius writes on how “he limped, he drooled, he stuttered and was constantly ill” (Suetonius Claudius 2. 1-2). It is believed today that Claudius suffered from congenital cerebral palsy involving spasticity. Suetonius and Tacitus thought that Claudius wasn’t fit to be emperor and rule to empire because of his disabilities. They may have thought these disabilities as reflective of mental infirmity like Claudius’ family did.

        Suetonius presents Claudius as a timid coward who was paranoid of conspiracies against him. “But these were nothing for which he was so notorious as timidity and suspicion”. Suetonius tells of Claudius’ ‘shameful and cowardly fight to the camp, doing nothing all the way but ask whether his throne was secure.