Editing Britannicus (section)

===Rise of Nero===
[[File:Young_Nero_Palatino_Inv616.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Bust of the young Nero]]
In 49, during the term of consul-elect Mammius Pollio (March–June), Domitius was betrothed to his sister Octavia and thus became his equal in rank. Tacitus suggests that move had the support of those who feared the vengeance of Britannicus against those who wronged his mother.<ref>Tacitus, ''The Annales'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#9|XII.9]]</ref><ref name=Shotter9>{{harvnb|Shotter|1997|p=9}}</ref>

By the insistence of Pallas, his father was convinced to adopt Domitius as his son. Claudius was convinced to do as Augustus had done in adopting Gaius and Lucius Caesar and as Tiberius had done in adopting Germanicus although he already had a son. In February 50, his father passed a law adopting Domitius into the ''Claudii'' and naming him Nero, and Domitius became "Nero Claudius Caesar". Nero and Britannicus then became joint heirs to the emperor, and Agrippina was then given the title of ''Augusta''.<ref>Tacitus, ''The Annales'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#25|XII.25]]–[[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#26|26]]</ref><ref name=Shotter9/>

In AD 51, his brother Nero assumed the ''toga virilis'' although he was not yet 14. The Senate also decided then that Nero should hold the consulship during his twentieth year (AD 56) and that as consul-elect, that he should enjoy ''imperium proconsulare'' ("proconsular authority") beyond the limits of Rome with the title of ''princeps iuventutis'' ("prince of the youth of Rome"). The progress of Nero seems to have followed in the footsteps of [[Gaius Caesar|Gaius]] and [[Lucius Caesar]]. To mark the occasion, a [[donative]] was given to the soldiery of Rome, and presents to the people. His stepbrother's status, along with that of Agrippina, is echoed on contemporary coinage.<ref name=Tacitus41>Tacitus, ''The Annales'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#41|XII.41]]</ref><ref name=Shotter9/>

In contrast, Britannicus was progressively isolated. At the games of the circus, Nero appeared in triumphal robes while Britannicus was still dressed as a boy. Tacitus says their clothing at the games affected the expectations of the people: with Nero in a general's clothing and Britannicus in the dress of boyhood. He was not due for the toga until 12 February AD 55. He and his supporters were seen as a potential problem for Nero. Agrippina replaced his tutors with her own nominees and had convinced Claudius to order their executions, including the execution of Sosibius.<ref name=Tacitus41/><ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/61*.html#32 LX.32]</ref> Not only his tutors but also the two prefects of the [[Praetorian Guard]], Lusius Geta and Rufius Crispinus, were replaced. Tacitus reports that they were thought to be sympathetic to the cause of Britannicus and of his mother.<ref name=Osgood333>{{harvnb|Osgood|2011|p=333}}</ref> His stepmother had them replaced with [[Sextus Afranius Burrus]], who was a good soldier but knew to whom he owed his allegiance.<ref>Tacitus, ''The Annales'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#42|XII.42]]</ref><ref name=Shotter9/>

Nero's career progressed steadily, and he gave speeches in AD 51 and 52. The speech in 51 thanked the emperor for honours given to him, and that of 52 was a vow for the safe recovery of the emperor from illness.<ref name=Shotter9/> It was in 53 that Nero married Britannicus' sister Octavia, who first had to be legally transferred to another family to obviate charges of incest.<ref name=Dio33>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/61*.html#33 LX.33]</ref> By then, it became clear that Nero was the unambiguous designate.<ref>{{harvnb|Osgood|2011|p=227}}</ref> His stepbrother became more politically active following his marriage to Octavia. He exempted the people of [[Cestria (Epirus)|Ilium]] from all public burdens by arguing that Rome was descended from [[Troy]] through [[Aeneas]] (the founder of the [[Kings of Alba Longa|Julian line]]), procured funds for the colony of Bononia (now [[Bologna]], Italy), which had been devastated by fire, and the people of [[Rhodes]] had their freedom restored.<ref>Tacitus, ''The Annales'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#58|XII.58]]</ref> Meanwhile, Britannicus himself was kept in reserve in case Nero, who was widely seen as the heir, died.<ref>{{harvnb|Osgood|2011|p=232}}</ref>