Editing Britannicus (section)

==Death of Claudius==
{{Coin image box 1 double
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| image = Image:Claudius-Britannicus.jpg
| caption_left = '''[[Obverse and reverse|O:]]''' head of [[Claudius]]
[[Tiberius (praenomen)|TI]] [[Claudius|KΛAYΔIOC]] [[Caesar (title)|KAICAP]] [[Sebastos|CΕΒACTOC]]
| caption_right = '''[[Obverse and reverse|R:]]''' bust of Britannicus
BPETANNIKOC [[Thessalonica|ΘECCAΛONI]]
| width = 320
| footer = [[bronze]] [[coin]] struck in [[Thessalonica]] 53 - 54 AD; ref.: RPC 1588
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}}Historian [[Suetonius]] reports that Claudius wished Rome to have a "real Caesar", and Britannicus enjoyed support from Claudius' loyal and influential freedman Narcissus. There are possible signs of support for Britannicus seen on coins from Moesia and North Africa that placed Britannicus' head and title on the obverse side.<ref name=Shotter10>{{harvnb|Shotter|1997|p=10}}</ref> Claudius became aware of his wife's actions and began preparing for the end of her power. His father wished to bestow upon him the toga and to declare Britannicus as his heir. According to Suetonius, when Claudius mentioned his intention to give Britannicus the toga of manhood, he said, "That the Roman people may at last have a genuine Caesar."<ref name=Suetonius43/><ref name=Dio34>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'', [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/61*.html#34 LX.34]</ref><ref name=TacitusEnd>Tacitus, ''The Annales'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#65|XII.65]]–[[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#69|69]]</ref>

The actions that Claudius took to preserve his rule in the short term were not easily undone as Britannicus approached manhood. In late 54, Britannicus was within six months of reaching manhood by Roman tradition and had matured early. According to Suetonius, Claudius began to mention divorcing Agrippina and dismissing Nero now that he was no longer needed. Suetonius reports that Claudius now admonished his son to grow up quickly, which implied that everything would be righted when he assumed the [[toga virilis]].<ref name=Suetonius43>Suetonius, Life of Claudius, [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/e/roman/texts/suetonius/12caesars/claudius*.html#43 43] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120630034237/http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Claudius*.html |date=30 June 2012 }}</ref>

On 13 October 54, Claudius died by natural causes or poison. In the accounts of his death by poison, Agrippina, aware of Claudius' intentions of placing Britannicus on the throne, had a well-known poisoner, Locusta, infuse mushrooms with poison that were fed to the emperor.<ref name=Dio34/><ref name=TacitusEnd/><ref name=Shotter10/>

There were those who preferred Britannicus over Nero, such as Claudius' freedman Narcissus.<ref>Tacitus, ''The Annales'', [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 12#65|XII.65]]</ref> Unfortunately for his cause, Narcissus was away in [[Campania]] when the emperor was poisoned, and Britannicus and his sisters, Octavia and Antonia, were kept out of sight in their rooms by Agrippina.<ref name=Dio34/> Consequently, none could challenge Nero's succession. If one thought that Britannicus' claim should take precedence, the response was that Nero too was the son of Claudius, with Agrippina linking him back to Augustus.<ref>{{harvnb|Osgood|2011|p=247}}</ref> It did not help that many were convinced that Britannicus was no longer in the line of succession, a direct effect of the propaganda against him by Agrippina.<ref name=Dio33/> Nero spoke the eulogy at the emperor's funeral and took sole power. Claudius' new will, which either granted joint rule to Britannicus and Nero or sole rule Britannicus, was suppressed by the new emperor's men in the Senate.<ref group=note>Barrett argues that Tacitus' reference to the will being suppressed to prevent outrage about Nero meant that the will did not name Nero as primary or sole heir. Therefore, the Senate's elevation of Nero would have caused outrage if the will had been read {{harv|Barrett|1996|p=174}}.</ref>