Nero - Rome's Cruellest Emperor? | Biographical Documentary

[@TuckerSP2011]

I find stories of Ancient Rome so difficult to stomach. The things they did for entertainment are enough to give me nightmares. But I appreciate the effort that you put into your presentations so much including showing the names of the artists whose work you are displaying as you tell the story.

[@clivebaxter6354]

You know the saying when in Rome............

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I totally agree. I try to moderate the language as much as possible as KZbin is sensitive abouts words of violence, but there is just no getting around how horrific life in Ancient Rome could be,

[@StuartAnderson-xl4bo]

Shaddapp you lil 🐈

[@StuartAnderson-xl4bo]

​@professorgraemeyorjston do you think life in Britian or Germany or Carthage etc was any easier lol it was tough times

[@kdallas636]

@@TuckerSP2011 ancient Rome is no different with the Inquisition. The Roman catholics torture of anyone who disagreed using religion as a shield and facade. There is NO BOUNDARIES for human cruelty and sadism.

[@irinaiaco]

I am so glad to find this new episode! Thank you for yet another journey, professor Yorston!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@indigocheetah4172]

Thank you, for another excellent program, Professor Graeme Yorston, and Tom Yorston.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Our pleasure! And thank you for acknowledging my son Tom, without whom the channel would never have got off the ground.

[@indigocheetah4172]

@@professorgraemeyorston, you have every right to be proud of your son. As the editing, research, sound, and narration are what makes your channel so professional. Thank you, Tom.

[@randalllake2785]

Thank you so much for crediting the artists who created the paintings.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

With so much AI nowadays, I wanted to show that Ancient Rome has fascinated artists for centuries.

[@ShaneMcGrath.]

I'd like to see you do a series on Rome's five good Emperor's, Particularly Marcus Aurelius and go not just into his upbringing but also his Stoic thinking and beliefs.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, I'm planning one on Marcus Aurelius, who were the others you were thinking of.

[@AlyxCoe]

I have "I, Claudius" at home, such a great series. ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Revolutionary for the time!

[@AlyxCoe]

@@professorgraemeyorston absolutely. I love to imagine the public reaction to the very first scene.

[@skontheroad]

Yes! I very much enjoyed Domina as well!

[@AlyxCoe]

@@skontheroad I'll have to check it out

[@Antihamyt]

Another great video, might I suggest Ivan the Terrible for a future video?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, Ivan is definitely on the list.

[@WeRNthisToGetHer]

With a mother like that, its no wonder he turned against her. She created her own monster.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That is certainly how it is portrayed.

[@hayekfriedman9078]

This is a great channel. Informative, restrained and data and evidence-based.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you like them!

[@collettefoote3229]

Doctor, what a gift you have for storytelling! I’m so glad you discovered this gift before you spent your life just being a boring psychiatrist. I worked in psychiatry for most of my nursing life. I’m so glad I discovered your channel!! ❤❤❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@clivebaxter6354]

Visited the impressive Domus Aurea last year, his Golden House near the Colosseum. Unfortunately the 'English' of the guide was so poor nobody could understand her, there is however a rather good 3d reality film via headsets. There was a lot of info on the cult of isis and Neros involvement in it, but lost in translation. The surviving ruins are on the Esquiline hill.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It was closed for many years, but now it is open again, it looks fascinating.

[@simonward-horner7605]

Excellent, thank you. Do you plan to cover Marcus Aurelius? And Sulla?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

As long as I can find a mental health angle to comment on.

[@Leslie12.66]

I was interested to hear how jealous and manipulative the women were around the rulers. Nero and Caligula both did horrifying things according to historians. I wouldn't want to go back in time to see the truth.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Maybe if you went to the edges of the empire in Britannia or Hispania, it would be a bit safer.!

[@allisonhogg5131]

Thanks again. I always love your videos.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you like them!

[@jamellfoster6029]

He was Caligula's nephew. Nuff said. Possibly Caligula's illegitimate son as Caligula slept with his sisters.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Quite possible!

[@matthewpivarnik6358]

Wow, it's like I got to sit in on my favorite history lectures again. Thank you for the great work!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@janii4]

I still own my high school Ancient History textbook (vintage in itself) and will read to see how much of the juicy stuff they left out.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Most of it probably, or heavily euphemised to phrases like "the vice of the Greeks"

[@ornellagigli8472]

As usual, a really interesting video. Thank you very much. I only have a question: I'm very interested in your quote from Svetonius about mockeries Christians were subjected to. I study Wilfred Owen's poetry and think there's a reference to this quote in one of his most famous poems. Only I think the quote is from Tacitus's Annales: Annales, XV, 44, 4: Et pereuntibas additas ludibria. Can you help me? Thank you very very much.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, I may have got my historian's mixed up - Suetonius only says "Punishment was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition."

[@carlharmeling512]

The reason the Romans eventually embraced Christianity is that they needed it.

[@thatguythatwascalledpainse1533]

That was the worst decision that Rome ever did.

[@KD400_]

​@@thatguythatwascalledpainse1533absolutely not

[@jasonlee8156]

@@KD400_ Well Christianity sure didn't stop the empire from declining. Which it did shortly after Constantine ruled.

[@rathertiredofthemess2841]

Bahahahahahahahah! Thanks for that laugh.

[@thatguythatwascalledpainse1533]

@@jasonlee8156 and that was the plan off the christian.

[@analauraaznar1552]

Oh! What a great documentary.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for that!

[@lilykatmoon4508]

Classicists think ancient history rises and sets with Ancient Rome. They had many accomplishments in engineering and law, but I think there’s just a bias. For every marvel they created, they also committed atrocities. Regardless if it’s at all true about Nero, there’s bound to be enough that’s horrible. Loved the video. It’s best to acknowledge the truth that we’ll never know the full story.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree, more recent empires have praised Rome as a justification for their own actions.

[@paulscottfilms]

As usual great stuff from the Prof. Every one fascinating, and well analysed.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@danieladeutsch1708]

Thank you so much, dear Professor, Yorston. I´ve been always fascinated by ancient Rome. My favorite subject at Law school was, and still is the Roman Law.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It's interesting how such a well developed legal system could be put aside on the whom of an emperor.

[@CSchaeken]

Thanks Prof. Yorston! Could you do Salvador Dali?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, great suggestion.

[@donaldaxel]

In his video biography, Professor Graeme Yorston outlines how Emperor Nero maintained popularity by organizing games, shows, and distributing money and food to the citizens of Rome. However, the video does not explore how Nero addressed the complex needs of the city itself. This analysis could have delved into the mechanisms beyond the traditional portrayal of an emperor, highlighting the network of trusted administrators, which is often overlooked in discussions about imperial power. For a more comprehensive picture of Emperor Nero, Professor Yorston's analysis could benefit from added psychiatric insights into love, disdain, lost love, unrequited infatuation, and the dynamics of lust and power that influence an emperor's behavior. Even among those deemed "evil," love remains a potent force that drives their narratives. The video demonstrates sufficient scholarship to question the extreme stories about Nero, which may very well be historical denigrations by successors of the imperial family. Despite its focus on Nero's infamy, the presentation successfully provides substantial information about his reign.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@jonathaneffemey944]

thanks for posting

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@OzzieJayne]

Thank you for another great video 👍

[@professorgraemeyorston]

My pleasure!

[@heather173]

Amazing canary singing in the background...also excellent video.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@heather173]

@@professorgraemeyorston I've been watching your videos and the canaries I hear- wow. I have Waterslagers.

[@Krullmatic]

You Rock, Prof. Yorston!!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you!

[@sheryldalton8965]

Thanks for the great video. Short but sweet haha

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you liked it!

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

GREAT JOB PROF LOVE GRAPHICS

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Adrienne.

[@kdallas636]

Great video. How about doing commodus.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks, Commodus is on the list.

[@lesliecarr312]

Nero outclassed Caligula to no small degree. He was just plain sick.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I think they were all so depraved it is hard to rank them!

[@MartiWilliams-r2z]

Very interesting! Informative, thought-provoking, knowing I would survive about 5 minutes at most if I were to be thrown down into the middle of Nero's Rome. Love the visuals. Thank you!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@DonaLeopoldina-dr4so]

Thank you for another wonderful video. Would it be possible to make one about Queen Elizabeth of Portugal?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

She certainly sounds a bit different from the average Roman emperor!

[@DBEdwards]

Very excellent Nero documentary. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Many thanks!

[@kimwarfield1587]

It's the same story over and over with different names as Emporer. These people never learned from their own history. So they just kept repeating it until their civilization crashed.

[@melbjohn]

Very interesting However the Julio-Claudian Dynasty is so well examined as to ignore the others that followed If we are talking of bad Roman Emperors then please examine: Commodus, Caracalla, and my favourite Elagabalus

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, I will get around to the others!

[@sammoore8445]

Good stuff man 😊

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for the visit

[@MoonBernie]

When I was in primary school in the 1970s. In history lessons learned about the Romans. They were portrayed as the great liberators. Would they have freed us from the poor caveman existence? When I later started reading more and more about the Romans, it soon became clear that it was just the opposite. And I'll keep it short. But in fact the Romans in Europe and North Africa committed the most terrible atrocities in history. Entire population groups were simply exterminated in horrible and cowardly ways. And yes indeed. You are right Nero was as depraved and evil as all those who came before him and those who came after them. Even after the fall of the Roman Empire, that trend continued through the Byzantine Empire who considered themselves inhabitants of the Roman Empire. And thus, by controlling Christianity, Europe and North Africa were indirectly oppressed for centuries more. And I suspect that this is also why we were in the 1970s. Children in a Catholic school were indoctrinated that the Romans were the great liberators.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Very true. All of the modern Western Imperial powers justified their conquests by likening themselves to the civilising Romans.

[@Tintin17Nick-wq4hf]

The the fool system for you,the government's always have covered up their wickedness just like it is today just behind closed doors but just as vile!! Babylon!

[@j.c.ca.o.l7035]

Very good work as always.

[@madelinedelisle5314]

REALLY LIKE ANCIENT HISTORY AND ALL HISTORY TOO. HOPE THERE IS MORE!

[@elliepascoe5954]

Now that you coin the term "fake news", one can't help but notice other similarities...in terms of ruthlessness at least.I would not put it past Nero to start a fire to clear space for a new palace! Excellent post as always.Enjoyed it!🇳🇱

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It seems believable if all of the other stories are true.

[@elliepascoe5954]

Probably many of them are true. Imagine having that kind of absolute power and such a depraved family. Lethal combo.

[@danae2882]

Thank you professor for another great travesy to ancient Rome

[@livinglife4835]

Amazing telling, thank you ❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@carriepearcey2597]

I love history and therefor love these episodes. They are very fascinating. I'm stuying psychology and often wonder what they might or may not have suffered from some personality disorder.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Carrie, glad you're enjoying them - you might want to check out my latest one on Julius Caesar.

[@carriepearcey2597]

@@professorgraemeyorston thanks, will do

[@Georgy708]

NOBODY KNOWS THE TRUTH. NOBODY. PERIOD.

[@deanadams3099]

Those shelves are beautifully laid out.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

It is my new study - more will gradually be revealed!

[@MylesNewman-cc1tx]

“Other emperors marched. Nero pranced.” from ‘A Jew among Romans.’

[@professorgraemeyorston]

This is a book I'd like to read.

[@roysheaks1261]

The great fire minds me of the motivations behind the fires in Lahaina, HI.

[@carlylewis7088]

A look at emperor claudius would be welcome

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks, I'm planning one on Claudius - he's always considered one of the good ones - but he had his faults too.

[@SueMarsh-tb3no]

Why would be like Caligula knowing what happened to him don’t make sense to me unless he felt immortal . Never the less I believe got what he deserved was cruel power hungry greedy man thanks for sharing much appreciated 😊

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was only four when Caligula got his come-uppance so he may just have remembered him as a funcle!

[@grapeshot]

Form my research Nero wasn't all that different from most Roman emperors they all had depraved behavior. I just watched a good KZbin video about Nero sponsoring an expedition to find the source of the Nile River.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

The very point I make at the end of the video!

[@elagabalusrex390]

Yep, even when we're talking about the supposedly "good" emperors like Augustus, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, and Marcus Aurelius - it's important to keep in mind that goodness is relative. All of them were vicious autocratic killers. Some were just less ostentatious than others about it.

[@LaurieValdez-zk3dy]

They knew how to build things but their behavior seems very sketchy some things never change I guess or something

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Good builders, but not very nice to those doing the building!

[@elagabalusrex390]

He was up there, for sure. It takes a special kind of creep to kill your own mother. But Nero's viciousness and cruelty were at least confined to Rome and Italy. My vote for the cruelest of all Roman emperors in terms of the aggregate of suffering inflicted goes to a later emperor: Caracalla. This dude killed his brother and co-emperor in front of his mother. He then proceeded to spend six years touring the provinces and doing everything he could to terrorize as many of his subjects as possible. That he lasted less than half the time that Nero did on the throne gives you some idea of how bad and cruel he was.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks, I'll look into him.

[@dominiquecharriere1285]

Very good video, very interesting, very historic (as far as we know), youve worked your documents well! If the man was so mad as using human beings as night torches (Joan of Arc's seems little compared to that), he was a monster but I guess everybody around found it was a fun and delightful idea, so I 100% agree with your last sentence: he was probably a man of his (mad) times...

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Merci bien.

[@BqgWyy]

Do u have one about vitellius? The dude who did banquets all day every, binge and purge

[@ExploreGamesAndMore]

A shame you put so many ads in this.

[@DBEdwards]

Nero's last words. "Qualis artifex pereo" (Suetonius, Nero 49.1)

[@guitarofdestiny]

I love this but the ads every 5 minutes make me not so happy

[@professorgraemeyorston]

You could always try KZbin premium.

[@ANRO7524]

Nero killed his mother= Nero was evil. No more needs to be mentioned. 👎

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That was just one example of his misdeeds.

[@jasonlee8156]

But his mother was probably evil and manipulative. The account I read was she just used and manipulated her son to wield power behind the throne.

[@johnarmstrong3140]

Hubris leads to the end of every empire . It’s reassuring.

[@alexandros8361]

Pretty spot on, to my knowledge. Well done! It's worth mentioning that Titus, son of Vespasian, had a lot of his early education with Brittanicus. Courtesy of Claudius and Messalina. Titus was great friends with Brittanicus and really enjoyed his sense of humour. Titus was however, incredibly upset with the poisoning of Brittanicus, even then deliberately taking some of the poison himself. For which he, himself, was ill, for quite some time. I think you'll find the histories in the times of Vespasian and Titus to be fair, as they tried to be good and considerate emperors. (Though the zealot jews may not agree). Can't say the same for the younger brother, that arsehole, Domitian. Among his crimes, being the murder of his brother, Titus, so that he could become emperor. Regards.

[@FieldMarshalRommel23]

I honestly believe if I was an absolute autocrat it wouldn’t corrupt me. I’d do everything in my power to ensure a system of governance that established security, prosperity and mutual co existence while fostering a strong sense of obligation to the betterment of the country. Marcus Aurelius is a good example of a beneficent autocrat.

[@jancythomas655]

History tells Nero is very cruel emperor. We hate him.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

We don't really know anything about his actions for certain - better to try to understand than hate.

[@patrickhenry2845]

What about Caligula?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Yes, Caligula wasn't exactly overflowing with the milk of human kindness!

[@AlbertJohn-n9j]

Nero great king But Unfortunately mis understanding people's his kingdom emperor he died not by good way in terrible Thank 🙏💞❤️ for this story

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks for watching.

[@singularseeker]

Can you do Michael Corleone..

[@DBEdwards]

Cruel perhaps. But Paganini on the fiddle.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I'm not sure if he was any good or not - everyone had to cheer or they would end up getting thrown to the lions.

[@gmelniagara5808]

Power does not corrupt It reveals The corruption was always there

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Interesting - I agree that the emperors were simply part of a system and the whole system was rotten.

[@sarahwarr765]

Both of Caligula's sisters died of stomach ripped open!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was a dangerous man to be around.

[@rof8200]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Very true.

[@christinepaige2575]

Dear Professor Yorston, thank you for your fascinating videos. I have a request: would you do a video about Virginia Woolf, please, if possible? Best wishes and every success to you.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you, VW is on the to-do list!

[@lorihenderson673]

Do visit wroxetor in england

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I have , it's a fantastic site!

[@makeupboss3568]

It’s interesting to watch these . I personally believe Nero should be second to Caligula, because they both did some rather awful things for entertainment.

[@marijodennison5906]

This is why we don’t want total immunity for our leaders here in the US. There has to be accountability and no one is above the law. Praying that Trump/Nero goes away. Thanks for the in-depth of Nero. Fascinating.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I agree all leaders should be accountable.

[@jasonlee8156]

@@professorgraemeyorston Unlike in Roman times some of today's dictators may end up facing trials as war criminals. That would have been a far out radical unheard of idea, back in ancient times.

[@kennyshortcake999]

Nero was a lovely lad who got involved with the wrong crowd 😮

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I'm sure you're right!

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

DO NOT KNOW HOW YOU KEEP TRACK OF ALL

[@hippopotamus6765]

The Christians really dumped a lot of ficticious stuff on Nero, he was their scapegoat.

[@rick5793]

Be very careful where you walk, if you fall down those steps it's a long way to the bottom.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

The non-Christian historians writing a few years after his death also painted him in a bad light.

[@hippopotamus6765]

@@professorgraemeyorston who in particular?

[@jasonlee8156]

Your right about that. The worse myth mentions him fiddling while Rome was burning. No evidence to back that one up. Another myth was that he started the great fire of Rome in 64 AD, in order to make room for one of his grand building projects. Also that he used Christains as human torches to light up his banquet parties. That I'm pretty sure was an absolute myth.

[@jasonlee8156]

@@hippopotamus6765 One of those biographers would have been Suetonius. He painted Caligula and Tiberius in a bad light too. Also most modern historians regard his accounts as mere sensationalism or slander. With no real truth behind them.

[@fieracarmen4713]

Cred că Agrippina minor a fost mai scelerată și mai crudă chiar decât fiul ei Nero!

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Da, poate ai dreptate.

[@AlbertJohn-n9j]

My best story Julius Caesar a great king in Roman emperor❤ out of four kings number one Julius Caesar I love you story ❤️ fort for peoples aunty fight for the emper thank you best question who is the best king Julius Caesar❤

[@professorgraemeyorston]

You might want to check out my video on Julius Caesar.

[@staissitrading6675]

The next greatest villain in history: Netanyahu.

[@Repto-fb9wn]

Hey professor i need information about Alexander , George Soros , Einstein, Thomas Edison

[@Repto-fb9wn]

❤ by the way how would you do this in depth research please make video

[@professorgraemeyorston]

I'll add them to the to-do list!

[@peppylady6426]

We're they any so called normal Roman rulers?

[@theeniwetoksymphonyorchest7580]

They should have reviewed the person specification and job description sooner. Take out the “homicidal maniac” essential requirement, maybe?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

This is the very question I have been asking myself, even Claudius and Marcus Aurelius who are considered some of the better ones, had people killed.

[@professorgraemeyorston]

That would make interesting reading - the JD and PS for an emperor/empress - it would have have to be non-discriminatory of course!

[@jasonlee8156]

@@professorgraemeyorston Probably hard to avoid when your an emperor. A Roman emperor was pretty much a dictator in modern terms. The only degree of difference among them is the number of people they managed to kill.

[@arriannabarrett8395]

He wasn't a psychopath, he was possessed by the devil.

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

AGRIPPA THAT BUNCH GETS CONFUSING

[@antonyosborne5261]

Good old starmerius Oops I mean Nero!!!!

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

I ENJOY PROF

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thanks Adrienne

[@stevejessemey8428]

Feed the poor and you will be loved, take from the rich and you'll be hated 😊.

[@abadijoseph1632]

Nero, the Antichrist

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

GREAT LATIN LANGUAGE

[@professorgraemeyorston]

Thank you.

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

TY PROF MY LATIN IS WEAK

[@ankhpom9296]

When did Nero have time to govern?

[@professorgraemeyorston]

He was fine when he left it all to Seneca, it was when he started making decisions that it all went wrong.

[@chicagogyrl4846]

He was not handsome, that’s for sure!

[@Davenport4230]

That's putting it nicely

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

THE MARBLE STATUE THE BIRTH

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

ENJOY ROME BUT WEAK INTERNET PROF I MUST BE 21 OR OLDER

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

GOUGE EYE TY

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

PONZA ITALY 🇮🇹 🇮🇹

[@RobertTaylor-sw7wj]

Surely SATAN STARMER is worse than him!

[@AdrienneReneau-ky4sc]

THOSE 3 SISTERS