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amounted to the final proof that Claudius was not fit for public office. He was pushed firmly into the background. When Augustus died, his successor Tiberius was also unwilling to let Claudius anywhere near public office. Claudius was the family liability.
    In spite of his family’s contempt, from very early on the general public respected Claudius. When his house burned down, the senate asked for it to be rebuilt at the public expense. They also requested that Claudius be allowed to debate in the senate. Tiberius denied both requests. After the death of Tiberius’ son, Drusus, Claudius was proposed as a potential heir, but this was a highly dangerous proposal for Claudius – the reign of terror of the Praetorian Sejanus was at its peak – and Claudius declined this high-risk promotion. The next emperor, Caligula, relentlessly teased his uncle Claudius, played practical jokes on him and humiliated him in front of the senate. Claudius suffered severe weight loss due to stress during Caligula’s reign.
    In the turbulent wake of Caligula’s assassination, Claudius emerged as the successor. Whether Claudius engineered this, or was simply the victim of circumstances, as contemporary historians describe, is impossible to tell. Josephus, a contemporary historian, claimed that Herod Agrippa, the king of Judaea, advised Claudius through this period. The senate expected to nominate one of themselves as the new emperor, but eventually accepted the Praetorian Guards’ choice, Claudius; in return, Claudius pardoned nearly all the assassins. To ensure the continuing support of the Praetorians, he made them gifts of money.
    Under Claudius, the empire underwent its first major expansion since the reign of Augustus. The most important conquest was the conquest of Britain. In 43, Claudius sent Aulus Plautius with four legions to Britain after an appeal from an ousted tribal ally. Britain was an attractive target for Rome because of its material wealth – particularly mines and slaves. It was also a safe haven for Gallic rebels. Claudius himself travelled to the island after the initial invasion, bringing reinforcements. The senate granted him a triumph for his efforts. When the British leader, Caratacus, was finally captured in 50, Claudius treated him well, letting him live out his days on land provided by Rome, an unusual end for an enemy commander.
    Claudius personally judged many of the legal cases tried during his reign. He settled disputes and embarked on many public works, both in the capital and in the provinces, including roads and canals. The port at Ostia was part of Claudius’s solution to the continual winter grain shortages. He set about developing the senate into a more efficient, representative body, urged senators to debate the bills that he introduced. He also created new patrician families.
    In spite of this, many senators remained hostile to Claudius and they were behind many of the conspiracies to assassinate him. Appius Silanus was executed early in Claudius’s reign under questionable circumstances. Then a large rebellion supported by several senators was launched by the senator Vinicianus and Scribonianus, the governor of Dalmatia. Many other senators took part in various conspiracies and were condemned. Claudius’s son-in-law, Pompeius Magnus, was executed for his part in a conspiracy. In 46, Asinius Gallus was exiled for plotting with several of Claudius’s own freedmen. Valerius Asiaticus was executed without public trial for unstated reasons. In a speech over a year later Claudius singled out Asiaticus for special condemnation, suggesting that the charge must have been much more serious. Asiaticus is known to have been a claimant to the throne in the chaos following Caligula’s death, so he may well have gone on nursing hopes of becoming emperor.
    As many as 35 senators were executed for offences during Claudius’ reign. Claudius had to respond decisively to conspiracy against him, but the response must