"Compare and contrast the reigns of Gaius and Claudius"

This essay will compare and contrast the reigns of Gaius and Claudius, the fourth and fifth julio-claudian emperors of the Roman Empire.

A grandson of Tiberius, Gaius ruled Rome for just over 3 years from 37 AD to 41AD. Son of Tiberius and Uncle to Gaius, Claudius ruled from 41AD to 54 AD. It was often said of the Imperial family that it produced two kinds of fruit, the sweet and the sour. Claudius was unquestionably sweet and Gaius sour. Contrasts begin with how they came to be rulers of the Roman Empire. There are also differences in the way they ruled the Empire; the military campaigns in their reigns and the way they treated the people and the senate.
Gaius and Claudius were very different people. From an early age Gaius was groomed for the part of Emperor. He spent his early years on the island of Caprea to which Tiberius had retired. There he was exposed to the life of an Emperor, giving him the experience he needed to know how to be an Emperor.
Claudius on the other hand was kept on the margins of the royal family from birth. His stammer, nervous tick and limp made him very unattractive. Powerful family members such as Livia and Augustus thought of him as a simpleton and a fool. Because of this Claudius was largely left alone and not included in any official duties or offices.
Gaius was ambitious and wanted to become emperor. It is said that when Tiberius was thought to be dead he took the Imperial ring off his finger and put it on his own hand. When Tiberius came out of the coma, alive and asking for his ring back, Gaius had him smothered with a pillow while he was still too sick to defend himself.
In contrast, Claudius was never ambitious in his life. He never had any jobs in the government, which was unusual for a member of the imperial family, and when Gaius died and there was no other obvious successor the Praetorian guards proclaimed Claudius as the new Emperor.
Claudius, a republican, tried to refuse the title but was advised by his friend Herrod to accept. The senate wanted a republic and told Claudius this, so Claudius told them it was up to them whether or not to make him Emperor.
The way Claudius treated the senate was very different to the way Gaius treated them. Gaius had no respect for the senate and made a sure everyone knew this by doing things such as making a horse a senator. Claudius showed respect before he was officially an Emperor by leaving the decision about whether or not he should be the new Emperor up to the senate.
There are a million and one contrasts in the way they treated the people of the Roman Empire. Gaius was often described as a monster, and when people described Claudius words like "harmless" "dear" and "fool" were often used. Gaius did things like give them games and other entertainment whereas Claudius continued public works. He built a new aqueduct, a new harbour of Ostia near Rome and he improved the judiciary system. He also extended citizenship to the provinces. Gaius tried to be popular, where Claudius tried to be practical.
In the first 6 months of Gaius reign he tried to make himself popular, and it was not hard. Being the son of Germanicus people expected him to be a good person, and a decent Emperor. He made himself popular by concentrating on the present, giving the people entertainment that would keep them happy in the short term. Claudius on the other hand tried to make life better for everyone in the long run; he did not only focus on the present but the future as well.
Gaius believed in himself and his divinity, and spent his time glorifying himself where Claudius believed in the Roman Empire and spent his time trying to change things for the better.
The military campaigns of Claudius and Gaius a were also very different. Because of Gaius illness he was not totally connected with reality, and lived in his own fantasy world. His military campaign against the Germans was unsuccessful so he ordered his soldiers to collect seashells and when he returned proclaimed victory against the god Neptune, he showed the seashells off as his plunder from the sea.
Claudius however took his military campaigns much more seriously and during his reign the Roman Empire conquered Briton, Lycia in Asia Minor and Thrace in Eastern Europe.
Despite all their differences there are a few similarities. They both were sometimes irrational and unpredictable and like many of the other Emperors, Augustus especially, they were easily manipulated by their wives, Claudius more so than Gaius. They both had the same symptoms of "power syndrome" and their reigns were filled with corruption and deception.
Claudius and Gaius Ceaser were as different as two people can be. Night and Day, Sweet and Sour. Gaius was mentally unstable and physically fine, he ruled like a dictator and the people hated him. Claudius was mentally fine and physically unstable. He tried to rule the empire like a decent human being and not like a supreme being that everyone had to obey.