This all but spelled out civil war and a series of 14 (!) Emperors
oh, oof!
Now, in Basil's case, the explanation might have been justified paranoia (he grew up in the shadow of two coups).
Interesting -- and did any of these involve wives? (I'm wondering why he refused to marry.)
I mean, however he'd justified it to himself, he had killed the mother of his surviving sons. I wouldn't be surprised if that was yet another reason why he couldn't bring himself to choose one of them and thus by default endanger the others.
Oh! Yeah... I could see this being a thing. ...I should read the Constantine reading you recced earlier :)
I suppose it might simply mean they never held office (which makes sense) nor committed any great crimes and thus weren't deemed noteworthy by future historians, plus if Nerva and/or his partisans had had them killed, surely it would have made some sensational entries in the chronicles. (We certainly know about all the murders of previous claimants that other emperors did, starting with Augustus ordering the death of Caesarion.)
Oh! This makes me feel a lot better. If they just kind of went under the radar and lived happy and uneventful lives, that would be great! :) Or at least just didn't die early and messily :P
Ha, I have got to get my hands on that opera :) And I did read I, Claudius a very long time ago, enough ago that I've forgotten it all and should read it again. (I never did read Claudius the God, however.)
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Re: Imperial Succesions: I
Date: 2023-01-14 06:48 am (UTC)oh, oof!
Now, in Basil's case, the explanation might have been justified paranoia (he grew up in the shadow of two coups).
Interesting -- and did any of these involve wives? (I'm wondering why he refused to marry.)
I mean, however he'd justified it to himself, he had killed the mother of his surviving sons. I wouldn't be surprised if that was yet another reason why he couldn't bring himself to choose one of them and thus by default endanger the others.
Oh! Yeah... I could see this being a thing. ...I should read the Constantine reading you recced earlier :)
I suppose it might simply mean they never held office (which makes sense) nor committed any great crimes and thus weren't deemed noteworthy by future historians, plus if Nerva and/or his partisans had had them killed, surely it would have made some sensational entries in the chronicles. (We certainly know about all the murders of previous claimants that other emperors did, starting with Augustus ordering the death of Caesarion.)
Oh! This makes me feel a lot better. If they just kind of went under the radar and lived happy and uneventful lives, that would be great! :) Or at least just didn't die early and messily :P
Ha, I have got to get my hands on that opera :) And I did read I, Claudius a very long time ago, enough ago that I've forgotten it all and should read it again. (I never did read Claudius the God, however.)