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The Advisors of Claudius


Octavia

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Hello all. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the following advisers to the emperor claudius. Narcucus, Palace, Calistus and Vetellius. Vetellius sounds familliar, as their was an emperor by that name as well.

 

Lucius Vitellius was one of the most successful public figures of the Julio-Claudian period, He was a three-time consul and a fellow censor with the emperor Claudius. He was also the father of Aulus Vitellius who had a short reign as Emperor in 69AD.

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Salve, guys!

 

Claudius increased notoriously the role of freedmen in his administration and the four you mentioned (all of them Greek) became the core of the impirial court, getting for themselves an impressive amount of power and money.

 

Tiberius Claudius Narcissus was the secretary of correspondence (praepositus ab epistulis). He had an important role in the preparations for the conquest of Britain. It was Narcissus who betrayed Messalina to Claudius. Agrippina minor ordered Narcissus' execution shortly after Claudius' death.

 

Marcus Antonius Pallas became the secretary of the treasury. Originally a slave of Antonia Minor (Claudius' mother), he was possibly the one that was sent to deliver evidence to the emperor Tiberius concerning the murder of his son Drusus by Sejanus. He was a firm supporter of Agrippina Minor from the beginning and retained his post during the earlier reign of Nero, but was eventually killed by Nero's orders. Narcissus and Pallas were probably relatives.

 

Gaius Julius Callistus, originally a freedman of Caligula, became secretary of justice and law. He died before Claudius.

 

Tiberius Claudius Polybius assisted Claudius in his literary, and historical pursuits before the emperor's accession and got a bureau for miscellaneous issues ('a studiis'). He was a friend of Seneca. Claudius eventually executed him for treason.

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