Claudius
Bust, Naples National Archaeological Museum
Roman emperor
Reign	24 January 41 – 13 October 54
Predecessor	Caligula
Successor	Nero
Born	1 August 10 BC Lugdunum, Gaul
Died	13 October AD 54 (aged 63) Rome, Italy
Burial	Mausoleum of Augustus
Spouse	Plautia Urgulanilla Aelia Paetina Valeria Messalina Julia Agrippina
Issue among others	Claudius Drusus Claudia Antonia Claudia Octavia Britannicus Nero (adopted) Venissa (alleged)
Names Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus[i] Regnal name Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
Dynasty	Julio-Claudian
Father	Nero Claudius Drusus
Mother	Antonia the Younger

Claudius (/ˈklɔːdiəs/ KLAW-dee-əs; Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was Roman emperor from AD 41 to 54. Born to Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia Minor at Lugdunum in Roman Gaul, where his father was stationed as a military legate, he was the first Roman emperor to be born outside Italy. Nonetheless, Claudius was an Italic of Sabine origins^[5] and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Because he was afflicted with a limp and slight deafness due to sickness at a young age, his family ostracized him and excluded him from public office until his consulship, shared with his nephew Caligula in 37.

Claudius's infirmity probably saved him from the fate of many other nobles during the purges during the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula as potential enemies did not see him as a serious threat. His survival led to him being declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard after Caligula's assassination, at which point he was the last adult male of his family. Despite his lack of experience, Claudius proved to be an able and efficient administrator. He expanded the imperial bureaucracy to include freedmen, and helped to restore the empire's finances after the excess of Caligula's reign. He was also an ambitious builder, constructing many new roads, aqueducts, and canals across the Empire. During his reign the Empire started its successful conquest of Britain.

Having a personal interest in law, he presided at public trials, and issued up to twenty edicts a day. He was seen as vulnerable throughout his reign, particularly by elements of the nobility. Claudius was constantly forced to shore up his position, which resulted in the deaths of many senators. Those events damaged his reputation among the ancient writers, though more recent historians have revised that opinion. Many authors contend that he was murdered by his own wife, Agrippina the Younger. After his death at the age of 63, Nero, his grand-nephew and legally adopted step-son, succeeded him as emperor