Claudius: Movement I in D Minor (Aleggro Moderato): Quod Subtu Lacet (What Lies Beneath) скачать в хорошем качестве

Claudius: Movement I in D Minor (Aleggro Moderato): Quod Subtu Lacet (What Lies Beneath)

Quattuor Caesares. - Vincenzo Culmen Claudius, born Tiberius Claudius Drusus in 10 BCE, lived a marginalized existence within the Julio-Claudian family before Caligula’s reign (37–41 CE), largely ignored and mocked for his physical deformities and speech impediment, despite his remarkable intellectual gifts. The son of Drusus, Tiberius’s brother, and Antonia Minor, Augustus’s niece, Claudius was part of the imperial lineage but was sidelined due to his afflictions—likely cerebral palsy or a similar condition—that caused a limp, tremors, and a pronounced stutter. As a child in the Augustan court, he was kept out of public view, deemed unfit for prominent roles by Augustus, who, according to Suetonius, found his appearance embarrassing. His mother, Antonia, reportedly called him a “monster” unfinished by nature, and the family, including his uncle Tiberius, largely excluded him from political or military duties. Growing up in Rome’s imperial household, Claudius turned inward, dedicating himself to scholarship under the tutelage of historians like Livy. His intelligence shone through in his writing of detailed histories, including works on Rome, the Etruscans, and Carthage, though most are lost. These pursuits, conducted in relative obscurity, earned him respect among a small circle of scholars but little regard from his family, who saw him as a liability in the dynastic power plays dominating the Julio-Claudian court. Despite his isolation, Claudius’s life in the royal family was shaped by the turbulent politics and purges that defined the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius, further entrenching his status as an overlooked figure. Under Tiberius (14–37 CE), Claudius survived the deadly intrigues that claimed his cousins Germanicus, Drusus the Younger, and Caligula’s siblings, partly because his apparent weakness made him seem non-threatening. While his brother Germanicus and nephew Caligula were celebrated for their charisma, Claudius endured mockery at family gatherings, with Suetonius recounting how he was the butt of cruel jests, even from servants. His physical ailments—drooling, a weak gait, and a stammer exacerbated by stress—led to assumptions of mental deficiency, though his surviving letters and later governance reveal a sharp, analytical mind. Claudius’s historical works, written in Greek and Latin, reflected his deep engagement with Rome’s past, possibly as an escape from his marginalization. Living quietly, often at his villa outside Rome, he cultivated relationships with freedmen and scholars, laying the groundwork for the administrative acumen he would later display. This period of being underestimated, while painful, preserved Claudius through the dangers of Tiberius’s paranoia and Caligula’s erratic purges, positioning him as an unlikely candidate for the throne when Caligula’s reign ended in chaos.