Tiberius Claudius Drusus (Claudius) was the third emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty succeeding his nephew Gaius Caligula, and ruling as Princeps from AD 41 till the time of his death in AD 54. Claudius' reign represents a turning point in the history of the principate for numerous reasons, including foremost the
             implications it carried for the future of the office. In many respects Claudius achieved his desire of
             successfully ruling his country. This is particularly evident in the early stages of his reign, however, the later stages depict him as the victim of unscrupulous exploitation by his freedmen and wives, in particular, his third wife Messalina and her successor Agrippina the Younger. Both modern and Ancient sources have
             written numerous detailed accounts regarding the career of Claudius due to its nature and its significance in the expansion of Rome and the role the Princeps played in the progression of the Principate.
             Claudius was born at Lugdunum in Gaul on the 1st August 10 BC to Nero Claudius Drusus, the son of Augustus' wife Livia, and his wife Antonia, the daughter of Mark Antony. Nearly the whole of Claudius' childhood was so troubled by various diseases that, according to Suetonius "he grew dull-witted and had
             little physical strength." He lost his father while still a baby and his mother Antonia often called him as
             Suetonius notes "a monster, a man whom nature had not finished but had merely begun" It was clear that Claudius would not succeed in the military field as his father or his brother Germanicus had due to his physical composition and by the time of Tiberius reign Claudius had not even been admitted to the senate. During his concealment from public life Claudius developed a love of history and began writing books about his country's past, including forty-one books on Augustus whom he deeply admired. These skills, and the knowledge of governmental institutions he acquired from studying hist...