Emperor Nero

There are many stories and legends about Emperor Nero. Most are not very pleasant. Nero was not the first insane emperor in office. But he was certainly one of the most famous.  Nero did not go insane all at once. Rather, he went insane slowly. As time went on, his behavior became more and more odd, and then more and more murderous. The leaders of Rome in the Senate wanted to do something about it, but they were afraid. It was not until Nero ordered some of the members of the Senate to kill themselves that they finally took action. The Senate ordered Nero's immediate execution. When Nero heard about it, he killed himself.  Nero at the Circus Maximus (ppt)    Nero Goes Insane (ppt)