Spycraft 101 - Episode #119 - Rampant Assassination in the Roman Empire with Colonel Rose Mary Sheldon

Podcast Episode #119 - Rampant Assassination in the Roman Empire with Colonel Rose Mary Sheldon Original: Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger took his own life after being implicated in the Pisonian Conspiracy, a plot to kill the emperor Nero in 65 AD. Gaius Calpurnius Piso was a Roman statesman who intended to have Nero killed so that he could take his place. Nero was a deeply unpopular emperor who was in his 11th year of rule at the time. Piso knew he would need the support of the Praetorian Guard in order to ascend to the emperor’s position. With approximately 9,000 Praetorians stationed in Rome, he had little chance without them. After gaining the support of several junior and senior Praetorians, a plan emerged to attack Nero during chariot races at the Circus Maximus. Much as in the death of Julius Caesar decades before, he would be stabbed by a number of dagger-wielding assailants. But just one day before the plan came to fruition, a freedman named Milichus reported the plot to Nero and his most loyal security detail. Dozens of conspirators were quickly rounded up and the plot failed completely. Piso, the philosopher Seneca the Younger, and two other plotters were forced to commit su!c!de, and sixteen others were executed. But Nero himself only survived a few more years. He took his own life with the help of another after his fall from grace in 68 AD, just as a band of killers was closing in on him after he fled from Rome. One after the other, the Roman emperors rose and fell, often to violent ends. In fact, 75% of all Roman emperors were assassinated, making it one of the deadliest leadership positions in world history. For episode 119 of the Spycraft 101 podcast I spoke with Rose Mary Sheldon, author of Kill Caesar: Assassination in the Early Roman Empire. We discussed the lives and deaths of the five Julio-Claudian emperors, the plots and conspiracies raised against them, and the internal security measures they took to protect themselves and maintain their control over the Roman Empire. The episode is available now. Buy Rose Mary’s book here: Support this podcast on Patreon: Spycraft101 on Instagram: The Ultimate Spycraft and Espionage Reading List: Find the Spycraft 101 book series here: Website: