Clavdivs the God Author:Robert Graves In AD 41, on the assassination of his mad nephew Cligula, the learned and retiring Claudius, whom most people regarded as an imbecile, was unexpectedly acclaimed as Emperor by the Imperial Guards. He was a confirmed Republlican; his first passionate refusal to reign was not taken seriously, and he gave in, chiefly because he believed that only b... more »y his doing so could civil war be avoided. The Senate accepted him, too, when it waw that he had the support of the Army, and he settled down to work at once, doing his best to reconcile his Republican convictions with practical patriotism. His methods of government were unconventional because he had almost no administrative experience behind him, and he earned a great deal of ridicule, but got things done somehow.« less