Nero

The Roman emperor between AD 54-68. He was adopted by the Emperor Claudius and became his heir and successor. He attempted to improve the cultural life of the Roman empire by building theatres and holding games, but was regarded by many, though not all, as being corrupt and brutal. He was said to have blamed a major fire in Rome in AD 64 on the Christians and to have martyred a number of early Christians by dipping them in oil and setting them alight in his garden at night as a source of light.