Nero's Suicide and the Year of Four Emperors

Facing a military revolt and declared a public enemy by the Senate, Nero flees Rome and kills himself, reportedly saying 'What an artist dies in me.' His death ends the Julio-Claudian dynasty and triggers the Year of Four Emperors: Galba, Otho, and Vitellius each seize and lose power before Vespasian emerges as the final victor. The chaos demonstrates how fragile Roman imperial succession really is, and it reshapes the empire's political landscape just as the Jewish revolt is reaching its climax.