A Roman Emperor who ruled with tyranny and extravagance. Nero was the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty since 37 AD. His rule is usually associated with tyranny and extravagance; his more infamous executions include that of his mother. Most Roman sources, such as Suetonius and Cassius Dio, offer overwhelmingly negative assessments of his personality and reign; The Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt. He was said to have seized Christians as scapegoats for the fire and burned them alive, seemingly motivated not by public justice but by personal cruelty.