Cheney the Freedman?

in response to CJ's comment on "Cheney as Lepidus"

It seems that there were three freedmen, and one senator that Claudius employed to manage the most important aspects of his reign, of these only Pallas, his finance minister was recorded as a confidant of Nero through his alignment with Agrappina (mother of Nero), and according to some sources was directly involved in the supposed poisoning of Claudius and rumored to be having an affair with emporor's wife, and so would have been a sort of unofficial regent at at the beginning of Nero's reign, helping significantly with his transition to power.

Not only did he have an intimate familiarity with the institutions, procedures, and players of Claudius' administration, Pallas happened to be finance minister. That fact alone brings Cheney to mind as both maintain(ed) close ties to government and the private sector using each to suppliment the other's benefits. His rumored association with Nero's mother and the murder of Claudius (if true) would have helped to insure his safety through the changing of the guard. His death most probably coincided with the execution of Agrappina, or arranged for by Agrappina herself once Nero was effectively placed on the throne.

Polybius is also a good candidate as he was rather benign pollitically despite his imperative to arrange administrative appointments. He would have also had a good working knowledge of Claudius' government in a practical sense and a great deal of influence by the very nature of his work, mingling with the powerful and arranging their appointments to government positions. That certainly makes him comparible to Cheney by way of being well connected, valuable as a governement "insider", and most likely extremely wealthy through the patronage of his appointees.

I think, though I can not verify it, that Narccisus was killed shortly after Claudius' death, by order of Nero. He had been Claudius' minister of letters, and thus knowing all of the emporor's secrets would have been a great danger to Nero so his death makes sense. Having been a great ally of Claudius, most notably in putting down the coup of Messalina in 48BC this is probably not who you mean.

There is also the older Vitallus, father of the future Emporor and a notable Senator. There are no references to him that I can find during Nero's reign. He also makes an unlikely imperial insider given his position in the senate which had become ever more removed from the palace's machinations of power, not to mention that his very appointment to the senate had been arranged by Claudius.

Anyone else appearing as important to both Nero and Claudius was eventually killed or exiled by the end of Nero's reign.

-EG