The attempted coup d'etat by Silius and Messalina had probably made Claudius realize the weakness of his position as a member of the Claudian but not the Julian family . This weakness was compounded by the fact that he did not have an obvious adult heir , Britannicus being just a boy .
The attempted coup d'état by Silius and Messalina had probably made Claudius realize the weakness of his position since he did not have an obvious adult heir , Britannicus being just a boy .