Query: A brief period of civil wars was sparked by the death of Nero.

Relevant passages:
Nero <=SEP=> Nero ( -LSB- ˈnɪəroʊ -RSB- Latin : Nerō Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ; 15 December 37 AD -- 9 June 68 AD ) was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68 AD , and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty . Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor , and like him , became emperor with the consent of the praetorian guard . Nero 's mother , Agrippina the Younger , was implicated in Claudius ' death and Nero 's nomination as emperor . She dominated Nero 's early life and decisions until he cast her off ; five years into his reign , he had her murdered .   His reign began well . At first he was content to be guided by his mother , his tutor Lucius Annaeus Seneca and his Praetorian Prefect , Sextus Afranius Burrus . As time passed , he played a more active and independent role in government and foreign policy . During his reign , the redoubtable general Corbulo conducted a successful war and negotiated peace with the Parthian Empire . His general Suetonius Paulinus crushed a major revolt in Britain . The Bosporan Kingdom was briefly annexed to the empire , and the First Jewish -- Roman War began . Nero focused much of his attention on diplomacy , trade and the cultural life of the empire , ordering theatres built and promoting athletic games . He made public appearances as a poet , musician and charioteer ; in the eyes of traditionalists , this undermined the dignity and authority of his person , status and office . His extravagant , empire-wide program of public and private works was funded by a rise in taxes , much resented by the middle and upper classes . Various plots against his life were revealed , and their ringleaders were executed ; most were Nero 's own courtiers .   In 68 , the governor Vindex in Gaul rebelled , with the support of Galba , Governor of Hispania Tarraconensis . Vindex 's revolt failed in its immediate aim but Rome 's discontented civil and military authorities declared for Galba , and chose him as emperor . Nero fled Rome . He committed suicide on June 9 , 68 AD when told that he had been tried in absentia and condemned to death as a public enemy ( The first Roman Emperor to do so ) . His death ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty , sparking a brief period of civil wars known as the Year of the Four Emperors .   Nero 's 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 ; Tacitus claims that the Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt . Many Romans believed that the great Roman fire of 64 was instigated by Nero to clear the way for his planned palatial complex , the Domus Aurea . 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 . Some modern historians question the reliability of the ancient sources on Nero 's tyrannical acts . A few sources paint Nero in a more favourable light . There is evidence of his popularity among the Roman commoners , especially in the eastern provinces of the Empire , where a popular legend arose that Nero had not died and would return . At least three leaders of short-lived , failed rebellions presented themselves as `` Nero reborn '' , to enlist popular support .