In 64 AD , most of Rome was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome , which many Romans believed Nero himself had started in order to clear land for his planned palatial complex , the Domus Aurea . In 68 , the rebellion of Vindex in Gaul and later the acclamation of Galba in Hispania drove Nero from the throne . Facing a false report of being denounced as a public enemy who was to be executed , he committed suicide on 9 June 68 ( 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 often associated with tyranny and extravagance . He is known for many executions , including that of his mother , and the probable murder by poison of his stepbrother Britannicus .