Roman emperor 41 - 54 ce Emporer Claudius extended Roman rule in North Africa and made Britain a province. Ill health, unattractive appearance, clumsiness of manner, and coarseness of taste did not recommend him for a public life. The imperial family seems to have considered him something of an embarrassment, and he was long left to his own private studies and amusements. It was the historian Livy who recognized and encouraged his inclination for historical studies. Musee du Louvre, Paris.