BRITANNICUS, son of the Roman emperor, Claudius, by Messalina, was born probably A.D. 41. He was originally called Claudius Tiberius Germanicus, and received the name Britannicus in honour of Claudius' expedition to Britain (A.D. 43) . Till his mother's execution in 48 he was looked upon as the heir; but Agrippina, the new wife of Claudius, brought about the adoption of Nero, her own son by a former marriage. After the accession of Nero, Agrippina, by playing on his fears, induced him to poison Britannicus at a banquet (A.D. 55). Britannicus is the subject of a tragedy by Racine.
See Tacitus, Annals, xii. 25, 41, xiii. 14-16; Suetonius, Nero, 33 ; Dio Cassius lx. 32, 34 ; see also works quoted under NERO.