Famous Roman Emperors

The Good, the Bad, and the CRAZY!

Augustus: The First Emperor

• Few signs of his bright future

• Great Nephew of Julius Caesar

• Adopted by Caesar in his will

• Man of Many Names:

• Named Gaius Octavius (Octavian)

• Honorary title as Augustus

• Preferred to be called Julius Caesar

Augustus: The First Emperor

• Reigned 31 BCE-14 AD

• Inherited Civil War upon Caesar’s death

• Defeated three rivals (Lepidus, Marc Anthony, & Pharaoh Cleopatra)

• Restored the control to the Senate but it was a Republic in name only

• Remained EXTREMELY powerful:

• Kept wealth of Egypt himself

• Controlled Tribunes (could veto any proposals)

• Controlled provinces via the Army

• Controlled finances, foreign policy, and religion as well!

Augustus: The First Emperor

Instituted a praetorian guard of 9,000 men to guard the emperor

Focuses on extending empire past Alps into Germany

Failed to conquer Germany

Stability of empire leads to arts flourishing

Built great temples such as that of Mars the Avenger, the Pantheon, and the temple of Apollo. Built public libraries and baths.

Promoted “back to traditional values.” (Instituted morality laws.)

Tiberius: Not First Choice

• Never wanted to be the emperoro Resented that he had to divorce his wife

and marry Augustus’s daughter Julia

• Knew he was not Augustus first choiceo Augustus’s grandsons both died young

• Not a Julian- brought in by adoption when Augustus married his mother Livia.o His father was Tiberius Claudius Nero

Tiberius: Not First Choice

• 56 years old when he became emperor

• Continued with Augustus’s plan of reconstructing the empire

• Modest in his reigno Refused to call himself Imperatoro Only consul three times during reigno Increased the Senate’s’ powero Able to cut taxes- left a rife surplus when he

died

Tiberius: Not First Choice

• Highly suspicious ( paid informers)• Too dependent on

Sejanus(Praetorian Guard)o Preferred his villa on Capri to Romeo Left Rome in Sejanus hands

Killed possible heirs to the throne

• Tiberius dies on way back to Romeo Caligula (great-nephew becomes emperor)

Caligula: From Hope to Horror

• Son of dead military hero, Germanicus

• Gaius Caesar (his real name) grew up around soldier who nicked named him “little boots” or Caligula

• Hard Childhood:

• Mother exiled

• Two older brothers executed on flimsy treason charges

Caligula: From Hope to Horror

• Took over after period of violence & suspected treason

• Seen as a bright, new start (37-41 AD)

• Started out well:• Brought back many exiles

• Burned records of treason trials

• Then, seven months after taking power he got sick:• Perhaps it effected his brain (still debated)

• Could have been epilepsy

• Everything changed, very much for the worse...

• Dressed in silks & jewels

• Pretended he was a god

• Bankrupted Roman Empire

• Made Senators grovel & kiss his feet

• Restored treason trials (executing rivals & allies, including his head body guard)

• Had his horse named to political office

• Was killed by his own advisors & guards after a little over 5 years in power

Caligula: From Hope to Horror

I vote, nay!

I vote, nay!

Nero’s Violent Reign• Young man who loved music, theater, and

horse racing

• Dominating mother, Agrippina:

• Married Emperor Cladius; had him disinherit his own son Britannicus; then poisoned Emperor Cladius!

• Poisoned Nero’s main rival, Britannicus

• The throne was his! (54-68 AD)

• A Good Start:

• Ended secret trials

• Gave Senate more independence

• Banned capital punishment

• Reduced taxes

• Helped slaves, disaster victims, and Jews (who were often mistreated)

• A Bad End:• Extravagant spending

• Went on singing tour through Greece and Rome

• Wandered the streets murdering innocent people at random

• When mother tried to contain him he tried to kill her twice (once to look like an accident; when that didn’t work he sent soldiers)

• 6-7 Day Long Fire & Rumor (though untrue) added to problem

• Rome responds• Plotters tried to kill Nero but failed

• He became paranoid & held trials where people were executed or forced to kill themselves (including his own tutor, Seneca)

• Revolts ensued until Senate declared him a public enemy

• He fled & committed suicide

• Rome was left without an heir...

Nero’s Violent Reign

Vespasian: First to Win Rome

• Born Titus Flavius Vespasianus

• General under Nero

• Fought three other Emperor’s for power

• Reigned from 69-79 AD

• Had to pass law (lex de imperio Vespasiani) so he could inherit without being from Julio-Claudian family

• Remembered for long-lasting peace, stable finances, and attention to provinces.

• Remember as funny

• Death bed quote, “Dear me, I seem to be turning into a god.”

Hadrian: Walling in the Empire

• Born Publius Aelius Hadrianus & adopted by Emperor Trajan (distant relative) posthumously

• Served in military & civil posts first to groom him

• Not universally accepted; Four Senators were tried & executed for treason

Hadrian: Walling in the

Empire• Reigned from 117-138 AD during period of

peace

• Cultured scholar (esp. of Greeks) who travelled all over Empire

• Halted expansion & est. frontiers:

• Walls in Africa

• Towers & Forts in Germany

• Most Famously, Hadrian’s Wall in Britain

Marcus Aurelius: Movin’ On Up!

• Selected by Hadrian for succession (though not directly) while Marcus was still a child

• Reigned 161-180 AD

• Spent most of reign fighting wars on frontiers & rebellions

• Remembered for:

• Promoting officers & civilians based on merit NOT birth!

• Employed the middle class

• Laid foundation for social mobility

Septimus Severus• Followed Emperor Commodus (who was

assassinated in 192 AD) as emperor

• Had to march on Rome to win throne

• Reigned from 193-211 AD

• Disbanded Praetorian Guard & recruited his own guards

• Admitted his source of power was the army

• Raised their pay (first time in decades)

• Allowed them more privileges

• Distanced himself from people; made Imperial family sacrosanct

• Deathbed advice to sons: “Look after the soldiers and ignore everyone else.”

Constantine: Unity & Christianity

• Born Flavius Valerius Constantinus

• Grew up in age of near anarchy

• Short-lived Tetrarchy (Two Senior & Two Junior Emperors)

• Each commanded 1/4 of Empire to bring cohesion

• Instead created rivalries & civil wars

• Father ruled portions of Empire before dying on campaign in Britain

• Soldiers declared his son, Constantine Emperor

• Reigned as Constantine I or the Great from 306-337 AD

Constantine: Unity & Christianity

• Waged war for nearly two decades to gain control of empire

• In 312 AD invaded Italy to defeat rival (supposedly saw cross in sky and was told, “In this sign shall you conquer.”)

• Became sole emperor in 324 AD

Constantine: Unity & Christianity

• Rewrote his history with help of Christian authors

• Actively promoted Christian Church

• Built churches

• Made Christianity legal

• Didn’t actually convert until death bed

• Continued to worshipped Sol Invictus (“Unconquered Sun” god)

• Real conversion or Christianity as tool to unite empire???

A New Rome?

• Constantine realized that the Empire’s capital needed to be near Danube River & near rich, Eastern provinces if it would survive.

• Created “New Rome” in Byzantium

• Renamed it Constantinople

• Marked end of power being centered in Rome & Western Roman Empire

A “New” Rome?