Download the other roman emperors

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THE OTHER ROMAN EMPERORS
The Roman Empire began in 27 BCE with Augustus and ended in 476 CE with the
fall of Rome. In the intervening 503 years, Rome enjoyed the best and the worst of
leaders. Many of those emperors have crept into our culture for their wisdom or
their folly.
Below is a partial list of those Emperors.
Augustus’s descendants
Tiberius (14 CE – 37 CE)
 Stepson of Augustus
 Unpopular as Emperor because he spent little money on public games
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Gauis “Caligula” or “Little Boots” (37 CE – 41 CE)
 Unbalanced nephew of Tiberius
 Tried to make his horse a Senator
Insane, megalomaniac
Assassinated by Praetorian Guard
Nero (54 CE – 68 CE)
 Son of Emperor Claudius
 Tyrant
 Supposedly fiddled as Rome burnt
 Blamed fire on Christians and persecuted them
The Period of the Five Good Emperors
After Nero’s death, the Senate and the army played a more active role in the selection of the Emperor. Between 96 CE
and 180 CE, the Romans handled the problem of succession by having each emperor select a younger colleague to train
as a successor. The efforts of the five good emperors would result in almost a century of stability.
Nerva (96 CE – 98 CE)
 An older, gentler Senator
 Elected by the Senate
 Began tradition of the present ruler finding and adopting the “best man” and making him successor
Trajan (98 – 117)
 A great ruler who extended the Empire to its greatest extent
 Fist Emperor of non-Italian origin (Spanish)
 Kept Senate informed about his campaigns and waited for their approval before signing treaties
 Popular because he greatly increased Rome’s wealth through military conquests
 Also popular because spent large sums of money on building aqueducts, temples and public baths
 Popular with army because of military success
Hadrian (117 – 138)
 Brilliant and excellent administrator
 Consolidated the Empire and built walls in Scotland and along the Rhine River to contain the Barbarians
 Built the Pantheon and Castel Saint Angelo
Antonius (138-161)
 Just and honest
 Empire reached its peak under his guidance
 His passing marks the end of the Pax Romana or 200 years of peace and security
Marcus Aurelius (161-180)
 Reigned in troubled times when Barbarians rose up in many areas
 Plague killed ¼ of the population in the Empire too
 Emperor also died of plague
Period of Five Good Emperors Ends
Commudus (180-192)
 Son of Marcus Aurelius
 Unfit so broke the “best man” tradition
 Poor ruler, strangled in his bath
Late Empire
 For the next 300 years, we witness the decline and fall of the Empire.
 After Commodus the throne was up for auction.
 Military Anarchy reigned for the 50 year period between 235 and 284. There were 100 claimants to the throne
and 26 Emperors during this time. All met a violent death. Emperor Valerian was actually captured by the
Persians and stuffed as a trophy.
 This period saw constant wars and plagues.
 Taxes skyrocketed to the extent that citizens tried to give up their citizenship.
 Inflation drove Rome back to a barter economy.
Empire divided
 395: Empire was permanently divided into East and West.
 Western Emperor ruled in Ravenna and Eastern Emperor ruled in Constantinople
Fall of the Roman Empire
 Huns and Vandals sack Rome
 476: Romulus Augustulus (last emperor) is replaced by a German Barbarian chieftain.
 Marks the end of the Roman Empire