Download Era of Good Emperors - World History with Ms. Byrne

List of Roman Emperors
REIGN
January
16, 27
BCEAugust 19,
14CE
COMMON
NAME
Augustus
August 19, Tiberius
14CEMarch 16,
37
March 18,
37 CEJanuary
24, 41 CE
Caligula
January
24, 41 CEOctober
13, 54 CE
Claudius
JULIO-CLAUDIAN DYNASTY
NAME & TITLE AT
ADDITIONAL NOTES
BIRTH
Gaius Octavius Gaius  Adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar
Caesar Octavianus
 Member of the Second Triumvirate
Imperator Caesar
 Defeated Marc Antony at the Battle of
Divi Filius
Actium in 31 BCE
 First emperor of Rome
 Became Pontifex Maximus in 12 BCE (high
priest of the College of Pontiffs)
Tiberius Claudius
 Stepson and adopted heir of Augustus
Nero Tiberius Ivlius  Became Pontifex Maximus in 15 CE
Caesar
 Strong military leader, conquering Pannonia,
Dalmatia, Reatia, and parts of Germania
 Never really wanted to be emperor
 Neglected the public works
 Made almost all crimes punishable by death
Gaius Caesar
 The nickname, Caligula, actually means “little
Germanicus Gaius
soldier’s boots”
Caesar Augustus
 Adopted son of Tiberius
Germanicus Caligula  Very popular among the masses
 Became Pontifex Maximus in 37 CE
 Initially revived public works, held banquets,
and gave many gifts
 Suffered from a “brain fever” during his first
year as emperor
 Following illness: replaced heads of statues
of gods with his own, wore a wig and
commoners’ clothes, declared himself a living
god, killed family members, named his horse
to the council, tortured people for fun
 Assassinated by his own bodyguards in 41 CE
Tiberius Claudius
 Had a limp and suffered from mild deafness
Drusus Tiberius
 Proclaimed Pater Patriae (Father of the
Cladius Drusus Nero
Country) in 42 CE
Germanicus
 Displayed erratic behavior at court, very
paranoid, easily swayed by others
 Adopted Nero as his son and heir
 Murdered by poisoning
October
54 CEJune 11,
68 CE
REIGN
June 8, 68
CE-January
15, 69 CE
Nero
COMMON
NAME
Galba
January
Otho
15, 69 CE –
April 16,
69 CE
September Vitellius
24, 69 CEDecember
22, 69 CE
REIGN
COMMON
NAME
November Vespasian
17, 69 CEJune 23,
79 CE
Lucius Domitius
Ahenobarbus




Became emperor at the age of 16
Became Pontifex Maximus in 55 CE
Very influenced by female relatives
Forced senators to do battle in gladiatorial
games, ignored pleas to return to Rome,
attacked people on the streets, emptied the
treasury, killed his mother and brother
 Often accused of starting the Great Fire of
Rome in 64 CE
 First emperor to persecute the Christians in
Rome
 Committed suicide
YEAR OF THE FOUR EMPERORS
NAME & TITLE AT
ADDITIONAL NOTES
BIRTH
Seruius Sulpicius
 Unrelated to any of the previous emperors
Galba
 Became emperor late in life
 Tried to restore the failing finances in Rome
 Murdered by Otho

Marcus Saluius Otho  Murdered Galba and his successor to claim
the throne of emperor
 Quickly realized it was very difficult to rule in
Rome
 Committed suicide
Aulus Vitellius
 Served as a co-emperor with Otho (without
the credit)
 His claim to the throne was challeneged by
legions stationed in the eastern provinces of
the empire
 Murdered in the forum by Vespasian’s troops
FLAVIAN DYNASTY
NAME & TITLE AT
ADDITIONAL NOTES
BIRTH
Titus Flavius
 Became Pontifex Maximus and Pater Patriae
Vespasianus
in 70 CE
 Reestablished order following the chaos from
previous emperors
 Strong military leader supported by his
troops
June 24,
Titus
79 CE –
September
13, 81 CE
Titus Flavius Caesar
Vespasianus
Augustus
September Domitian
14, 81 CE –
September
18, 96 CE
Titus Flavius
Domitianus Caesar
Domitianus
REIGN
COMMON
NAME
September Nerva
18, 96 CE –
January
27, 98 CE
January
Trajan
28, 98 CE –
August 7,
117 CE
August 11, Hadrian
117 CE –
July 10,
138 CE
July 10,
138 CE –
March 7,
161 CE
Antoninus
Pius
 Restricted the financial system
 Started building the Flavian Amphitheatre
(Colosseum)
 First emperor to succeed his biological father
 Strong military leader during the First JewishRoman War
 Completed construction of the Colosseum
 The massive eruption of Mount Vesuvius
destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 CE
 Large fire destroyed parts of Rome in 80 CE
 Brother of Titus
 Revalued the Roman coinage
 Expanded the border defenses of the empire
 Initiated a massive building program to
restore Rome following the fire of 80 CE
 Assassinated by court officials
NERVAN-ANTONINE DYNASTY
“Era of Good Emperors”
NAME & TITLE AT
ADDITIONAL NOTES
BIRTH
Marcus Cocceius
 Aristocrat chosen by the Senate
Nerva
 Honest politician who loved poetry
 Lessened taxes, recalled exiles, and stopped
using informants to find dissenters
Imperator Caesar
 First non-Italian emperor
Nerva Traianus Divi  Granted the plebeians a direct gift of money
Nervae filius
 Achieved the greatest military expansion in
Augustus
Roman history
 Built roads, canals, harbors, and improved
many areas of the city
Publius Aelius
 Rebuilt the Pantheon temple and
Hadrianus Augustus
constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma
 Built Hadrian’s Wall which marked the
northern Roman Britain
 Created the praetorian and aedilician edicts
which advanced Roman law
Titus Fulvius Aelius
 Adopted by Hadrian on his deathbed
Hadrianus Antoninus  Had Hadrian deified following his death
Augustus Pius
 Pardoned many criminals, protected slaves,
established peace with Asia, and refused to
execute senators
March 7,
161CE –
March 17,
180 CE
Marcus
Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius
Antoninus Augustus
 Initially served as a co-emperor with Lucius
Verus, his adoptive brother
 Defended the borders of Rome with
Germanic tribes
 Devout student of philosophy; wrote
Meditations about philosophy