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Imperator:
The Emperors of Rome
to the Roman world:
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49-44 - Julius Caesar managed to get life dictatorship of the Republic, but was too open, and paid the price...Was Consul, Conqeurer of Gaul, & knocked off his rivals in civil warfare, when he aimed for the top... in the following civil wars, his nephew Octavian was able to avenge his death, and 'get rid of' his fellow co-rulers Antony and Lepidus.
30-27 - Octavian becomes a Consul with special powers, the only survivor of the second Triumvirate.
27BC - 14AD - Octavius Caesar is awarded the title Augustus, as he has sneakily arranged to be awarded more and more power and honour, so no-one noticed... took mainly military control and important Provinces, with the power of veto over the Senate, and reigned for over 30 years. Augustus' reign got the Romans used to powerful individuals, and paved the way for a transferable office.
14-37 - Tiberius Smooth succession from Augustus, although he went mad(ish) and eventually retreated to rule from Capri. Adopted heir of Augustus.
37-41 - Gaius "Caligula" (means "little boots") Very mad, prone to excesses, but not immune to assassination...
41-54 - Claudius The Senate wanted to return to Republic, but the Praetorian Guard had a vested interest in Emperors, and went for the one too unlikely to have been killed off, the lame and stuttering Claudius. His reign saw the conquestof Britain. Eventually died from eating of deliberately placed dodgy mushrooms.
54-68 - Nero Adopted heir of Claudius; very into theatrical stuff and arts, and built the huge 'Golden House' palace. Failure to gain the support of the Senate led to open rebellions, and, deserted by the Praetorians, Nero took the only honerable course...for a Roman, anyway...
68 - Galba Kicks off the 'year of four Emperors', where frontier armies gave support to their candidates, who were in turn bested by the next best contender.
69 - Otho Next please...killed Otho in the Forum, but diddn't have as many men as Vitellius...
69 - Vitellius ...and again... product of the Rhineland armies, killed in the Forum.
69-79 - Vespasian The commander of the Eastern legions, returns to Rome and whips the opposition. A tough, experienced soldier and administrator, Vespasian worked to consolidate his own position, amd the Empire, at home and in the Provinces. He appealed to the masses by gestures such as the beginings of a massive public arena on the site of the Golden House of Nero, where the giant statue of Nero stood: to be popularly known as the "Coloseum".
79-81 - Titus Virtually the only father to son succession in the Imperium! Titus had taken command of the Eastern Legions when daddy had gone to conquer the world, and smashed Jerusalem and the fortress of Masada against heavy opposition. A bit of a chip off the old block...
81-96 - Domitian The scheming, slimy and treacherous one of the family who was eventually murdered.
96-98 - Nerva an elderly replacement, chosen by the Senate.
98-117 - Trajan adopted son and heir of Nerva; of Spanish origins, who fought the Dacians and Parthians, fought his way north of the Danube, and down to the Gulf. Depicted his triumphs in a famous column.
117-138- Hadrian Adopted son of Trajan, enjoyed traveling and was good at building big walls! The Empire was now more of a commonwealth, and more unified.
138-161- Antonius Pius Adopted son of Hadrian, didn't leave Italy. Ordered the occupation of Scotland, and the Antonine wall, (just to show that he could...)
161-180- Marcus Aurelius Adopted son of Antoninus, suceeded with his brother Lucius Verus. Verus fought the Parthians, and brought the plague back, (d.169), and Marcus had to fight off the Germans when they took advantage of the situation. Began to take new ground in central Europe, did philosopherising, and did a column as well! What a bloke...
180-192- Commodus the baddy in Gladiator, (that's what you get for a non-adoptive son succeeding), often described as a "sadisstic pervert"; liked gladiatorial stuff, and often leaped into the arena to fight. Upset the Senate, and ended up being poisoned and strangled in bed on new year's eve.
193 - Pertinax supported by assassins and Senate, elderly and unpopular, and murdered by the Praetorians.
193 - Didius Julianus Praetorians auctioned Rome to the highest bidder: Didius.
193-211- Septimus Severus Overcame Didius, Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, and the Praetorians! Supported from the Danube. Relied on the army for power and support, and improved life for the Legions, as well as using them in lots of battles. Died in York.
211- 217- Carracalla Marcus Antoninus, (popular name from his cloak); managed to murder his co-ruling brother fairly quickly. Murders and unexplained killings gave him a bad reputation, and despite being pro-army, a bodyguard killed him for a private grievance.
217-218- Macrinus an African non-Senator Emperor, deposed by the Syrian Legions.
218-222 Elagabalus Carracalla's niece's son, 14 and controlled by Mummy.
222-235 Severus Alexander Still young, but not trying to be High Priest of Sunb God of Emesa! Murderd as threats from outside got a bit too much for the army.
235-238 Maximinus The Thracian; an ordinary soldier risen through the ranks, who fought the Germans a lot. Murdered on his way to his only visit to Rome.
238-244 Gordian III
244-249 Philip "The Arab"
249-251 Trajan Deccius
251-253 Trebonianus Gallus
253-260 Valerian
253-268 Galienus
Spain, Gaul and Britain break away under Gallic Emperors as the centralised government can't defend them, until Aurelian gets them back in 270
270-275 Aurelian Strong, gets the West back, until he's assassinated...
Then we have a string of Illyrian Emperors, who survive long enough to be killed by their successors, until:
284-305- Diocletian had to secure Imperial borders and the Imperial Office. Increased the size of the army, strengthened the borders, and reformed taxes and the coinage. Boosted the Imperial office, with jewelled robes, state ceremonials etc; the Emperor became absolute Monarch, and appointed his own advisors. Civila nd Military authority were separated. Provinces were changed to 12 units, or Dioceses, looked after by vicars. He appointed two Junior Emperors, Caesars, and ruled with another senior Emperor, an Augustus. The Senior and Junior Emperors ruled the East and Western halves of the Empire, biding time until the eventual division of the two in 395. The Tetrarchy continued as the Seniors resigned, and were succeded by Junirs who appointed successors.
286-305- Maximianus co-Emperor (Augustus)
305-306- Chiorus
306-312 Maxentius declared himself Emperor in Rome, and controlled Italy and North Africa.
312-337- Constantine hailed Emperor in York, Constantine advanced on Rome and thrashed Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. He had been promised support by the Christian god in a fireball if he painted the Labarum on his troops' shields. This he did, and won...as a result, he looked favourably on Christianity, and had to found a new capital in the East away from Pagan Rome, on the site of the Greek city of Byzantium: Constantinople. He divided his christianised Empire between his sons in the Diocletian model, the Eastern Emperor senior.
337-340- Constantinus II
337-350- Constans
337-361- Constans II
361-363- Julian the Apostate Makes Christianity illegal again & persecutes. Fought Franks and Persians.
363-364- Jovianus Reverses Julian's religious decisions
364-375- Valentinian
375-392- Valentinianus led
392-395- Theodosius Sole Emperor, makes Christianity the official religion of the Empire. Let the Visigoths settle in the Empire, technically as Roman allies. They rebelled in 395 under Alaric and invaded northern Italy.
The Emperors in the West become numerous and weak, while the East becomes strong. The Easttern Emperors grant land in the West to the Goths, while the Vandals sack Rome. The Eastern Emperor starts to grant vassal status to the client Kings in the West, and divide Western lands as they see fit. There is a transition in the West as the new settlers are "Romanised", a sort of commonwealth, as Pagans are converted to Christianity and thus come under the political control of Roman Bishops, the Senatorial class.
395-402- Arcadius Vandals, Alans and Suebi cross the Rhine in force
402-450- Theodosius II Goths sack Rome in 410, Visigoths establish a Kingdom in Aquitaine in 418, and Vandals take Carthage in 439. Spain largely Alan, Vandal and Suebi controlled. Anglo-Saxons are settling in Britain.
450-457- Marcian
457-474- Leo
474-491- Zeno Settles Theodoric and the Ostrogoths in Italy, last Western Emperor Romulus Augustulus deposed (with Eastern aid!)
497-518- Anastasius Franks defeat Visigoths in Gaul.
518-527- Justin I
527-565- Justinian THE MAN!! Decides to re-conquer the West in the name of the Eastern Romans; eventually exrtends his power back to Africa, Italy and Spain, with the Emperor as head of the church; in Italy the breakaway Bishop of Rome had began to challenge the Emperor's power.
However, Justinian's Roman Lake doesn't last, and gradually the Roman influence recedes back to the East. From now on, the Eastern Romans take on the name Byzantines, of Byzantium, Constantimople, and become a more insular, Greek orientated Empire until the rise of Islam, and the fall of Constantinople in 1455.