Augustus Caesar
Reigned 27BC-14AD
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First Emperor of Rome
Biggest mistake – not creating
a system for choosing next
Emperor
Senate made him Emperor
Brought era of peace and
stability - PAX ROMANA
Died 14AD - natural causes
“I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.”
Tiberius
Reigned 14AD-37AD
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Step-son of Augustus
Emperor by hereditary rule
Adopted by Augustus, he was “out of
relatives”
Forced to divorce his wife and marry
Augustus’ daughter, Julia
Regulated businesses to prevent fraud
Ruled from Capri - left most of duties to
the Senate
Threw huge parties
Left Rome with $ and boundaries intact
Died 37AD - natural causes? Suffocated?
Caligula
Reigned 37AD-41AD
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Great-grandson of Augustus &
Mark Antony
Emperor by hereditary rule
Caligula means “little boots”
--named for the little military boots he wore as
child
Abolished sales tax
Allowed exiled Romans to return
Became crazier & crazier - lead poisoning?
Murdered Senators for their property
Gave away Roman provinces to childhood
friends
Made his horse Incatatus a consul or senator
Married his sister, later killed her
Thought he was Jupiter
Assassinated Jan. 1, 41AD by Praetorian Guard
Claudius
Reigned 41AD-54AD
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Step-grandson of Augustus & Tiberius’ nephew
Emperor by hereditary rule/Praetorian Guard
appointed him Emperor
-they found him hiding behind curtain
Had polio (?) as child-limped, stammered
-not “Emperor material”
Added Britain to Empire in 43AD
Took over Northern Africa
Built new harbor at Ostia & new aqueduct in
Rome
Granted citizenship to Gauls & allowed them
to be Senators
Killed 54AD by wife - fed him poisonous
mushrooms
Nero
Reigned 54AD-68AD
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Great-great-grandson of Augustus &
step-son of Claudius
Emperor by hereditary rule - his mother
killed Claudius to put him in power
Only 16 years old when became
Emperor
Wanted to be musician and artist
1st to persecute Christians-blamed them
for the fire in Rome in 64AD
Built huge palace using Romans’ $
Executed Peter & Paul
Playing violin while Rome was burning?
Committed suicide 68AD before Senate
could execute him
“What an artist Rome is losing!”
The Year of 4 Emperors - 69AD
Galba 68-69AD - lynched by soldiers in 69AD
Otho 69AD -bribed Praetorian Guard to make him Emperor
-committed suicide after being defeated by Vitellius
Vitellius 69AD -soldiers declared him Emperor
-killed by Vespasian
Vespasian 69AD-79AD
Vespasian
Reigned 69AD-79AD
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Army put him in power - Roman
General
Killed Vitellius in battle to become
Emperor
Began construction of Colosseum
on site of Nero’s pool
More interested in army than
Emperorship
Left Rome with a lot of money
Died 79AD of natural causes
“Oh my God(s), I think I’m becoming a God.”
Titus
Reigned 79AD-81AD
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Son of Vespasian
Emperor by hereditary rule
Romans thought he was cursed,
talked of assassinating him
-in 79AD-Mt. Vesuvius erupted,
destroyed Pompeii
-80AD-much of Rome destroyed by
fire
Colosseum opened during his reign - he
sponsored 100 days of gladiator games
Remembered as one of Rome’s most
beloved Emperors
Died 81AD of natural causes?
Arch of Titus
-Built 81AD to commemorate Titus putting down Jewish
rebellion in Palestine
"Senatus Populusque Romanus Divo Tito Divi Vespasiani Filio Vespasiano Augusto"
-The Roman Senate and People to Deified Titus, Vespasian Augustus, son of Deified
Vespasian
The plundering of the Jewish temple
Nerva
Reigned 96AD-98AD
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1st of the “Good Emperors”
Appointed Emperor by Senate
Started tradition of choosing
next Emperor and adopting
him (had no sons)
Gave loans to farmers
Used the interest on loans to
support the poor
Died 98AD of natural causes
Trajan
Reigned 98AD-117AD
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Adopted by Nerva as next Emperor –
Hereditary rule
1st non-Roman Emperor - Spanish
Famous Roman general
Increased Roman Empire’s size to its
largest size
Began building program throughout
Rome
Brought lots of gold/wealth to Rome
Given title “Optimus Princeps” by
Senate
Died 117AD of natural causes
Trajan’s Market
Trajan’s Market
Trajan’s Column
Hadrian - Reigned 117AD-138AD
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Adopted by Trajan to be
Emperor (Trajan’s nephew) –
Hereditary rule
2nd Emperor from Spain
Toured the Empire
Down-sized the Empire thought too big to take care of
Nicknamed “The Greekling”
Built borders for the Empire Hadrian’s Wall in Britain
Built roads, aqueducts,
temples, theaters
No wars fought - Roman
legions out of practice
Died 138AD of natural causes
“Defend not extend”
Hadrian’s Wall
Antoninus Pius
Reigned 138AD-161AD
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Adopted by Hadrian to be Emperor
– Hereditary rule
Interested in religion
Made Senate deify Hadrian
Spared Senators sentenced to
death by Hadrian
No wars fought - Roman legions
out of practice
Barbarians began envying Rome’s
wealth & success
Died 161AD of natural causes
Marcus Aurelius
Reigned 161AD-180AD
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Adopted by Antoninus Pius to be
Emperor – Hereditary rule
Last of the “Adopted Emperors”
Co-ruled with brother Lucius Verus
Followed teachings of Zeno and
Stoicism
Wrote book called “Meditations”
Fought many wars during his reign
Smallpox plague spread through
Empire - brought back by soldiers
Empire weakened and poor when
he died
Died 180AD of natural causes
Commodus
Reigned 180AD-192AD
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Son of Marcus Aurelius
Emperor by hereditary rule
Vicious and cruel - killed
ostrich in arena and showed it
to Senators to prove his power
Emperor in the movie “The
Gladiator”
Strangled by wrestling partner
in 192AD
Caracalla
Reigned 209AD-217AD
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Emperor by hereditary rule
(murdered his father)
Built brick wall in middle of
palace
Killed his brother so wouldn’t
have to co-rule
Granted Roman citizenship to all
free men - allow for more taxation
Ordered construction of largest
bath houses - Baths of Caracalla
(1500- 1600 people)
Killed in 217AD by soldiers
The Year of 6 Emperors - 238AD
Maximinus I - murdered - hacked to death in tent
Gordian I - suicide
Gordian II - murdered
Pupienus - murdered by Praetorian Guard
Balbinus - murdered
Gordian III - ruled until 244AD and then murdered
-All were put into power by the Senate
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Diocletian
Reigned 284AD-305AD
Made Emperor by soldiers (murdered
Emperor before him?) - Army
Split Empire in half - East & West because too big to run as one Empire
Rome-capital of Western Empire
Byzantium-capital of Eastern Empire
Ruled Eastern
Declared himself a God
Persecuted Christians
Appointed Maximian to rule Western
half
Appointed 2 junior Emperors
-“Rule of 4”
Only Emperor to voluntarily give up
position in 305AD
Died 311AD of natural causes
Diocletian divides the Roman Empire
Maximian
Reigned 285AD-305AD
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Appointed Emperor of
Western half by Diocletian
Ruled N. Africa, Europe,
Rome
Forced to retire when
Diocletian stepped down
Committed suicide in 305AD
Constantine - Reigned 306AD-337AD
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Soldiers declared him Emperor Army
Re-united the Empire
Moved the capital from Rome to
Byzantium and re-named it
Constantinople
1st Christian Roman Emperor
Made Christianity legal
Began phasing out gladiatorial
games
Lived in Eastern Roman Empire
so Rome and the Western Empire
became less important
Died in 337AD of natural causes
Divided the Empire between his 3
sons
Theodosius
Reigned 379AD-395AD
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Appointed as Emperor of the East
in 379AD (By Emperor)
Took control of Western Empire in
387AD
Last Emperor to rule over both
halves of Empire
Made Christianity the official
religion of the Roman Empire in
392AD
Banned all other religions
Banned the Olympic games in
393AD
Died in 395AD of natural causes
Romulus Augustulus
Reigned 475AD-476AD
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Father made him Emperor - only
about 14 years old
Last Emperor of the Roman Empire
Romans made fun of him
Deposed by Odoacer - the fall of
Rome and the end of the Western
Roman Empire
Exiled to Campania - date of death
unknown
The Appian Way
This was the
first major
Roman road it connected
Rome with SE
Italy
Roman aqueducts
This Roman-built structure is in modern-day France and was
powered by gravity (descended only 17 meters over 31 miles)