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List of Roman Emperors 

For a simplified list see: Concise list of Roman Emperors. For more information, see History of the Roman Empire.
Emperor of the Roman Empire

Coat of Arms of the Roman Empire
Augustus of Prima Porta
First emperor Augustus
Last emperor Romulus Augustus
Emperorship started 14 BC
Emperorship ended 476 AD

The Roman Empire is a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The Roman Empire is considered to have begun with the creation of the Principate in 27 BC when Augustus began skillfully centralizing power, bringing an end to the Republic of Rome in fact but not appearance. Roman citizens would go on considering themselves under a republic for another 300 years.

The Latin term Imperium Romanum (Roman Empire), the best-known Latin expression was the word imperium denotes a territory, indicates the part of the world under Roman rule. Roman expansion began in the days of the Republic with their war with Carthage, but reached its zenith under Emperor Trajan. At this territorial peak, the Roman Empire controlled approximately 5,900,000 km² (2,300,000 sq mi) of the earth's surface.[1]

The Five Good Emperors is a term that refers to five consecutive emperors of the Roman Empire— Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. The term is first coined by the political philosopher, Niccolò Machiavelli, in 1503:

From the study this history we may also learn how a good government is to be established; for while all the emperors who succeeded to the throne by birth, except Titus, were bad, all were good who succeeded by adoption; as in the case of the five from Nerva to Marcus. But so soon as the empire fell once more to the heirs by birth, its ruin recommenced.[2]

In the late 3rd century AD, after the Crisis of the Third Century, Diocletian established the practice of dividing authority between two emperors, one in the western part of the empire and one in the east, in order to better administer the vast territory. For the next century this practice continued, with occasional periods in which one emperor assumed complete control. However, after the death of Theodosius I in 395, the two halves were permanently divided between his two sons, Honorius ruled in the west while Arcadius ruled in the east.[3] While the Eastern Empire flourished after the empire was divided the western had internal problems from the begin which lead to a civil war which would lead to the Western Roman Empires downfall in 476 AD when Odovacar took power.[4] The Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire lasted until 1453 with the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks.[5] When the Eastern Empire collapsed it gave birth to the successor state Empire of Trebizond. The Empire of Trebizond was conquered by Ottoman Turks in 1461.

Contents

Principate

Main article: Principate

Julio-Claudian dynasty

Main article: Julio-Claudian dynasty
Details Portrait Death
Possibly assassinated by poisoning
Possibly assassinated by suffocation
Murdered by his own soldiers
Suggested assassinated by poisoning
Committed suicide

Year of the Four Emperors

Main article: Year of the Four Emperors
Details Portrait Death
Murdered by Otho
Committed suicide
Murdered in the Forum
Peaceful death

Flavian dynasty

Main article: Flavian dynasty
Details Portrait Death
Peaceful death
Assassinated

Nervan-Antonian dynasty

Main article: Nervan-Antonian dynasty
Main article: Five Good Emperors
Details Portrait Death
Peaceful death
Assassinated: strangled by a wrestler

Severan dynasty

Main article: Severan dynasty family tree
Details Portrait Death
Murdered by soldiers on the Palatine
Sentenced to death by the Senate; murdered on the Palatine
Peaceful death
Assassinated
Murdered by Caracalla
Executed
  • Reign: May 217 AD - June 218 AD
  • Common name: Diadumenian
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR MARCVS OPELLIVS ANTONINVS DIADVMENIANVS CAESAR SEVERVS
Assassinated

Crisis of the Third Century

Emperors during the height of the Crisis

Main article: Crisis of the Third Century
Main article: Roman Emperor (Crisis of the Third Century)
Details Portrait Death
Assassinated
  • Reign: Early January/March 238 AD - late January/April 238 AD
  • Common name: Gordian I
  • Birthplace: Phrygia
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS SEMPRONIANVS AFRICANVS
 Committed suicide
  • Reign: Early January March 238 AD - late January/April 238 AD
  • Common name: Gordian II
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS SEMPRONIANVS AFRICANVS
 Killed in battle
  • Reign: Early February 238 AD - early May 238 AD
  • Common name: Pupienus Maximus
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS CLODIVS PVPIENVS MAXIMVS AVGVSTVS
 Murdered by the Praetorians
  • Reign: Early February 238 AD - early May 238 AD
  • Common name: Balbinus
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Reign: May 238 AD - February 244 AD
  • Common name: Gordian III
  • Birthplace: Rome
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS , PIVS FELIX , AVGVSTVS
 Unknown; possibly murdered
  • Reign: February 244 AD - September/October 249 AD
  • Common name: Philip the Arab
  • Birthplace: Shahba, Syria
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS IVLIVS PHILLIPVS , PIVS FELIX, INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
 Killed in battle
  • Reign: 251 AD
  • Common name: Hostilian
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR CAIVS VALENS HOSTILIANVS MESSIVS QVINTVS AVGVSTVS
 Peaceful death
  • Reign: June 251 AD - August 253 AD
  • Common name: Trebonianus Gallus
  • Birthplace: Italia
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS VIBIVS TREBONIANVS GALLVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
 Murdered by his own soldiers
  • Reign: July 251 AD - August 253 AD
  • Common name: Volusianus
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS VIBIVS AFINIVS GALLVS VELDVMNIANVS VOLVSIANVS AVGVSTVS
  • Reign: August 253 AD - October 253 AD
  • Common name: Aemilianus
  • Birthplace: Africa
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS AEMILIVS AEMILIANVS , PIVS FELIX, INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
  • Reign: 253 AD - June 260 AD
  • Common name: Valerian
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR PVBLIVS LICINIVS VALERIANVS, PIVS FELIX, INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
 Captured by Persians: died in captivity
  • Reign: 253 AD - September 268 AD
  • Common name: Gallienus
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR PVBLIVS LICINIVS EGNATIVS GALLIENVS, PIVS FELIX, INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
 Assassinated
  • Reign: 260 AD
  • Common name: Saloninus
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name:IMPERATOR CAESAR CORNELIVS LICINIVS SALONINVS VALERIANVS, PIVS FELIX, INVICTVS AVGVSTVS

Dominate

Main article: Dominate

Tetrarchy and Constantinian dynasty

Main article: Tetrarchy
Main article: Constantinian dynasty
Details Portrait Death
Peaceful death
Abdicated.
Peaceful death
Murdered or forced to commit suicide in captivity
Died in a battle by drowning in the Tiber
  • Reign: 307 AD - 308 AD
  • Common name: Maximian
  • Birthplace: near Sirmium, Pannonia
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS AVRELIVS VALERIVS MAXIMIANVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
 Forced to commit suicide
Executed
Committed suicide
  • Reign: December 316 AD - 1 March 317 AD
  • Common name: Valerius Valens
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR AVRELIVS VALERIVS VALENS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
 Executed
  • Reign: July - 18 September 324 AD
  • Common name: Martinianus
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR SEXTVS MARCIVS MARTINIANVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Killed in battle
Peaceful death
  • Reign: 337 AD - 350 AD
  • Common name: Constans
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: Constans|IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS IVLIVS CONSTANS AVGVSTVS
 Killed by Magnentius
Committed suicide
Unknown
Peaceful death

Valentinian dynasty

Main article: Valentinian dynasty
Details Portrait Death
Peaceful death
Killed in battle
Assassinated
Deposed; died in suspicious circumstances

Theodosian dynasty

Main article: Theodosian dynasty
Details Portrait Death
Peaceful death
  • Reign: 383 AD - January 395 AD
  • Common name: Arcadius
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS ARCADIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS

Western Empire

Main article: Western Roman Empire
Details Portrait Death
  • Reign: 395 AD - 15 August 423 AD
  • Common name: Honorius
  • Birthplace: Unknown
  • Imperial name: IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS HONORIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS
 Peaceful death
Assassinated
Stoned to death
Execution
Unknown: killed or died of dysentery
Unknown: poisoned by Ricimer or died of natural causes
Executed
Peaceful death
Assassinated
Fate unknown

Eastern Empire

Main article: Eastern Roman Empire
Main article: List of Byzantine Emperors

References

  • Chris Scarre, Chronicle of the Roman Emperors, Thames & Hudson, 1995, Reprinted 2001, ISBN 0-500-05077-5
  • Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, Penguin Classics, Michael Grant Publications Ltd, 1971, Reprinted 1985, ISBN 0-14-044060-7
  • Martha Ross, Rulers and Governments of the World, Vol.1 Earliest Times to 1491, Bowker, 1978, ISBN 0-85935-021-5
  • Clive Carpenter, The Guinness Book of Kings Rulers & Statesmen, Guinness Superlatives Ltd, 1978, ISBN 0-900424-46-X
  • R.F.Tapsell, Monarchs Rulers Dynasties and Kingdoms of The World, Thames & Hudson, 1981, Reprinted 1987, ISBN 0-500-27337-5
  1. ^ "The Roman Empire and its citizens". aboutroma.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-24.
  2. ^ Machiavelli, Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livy, Book I, Chapter 10
  3. ^ Chester G. Starr, A History of the Ancient World, Second Edition. Oxford University Press, 1974. pp. 670-678.
  4. ^ Isaac Asimov. Asimov's Chronology of the World. Harper Collins, 1989. p. 110.
  5. ^ Asimov, p. 198.

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


Roman Emperors by Epoch
see also: List of Roman Emperors · Concise list of Roman Emperors · Roman Empire
Principate Crisis of the 3rd century Dominate Division Successors
v • d • e
Western and Eastern Roman Emperors
Principate
27 BC – 235
Crisis
235–284
Dominate
284–395
Western Empire
395–476
Eastern/
Byzantine Empire
395–1204

Arcadius · Theodosius II · Marcian · Leo I · Leo II · Zeno · Basiliscus · Anastasius I · Justin I · Justinian I · Justin II · Tiberius II Constantine · Maurice · Phocas · Heraclius · Constantine III · Heraklonas · Constans II · Constantine IV · Justinian II · Leontios · Tiberios III · Philippikos · Anastasios II · Theodosios III · Leo III the Isaurian · Constantine V · Artabasdos · Leo IV the Khazar · Constantine VI · Irene · Nikephoros I · Staurakios · Michael I Rangabe · Leo V the Armenian · Michael II · Theophilos · Theodora I · Michael III · Basil I · Leo VI the Wise · Alexander · Constantine VII · Romanos I · Romanos II · Nikephoros II · John I Tzimiskes · Basil II · Constantine VIII · Zoe · Romanos III · Michael IV · Michael V · Constantine IX · Theodora II · Michael VI · Isaac I · Constantine X · Michael VII · Romanos IV · Nikephoros III · Alexios I · John II · Manuel I · Alexios II · Andronikos I · Isaac II · Alexios III Angelos · Alexios IV · Nikolaos Kanabos · Alexios V
Empire of Nicaea
1204–1261
Byzantine Empire
1261–1453
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