Roman Emperors

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was the first roman emperor to be born outside Italy and was born in the region now known as France in 10 BC.

His reign lasted from 41 to 54 and only came about after the assassination of Caligula. This was only because he was the last surviving male in his family after the killing of many other roman nobles during the reigns of Tiberius and Caligula. He reportedly had a form of disability and was never expected to become emperor.

During his reign Britain was conquered which saw an expansion of the empire and he took a genuine interest in law and order, even with this behind him other nobility saw his as a vulnerable ruler.

His vulnerability was influenced by his disability which was one thought of as polio but has more recently been revised and is considered to have been cerebral palsy. He was described as both generous and quick to anger, overly trusting but also bloodthirsty with a love of gladiatorial combat.

He is known as the first emperor who used bribery to retain his army’s loyalty and helped increase the number of roman citizens after granting blanket citizenship to new roman colonies.

His death in 54 is said to have been instigated by his final wife Agrippina and was in the form of poisoning.

Full name Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, but known as Caligula, he ruled from 37 to 41n and was the adoptive grandson of Augustus.He was the third roman emperor and was known for his extravagance eccentricity depravity and cruelty, his reign ended in 41 after his assassination by his own guards

Alleged to have had incestuous relations with his sisters he was also alleged to have been thinking about appointing his favourite horse to a seat on the senate. Most accounts of his reign are made up of things that allegedly happened as opposed to an actual documented history.

His name comes from the word ‘calugula’ meaning little soldier’s boot, a nickname that was given to him at the age of three when his parents would take him on military campaigns and dress him up in a small soldiers uniform including boots and armour.

The step son of Augustus, Tiberius would marry the only natural child of Augustus, Julia. Augustus would later on adopt Tiberius as his own son and though born a “Claudian” (one of the oldest families in Rome) this act of adoption would make Tiberius a “Julian”. Emperors after Tiberius would continue the inter-marrying between these two families and historians refer to this period of time as the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

Once Augustus died, Tiberius took over power in 14 AD and is recognised as one of Rome’s greatest generals after laying foundations for the northern frontier after campaigning in Pannonia, Illyricum, Rhaetia and Germania.

He is remembered by one account as “the gloomiest of men” who never wanted the power of an Emperor. From 23 when his son passed away, his leadership skills slowly became dormant and he exiled himself from Rome in 26.

Born in 63 BC and originally named Gaius Octavius, he was the son of Gaius Octavius the governor of Macedonia and Atia, the niece of Julius Caesar.

In 44 BC, while studying, Caesar was assassinated and as he had no legitimate son to pass on his power to, his will determined that Gaius Octavius would become his heir. Mark Antony would later claim that the adoption was earned through sexual favours, a claim that was described by Suetonius as political slander.

He married three times, the first marriage to Clodia, Antony’s step daughter was never consummated and he divorced her to marry Scribonia, to who Octavius would have his only natural child Julia. The same day that Julia was born he divorced Scribonia to marry Livia.

In 31 BC the western half of the Roman Republic territory swore allegiance to Octavius and after the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra the east followed suit. After years of lack of authority however, both sides were reluctant to give Octavius complete and absolute power but his position demanded that he look after the well being of the territory. He marched on to Rome where he demanded the senate name him a consul, this was to mean that he would be required to give up personal armies but would have legal command of the legions of Rome.

In 27 BC he officially returned power to the senate which led to riots among his supporters and a compromise known as the First Settlement was reached which gave him authority over the west. This was the time that the senate gave him the title of Augustus which had more religious meaning than political.

He ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!