NOTE ON IMPERIAL TITLES AND PLACE NAMES

 

IMPERIAL ROMAN TITLES EVOLVED OVER TIME. The title AUGUSTUS (Latin for “majestic”, “the increaser”, or “venerable”) is the equivalent of the modern “Emperor,” and was conferred on the first emperor, Octavian (great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar), by the Roman senate in 27 BC. Every emperor after held the title of Augustus, which always followed the family name. The first emperor conferred the title AUGUSTA on his wife, Livia, in his will. Other imperial wives (but not all) earned this supreme title. By the fifth century, sisters and daughters also could be elevated to this status, but only by a sitting Augustus. I use Emperor/Empress and Augustus/Augusta interchangeably throughout the text.

Octavian took his adoptive father’s name, Gaius Julius Caesar, but later dropped the Gaius Julius. CAESAR became the imperial family name and was passed on by adoption. When the Julio-Claudian line died out, subsequent emperors took the name as a sign of status on their accession, adoption, or nomination as heir apparent. By the fifth century, it was the title given to any official heir to the Augustus (it’s also the root of the modern titles Kaiser and Czar.)

Children of imperial families were usually given the title NOBILISSIMUS/NOBILISSIMA (“Most Noble”—boy/girl). This is the closest equivalent to the modern Prince/Princess, though not an exact match. The title was usually conferred some years after birth, in anticipation that the child would take on higher office (Caesar or Augustus for a boy, Augusta for a girl). I generally use the modern title Princess instead of Nobilissima throughout the text.

There is no direct Roman equivalent for the title Regent—someone who legally rules during the absence, incapacity, or minority of a country's monarch. In Imperial Rome, an underage Augustus is still ruler in his own name. He must sign all laws and declarations for them to be legal. In reality, adults stepped into the role and administered the empire for minors. Placidia Augusta filled that role for her son Valentinian Augustus III (Twilight Empress). Anthemius does that for Theodosius II in Dawn Empress. The legal Roman term for that person is tutela meaning “guardian” or “tutor” for an adult (usually a man) who handled the affairs of someone (usually women and children) who would ordinarily be under the legal protection and control of the pater familias,(male head of the family) but who were legally emancipated. I chose to use the more familiar term Regent throughout this book.

With one exception (Constantinople for modern Istanbul), I chose to use the modern names of cities and the anglicized rather than Latin names of provinces.