Roman Emperors
Tiberius on the terrace of his villa in Capri
The Roman Empire lasted for almost 500 years, during which time it saw 140 emperors. Over 30 were assassinated, executed, murdered or poisoned, and several went mad. The Empire was eventually divided into two parts – the Western Roman Empire, which ended when the Germanic warlord Odoacer defeated Romulus Augustus, in AD 476, and the Eastern Roman Empire, which continued until the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453.
Augustus
Rome’s first emperor, Augustus (r.27 BC–AD 14), only found out that he had been adopted by Julius Caesar after Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC. Then known as Octavian, he joined forces with Caesar’s supporters – Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus – and defeated the assassins. However, disagreements developed and Octavian became sole leader after Lepidus was driven into exile and Mark Antony committed suicide in 31 BC.
He is generally considered the best of Rome’s emperors, an intelligent man who brought stability to the Roman Empire. He and his wife, Livia, lived a frugal life in a modest house on the Palatine Hill. He insisted that Livia and his daughter, Julia, spun and wove cloth, and lived mostly on bread, dates and grapes.
Tiberius
Augustus prepared his stepson Tiberius (r.14–37) to rule the Roman Empire by sending him to lead armies abroad, and he is remembered as a great general. However, when Augustus forced him to divorce his wife and marry another woman, Tiberius fled to the island of Rhodes in Greece, saying that he wanted nothing more to do with the Empire.
When Augustus died he returned to rule as emperor, but he had a half-hearted approach to his job, and eventually ran off to the island of Capri and spent his days swimming, reading and listening to music, often with his nephew Caligula.
Caligula
According to an astrologer, Caligula (r.37–41) had as much chance of becoming emperor as he had of crossing the bay of Baiae on horseback. So, as soon as he became emperor, he had a pontoon bridge strung across the bay and spent the next two days riding his horse across it. As time went on, he became more insane and cruel. He was eventually assassinated.
Nero
Nero (r.54–68) was another mad emperor, who once tried to race around the Circus Maximus in a chariot pulled by camels. He was blamed for starting a great fire in Rome in AD 64, so that he could build a new capital. He began with the Domus Aurea and erected a giant statue of himself, the Colossus of Nero. Nero killed his wife and mother, ordered the Senate to commit suicide and then killed himself.
Vespasian
Emperor Vespasian (r.69–79) built the Colosseum over what had been a lake in the grounds of the Domus Aurea, to show Romans that a new era had begun and that their lives were going to improve. He was famous for levying a tax on the urine that was collected for the cloth trade in public toilets.
Domitian
Domitian (r.81–96) was a vindictive, paranoid man who was terrified of being assassinated. He certainly had a talent for making enemies – he stole his wife from another man, and then had him killed for complaining! Consequently, when Domitian built the Domus Flavia, he had the walls of the courtyard lined with selenite, so that he could see if anyone was creeping up behind him. In the end he was assassinated in his bedroom. His wife was a suspect!
Trajan
Spanish by birth, Trajan (r.98–117)was one of the greatest Roman emperors and under him the Roman Empire became bigger than ever. He commissioned many important new buildings in Rome – Trajan’s Column, Trajan’s Markets and the Baths of Trajan. He was also the first emperor to think about the welfare of the people, and founded the alimenta, a corn dole for the urban poor.
Hadrian
Trajan’s successor was another excellent emperor, an intellectual as well as a great soldier. Hadrian (r.117–138) had huge passion for Greek culture and architecture and is credited with the design of the Pantheon. He also created the Villa Adriana, to which he would escape to read and think.
The Maritime Theatre in the Villa Adriana, created by Emperor Hadrian
Diocletian
By the time Diocletian (r.284–305)came to the throne, the Empire was in a sorry state. One of the first things he did was to introduce price controls. Eventually Diocletian decided that the only way to manage the Empire would be to split it into two halves, the Western Empire, with its capital in Rome, and the Eastern Empire, with its capital in Byzantium. He also believed that the rise in Christianity was to blame for the instability of the Empire. He was responsible for martyring more Christians than any other emperor.
Constantine
The Empire was re-united under Constantine (r.306–337) and he moved the capitol to Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople. Rome’s days as the most important city in the world were clearly over. He was the first emperor to convert to Christianity and issued the Edict of Milan in AD 313, officially tolerating Christianity in the Empire.
Statue of Emperor Constantine, St Peter’s