-
Augustus became the first emperor of Rome when his adopted father, Julius Caesar, was murdered on the Senate floor. His real name was Octavian but he was given the name 'Augustus' by the honor for his great achievements. He used his rule wisely and built roads, aqueducts, and buildings. Not only was Augustus the first, but he was certainly one of the best.
-
Naro was known to be very friendly to people from all stations of life and possessed the ability to remember almost everyone's name whom he met. He was a great supporter of the arts and staged elaborate production for the people's enjoyment. As his reign continued, though, his behavior became bizarre. He killed, among others, his mother, and it has been said that he sang when the Great Fire of Rome ravaged through the city. He blamed the fire on the Christians and had many killed, either by
-
crucifixion, beheading, or being "thrown to the dogs." Regardless, he had clearly become mentally incapacitated. After unsuccessfully ordering members of the Senate to kill themselves, he died by suicide.
-
The Roman emperor Trajan was the first non-Italian emperor. Trajan was always on the offensive as he expanded Rome's territory to its farthest limits. He was a former soldier who used his military expertise to win campaigns and acquire many new lands. The Roman people gave Trajan the title "Optimus Princeps," which means "the best of princes." This clearly attests to his popularity among the people.
-
Trajan set up cash accounts to help raise poor children, created schools to educate orphans, assisted poor farmers, and returned property confiscated by previous emperors.
-
Hadrian was certainly among the best
educated of all the Roman emperors. He
was a great patron of the arts, especially
architecture. His interest in Greek culture
created a fondness for classical statues
and architecture, and he supervised the
construction of an assortment of
buildings, including the Pantheon in Rome. -
Hadrian became emperor following the death of
Trajan, and he is perhaps most well known for the
construction of a defensive wall in Britain which
is known as Hadrian's Wall; the wall was built to
protect the Roman Empire from invasions from
tribes to the north. As a ruler, Hadrian turned out to be relatively
peaceful. He reversed the expansionist policies
of the previous ruler, Trajan, which meant
Rome stopped looking to acquire new land
through warfare. -
Commodus was the son of Marcus Aurelius, one of
Rome’s greatest rulers. He adored the gladiatorial
games so much that he personally entered many of
them and fought alongside the gladiators! Gladiators
were mostly all criminals and enslaved people. This
severely offended the entire Empire, especially the
Senate. -
Commodus once ordered all disabled people,
hunchbacks, and all other “undesirables” in the city
to be rounded up, thrown into the arena, and forced
to hack one another to death with meat cleavers.
He especially enjoyed killing animals as he once
slaughtered 100 lions in one day. -
Diocletian came to power at a difficult time in the Empire’s history. There were civil wars in the provinces and the Empire’s economy was near collapse. He was able to establish peace and stabilize the economy. He divided the empire in two halves in order to administer it more effectively. This is what led toward the creation of separate Eastern (Byzantine) and Western (Roman) Empires.
-
However, he is also known for intensifying the persecution of Christians, who still refused to worship an emperor or official Roman gods. He demanded that all Christians convert to the Roman religion.
When Christians refused, Diocletian ordered their execution
by crucifixion and beheading. He also enjoyed in their torture at the
Circus Maximus and Colosseum where many were fed to lions,
much to the delight of the Roman citizens who worshipped Roman
gods. -
The murders did not truly stop until Constantine’s rise to absolute
power in 324. -
Constantine the Great was the first Christian
emperor of the Empire. He decided to move
the capital of the empire from Rome to a
town called Byzantium, which he later renamed
after himself - Constantinople. Constantine
saw this move as essential since
Byzantium was located on the trade routes from East to West.
For his many achievements he is known as 'Constantine the
Great' and in the Christian church he is known as 'Saint
Constantine.” -
This is because he made Christianity the official religion of the Empire and ended the persecution of Christians.
Want to make a timeline like this?
Use Timetoast to turn dates, events, milestones, and phases into a clear visual timeline you can build and share. Timetoast is a timeline maker for work, school, research, and stories.