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Emperors from the family of Julius Caesar, including Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and ending with Nero. This family was made from the aristocratic society of Rome, thus causing a gap between the government and the people.
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In response to a conspiracy that left 2 principals executed, Augustus relinquished his consulship and was granted an empire-wide proconsular power for 5 years.
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This epic poem, commissioned by Augustus and written by Virgil, is the quintessential Roman text, still studied today by Latin scholars around the world
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The exact date is questionable, but most scholars estimate late November, 5 BC based on the death of Harod the Great in 4 BC
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After reworking the structure of the Army, Augustus established the aerarium militare, a public treasury, to pay the wages of soldiers. This continued the practice started in 14BC of giving cash payments to soldiers rather than land grants.
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Augustus died a natural death at the age of 76
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In an attempt to become Tiberius' heir, Sejanus poisoned the Emperor's son Drusus. Sejanus' ultimate plan was to seduce Drusus's wife Livilla, but when he asked for Tiberius's permission to marry her in 25, he was rejected.
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After Sejanus' plot, Tiberius was left depressed, betrayed, and paranoid. He moved out of Rome, never to return, leaving Sejanus in charge until his schemes were discovered.
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This occurred either on or the day after Passover, depending on which Gospel is used.
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Tiberius died a natural death at the age of 77
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After the death of Caligula's favorite sister Drusilla, Caligula deified the first woman in Roman history. Her divinity was not recognized after the death of Caligula, however, because of the total disregard of Roman tradition.
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While the Roman army did not invade Britain, the campaign led to the eventual annexation of the island in 43. Caligula's leadership on the front lines led to soldiers spending their time collecting sea shells.
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Caligula and his wife and daughter were murdered by soldiers when leaving a sporting event. He was 28.
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While the entire island was never added to the Roman Empire, Claudius's campaign in Britain proved successful in expanding the empire and earning the young emperor military success.
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While Claudius was in Ostia, his wife Messalina put on a wedding between herself and Gaius Silius. This political mistake forced all involved in this ordeal to be executed and Claudius to quickly find a new wife.
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Claudius was supposedly poisoned by his wife Agrippina so that her son Nero could ascend to the throne. he was 63.
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Wishing to prove himself independent of his mother's influence and win the hand of Poppaea Sabina, Nero conspired to drown his mother in the Bay of Naples, and when that plan failed, he sent sailors to club her to death.
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This fire lasted for 9 days and ruined 10 of Rome's 14 districts, including the Temple of Jupiter Stator and the Atrium Vestae. Legend has it that Emperor Nero started the fire as a way to get around the senate in order to build a massive palace for himself. He did build himself a glorious network of villas and parks immediately after the fire razed the city. Lore tells us the Nero happily watched his city burn while playing merrily on his fiddle.
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Nero blamed the Great Fire of Rome on the Christian population and subsequently began brutally murdering Christians. This persecution would continue until Emperor Constantine published the Edict of Milan in 313.
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Nero committed suicide at the age of 30 to end the Julio-Claudian Dynasty.
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At the age of 70, Galba was murdered in a conspiracy to put Otho in power.
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At the age of 54, Vitellius was murdered by supporters of Vespasian after attempting to disguise himself as a doorkeeper.
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After devestating fighting between Otho and Vitellius, Otho committed suicide, rather than cause a civil war, at the age of 36
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In an effort to make up for the reckless spending of Nero, Galba denied soldiers in Upper Germany who had fought against Vindex their cash rewards, thus alienating the military and creating an enemy for him in these troops. These troops thus joined Vitellius and his Lower German troops in their battle for power.
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In order to establish peace and order to Rome after the turmoil of early 69, Vitellius pardoned Otho's brother and key supporter, Salvius Titianus. This attempted to bring an end to any political craziness of the last year.
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4 different men were emperor in 69 AD, sometimes overlapping, thus causing political unrest and confusion. The 4 emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian.
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Including Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, the Flavians were Roman gentry as opposed to the nobility of the Julio-Claudians, so they were seen as more connected with the people. They brought a period of stability to Rome after the turmoil of Nero and the year of 4 emperors.
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This completely destroyed any thoughts of uprising among the Jews in Israel and began a period of fear and persecution of Jews.
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In an attempt to rebuild Rome after the turmoil of civil wars, Vespasian commissioned the construction of the Flavian Amphitheater to host games in the city. It was partially funded by the ransack of the Jewish Temple in Jersusalem.
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This volcano completely buried the city of Pompeii, but the ashes actually preserved the city as it stood in 79. The city was rediscovered in 1595.
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Vespasian died a natural death at the age of 69.
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At the opening of the Colosseum after additions were made, Titus called for a grand festival, which included sea fights in the ampitheater, infantry battles, wild beast hunts, and more. This boosted morale in the city and created a positive image for the emperor.
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During the reign of Titus, another fire ravaged the city, which encouraged the emperor to pour money into rebuilding the city and earning him a positive reputation within the city.
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Titus died a natural death at the age of 41
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In an effort to connect Jupiter's power and divinity to his reign, Domitian put on the Ludi Capitolini (Capitoline Games) every 4 years. Similar to the Olympics, the Games included chariot races and gymnastics, as well as music and poetry.
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In an effort to bring military excellence to his reign, Domitian launched an attack on the Suebian Marcomanni and Quadi while working out treaties with the Dacian king to avoid total war. These conflicts would lead to at least one more war, and a third campaign is suggested by not proven.
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At the age of 44, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy, but there are no definite conspirators known.
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First of the 5 Good Emperors
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In an effort to maintain a balanced budget, Nerva began cutting back on the spending of the empire. He abolished many sacrifices, races, and games, hoping to help the urban poor with tax breaks.
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Nerva died a natural death at the age of 67
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One of the few public works Nerva was able to complete in his short reign was the dedication of the forum built by Domitian that connected the Forum of Augustus with the Forum of Peace/.
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Second of the 5 Good Emperors
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This period was the reign of 5 basically unrelated men who were political allies, which included Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Lucius Aelius, and Antoninus Pius
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after 5 years of war, struggle, and rebellion, Trajan pushed the Dacian king to commit suicide and finally forfeit his kingdom to the empire.
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Wanting to return to his former military achievement and rival Alexander the Great, Trajan led a campaign against Parthia that lasted 4 years and resulted in the convincing defeat of Parthia and expansion of the empire. However, Hadrian would abandon this conquest in an effort to consolidate the empire.
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Trajan died a natural death at the age of 63.
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Third of the 5 Good Emperors
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In order to mark the boundaries of the empire, Hadrian had this wall built to mark the end of the Roman Empire in Britain.
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A young friend of Hadrian drowned while on a Nile cruise with the emperor. Although rumors of the nature of their relationship and his death were rampant (a homosexual relationship, sacrificing himself to save/extend Hardian's life, etc.), the young man's death was devastating to Hadrian, and Antinous was deified after the death.
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Hadrian died a natural death at the age of 62.