Roman
Civilization
CMS 206 /History
206
The Bad
Emperors
[note, you will only be
responsible [on the final exam] for material through and
including Vespasian.]
- The Julio-Claudians
- Augustus 63 BCE - 14 CE
[Gaius Octavius]
- 'Emperor' : 27 BCE - 14
CE
- Sources of power
- wealth (he obtained control of the
Egyptian treasury when he defeated Antony and Cleopatra
at Actium
- loyalty of his troops
- loyalty of citizenry
- citizens of the western part of
the empire had sworn allegiance to him personally
during the civil war
- perceived as author of peace
after a century of civil war
- greater access to power in Rome
for members of municipal elite and equites
- length of life and
reign
- constitutional innovations
- Formal Settlements
- 27 BCE
- Augustus retains imperium in
the provinces of Spain, Gaul, Egypt, Syria and
Cyprus for 10 years (Senate retains control of
rest)
- continuously consul from 31
to 23 BCE
- 23 BCE
- exchanges consular seat for
grant of proconsular imperium for 5 years and
rights and priviliges of a tribune of the
plebs
- Seriatim aquisition of priviliges
and powers
- pontifex maximus
- reauthorization of
imperiums
- periodic
consulships
- honorific titles (pater
patriae, Augustus)
- 'heir' identified by
- adoption
- shared consulship with
Augustus
- grant of tribune's rights and
priviliges
- granting of proconsular
imperium
- type of emperor
- established model of monarchy
based on role of proconsular governor
- maintain order (control of
army)
- made sure law courts functioned
(and acted as judge)
- attended games
- made sure religious obligations
fulfilled
- received foreign
embassies
- did not antagonize senatorial
elite's sense of self importance
- attended games, etc. (i.e.,
visible to and in contact with government)
- supported arts and literature as a
patron
- did not abuse judicial authority
against enemies
- Web Sites
- Tiberius 42 BCE - 37 CE
[Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus]
- 'Emperor': 14 CE - 37 CE
- Sources of power
- Augustus' heir
- adopted 4 CE, granted tribunal
authority and proconsular imperium
- in 13 CE his proconsular
imperium made coextensive with that of
Augustus
- loyalty of armies
- excellent and successful
military commander throughout his life (although there
was a revolt at the beginning of his
reign)
- wealth
- loyalty to Augustan
program
- willingness to characterize
Augustus as model, himself as humble servant of
it
- constitutional innovations
- Praetorian Guard stationed in Rome
(Sejanus, Praetorian Prefect)
- withdrawal from Rome to Capri
(adminstration through legates)
- many magistracies now appointed,
not elected
- rise of delatores and the
use of treason law (maiestas) against perceived
enemies
- refused divine honors and
honorific titles during his life
- type of emperor
- for most of reign was a good
adminstrator
- bungled designation of heir
(Sejanus, Caligula) [actually named Gaius and his
cousin Tiberius Gemellus co-heirs]
- not comfortable in dealings with
senatorial elite
- last six years of life may have
been mentally unstable (stories of sexual perversions and
paranoia in Capri)
- hated the Games
- Web Sites
- Caligula - 12 - 41 CE [Gaius Julius
Caesar Germanicus]
- 'Emperor': 37 CE - 41 CE
- Sources of power
- son of Germanicus (Tiberius'
brother) who was loved by the army and people. Gaius grew
up in army camps (hence his nickname, "Little
Boots")
- supported by Praetorian
Prefect
- donativum to army on
accession
- began reign with popular gestures
of pietas and clementia
- restoration of memory of family
members cut down during Tiberius' reign
- burning of Tiberius' private
papers (-> no more delatores)
- recall of political
exiles
- allowed publication of banned
(political authors)
- youth
- constitutional innovations
- making his horse a
senator
- type of emperor
- insane
- slept with his
sisters
- made his horse a
senator
- sought divine honors while
living
- 'stole' wives of senatorial
elite
- compelled senators who
accompanied him to jog alongside his chariot, or wait
on him at his table
- enjoyed sexual excess, sadism,
voyeurism
- contempt for senatorial
elite
- Gaius, unlike Tiberius, had
very little training, experience in public and
political life before accession
- alot of the stories about him
could be read as the gestures of a man who realizes
how much power he has, but has not the wit to disguise
the fact from everyone else
- as a general, somewhere between
lousy and crazy
- enthusiastic supporter of ludi and
munera
- assassinated by Praetorian Guard
(with tacit support of senators and imperial
freedmen)
- Web Sites
- Claudius - 10 BCE - 54 CE
- Emperor: 41 CE - 54 CE [Tiberius
Claudius Nero Germanicus]
- Sources of power
- brother of the much lamented
Germanicus; minimal experience in public life
- named Emperor by Praetorian Guard
[not clear if he plotted or was picked - he supported
the story that he was picked]. The urban cohorts
under the direction of the City Prefect deserted the
Senate to support Claudius
- acquired backing of military
through support of military expansion in
Britain
- constitutional innovations
- power of military in determining
princeps made explicit
- expansion of citizenship
throughout empire
- attempts to have the Senate do
some work
- Empress' public influence
acknowledged (e.g., Agrippina the Younger depicted on
coins)
- imperial freedmen play important
role in state bureaucracy
- type of emperor
- physically disabled [limped,
drooled and stuttered]
- scholar by temperment and lack of
anything else to do
- initiated conquest of Britain and
began establishment of territory as province
- very attentive to law courts (but
held sensitive cases in camera)
- attended games
- difficulties in dealing with
senatorial elite
- excellent manager of
provinces/foreign affairs
- very poor choice of wive's
(Messalina and Agrippina the Younger)
- adopted Agrippina's son (Nero),
shared consulship with him, granted him proconsular
imperium outside Rome [note, at expense of own son,
Britannicus]
- said to have been murdered by his
wife, Agrippina the Younger when Nero was 16
- Web Sites
- Nero - 37 CE - 68 CE [Nero Claudius
Caesar]
- Emperor: 54 - 68 CE
- Sources of power
- heir of Claudius
- support of Praetorian Prefect (
Sextus Afranius Burrus)
- youth
- constitutional innovations
- in first six years of reign,
differed to concilium of Seneca (his tutor) and
Burrus
- persecution of
Christians
- type of emperor
- Emperor as Rock Star
- enthusiastic patron of
arts
- personally appeared on
stage
- sexually prolifigate
- used treason laws against
perceived enemies
- neglected armies
- Web Sites
- The Year of Four Emperors
- Galba
- 3 BCE - 69 CE [Servius Sulpicius Galba]
- Otho
- 32 CE - 69 CE [Marcus Salvius Otho]
- Vitellius
- 15 CE - 69 CE [Aulus Vitellius]
- The Flavians
- Vespasian - 9 - 79 CE [Titus Flavius
Vespasianus]
- Emperor: 69 - 79 CE
- Sources of power
- army
- senatorial law granting him all
the rights and privileges of Julio-Claudian
emperors
- restoration of order
- constitutional innovations
- early and explicit designation of
biological son, Titus, as heir
- increased provincial
taxation
- revoked immunities from taxes and
obligations enjoyed by some members of senatorial elite
[reputation for "stinginess"]
- expansion of "Latin rights" in
provinces
- type of emperor
- complete control of
army
- civic rebuilding
programs
- reorganization of imperial
finances
- imperial support of education,
food relief for poor
- attentive to courts
- replaced senators killed by Nero,
Claudius and Caligula with members of provincial and
municipal elite
- style of 'living
simply'
- Web Sites
- Titus
- 39 CE - 81 CE [Titus Flavius Vespasianus]
- Domitian 51 - 96 CE [Titus Flavius
Domitianus]
- Emperor: 81 CE - 96 CE
- Sources of power
- son of Vespasian and brother of
Titus (but never received tribune's power or proconsular
imperium) [much experience in public life,
however]
- constitutional innovations
- civic rebuilding
program
- efforts to reform currency and
food distribution programs (not wildly successful, but he
left a surplus in the treasury)
- made himself "censor for
life"
- micro-managed provinces (but to
good effect)
- persecution of Jews (and perhaps
Christians)
- conscious effort to transfer
offices and power to equestrians
- type of emperor
- enthusiastic patron of
arts
- enthusiastic parton of religious
activities and ludi
- enthusiastic editor of
munera
- not a particularly good military
general
- deeply and publicly distrusted
senatorial elite (although didn't abuse them very
much)
- Web Sites
- The Five Good Emperors
- Nerva
- @30 - 98 CE [Marcus Cocceius Nerva ]
- Trajan - 98 -117 CE [Marcus Ulpius
Traianus]
- Emperor: 98 - 117 CE
- Sources of power
- adopted by Nerva (had been a
favorite of Domitian)
- popular with army
- wealth (successful campaigns in
Dacia -> gold)
- constitutional
innovations
- type of emperor
- civic rebuilding
programs
- excellent military
leader
- patron of arts
- expanded food support programs for
poor and educational support schemes for
children
- reduced taxes
- adopted Hadrian (husband of his
favorite niece)
- Web Sites
- Hadrian
- Emperor 117 - 38 CE
- Sources of power
- constitutional
innovations
- type of emperor
- Antoninus
Pius
- Emperor - 138-61 CE
- Sources of power
- constitutional
innovations
- type of emperor
- Marcus Aurelius
- Emperor - 161-80 CE
- Sources of power
- constitutional
innovations
- type of emperor
- Commodus 161 CE - 192 CE[Lucius Aelius
Aurilus Commodus]
- co-Emperor 177 - 180 CE
- Emperor 180 CE - 192
- Sources of power
- constitutional innovations
- type of emperor
- Pertinax 126 CE - 193 CE [Publius
Helvius Pertinax]
- Didius Julianus ? - 193 CE [Marcus
Didius Julianus]
- The Severans
- Lucius Septimius Severus 145/6 - 211
CE
- Emperor 193 - 211 CE
- Sources of power
- constitutional
innovations
- type of emperor
- Caracalla 217 CE[Marcus Aurelius
Antoninus]
- Macrinus
- Varius Avitus Bassianus
Elagabalus
- Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander 208/9
- 235
- The Wild and Crazy Years
- Maximinus
- Gordian I and Gordian II
- Pupienus
- Balbinus
- Gordian III
- Philip
- Decius
- Trebonianus Gallus
- Aemilianus
- Valerian
- Gallienus
- Claudius Gothicus
- Aurelian
- Tacitus
- Florianus
- Probus
- Carus
- Carinus
- Numerianus
- Diocletian
- Emperor 284 -305
- Sources of power
- constitutional innovations
- type of emperor
- Constantine the Great 285 - 337
[Flavius Valerius Constantinus]
- Emperor -
- of West - 312
- Entire Empire - 324 - 337
- Sources of power
- constitutional innovations
- type of emperor
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