1. The Emperors of Rome
Professor Will Adams
Valencia College
Fall 2011
2. The beginnings of empire
• As the Roman territory
expanded in the 1st
century BC, more riches
flowed into the country
from all over the world.
• A new wealthy class
emerged, building
mansions and vast estates
called latifundia.
• They forced people
captured in war to work
on the latifundia.
3. The beginnings of empire
• The use of slave labor hurt
small farmers, who were
unable to produce food as
cheaply as the latifundia.
• To make matters
worse, huge quantities of
grain were pouring into
Rome from other parts of
the empire, lowering the
price of grain.
• Many Roman farmers were
forced into debt and forced
to sell their land.
4. The beginnings of empire
• Thousands of poor
farmers poured into
the city of Rome
itself, looking for jobs.
• They joined a restless
class of
unemployed, angry
people, and riots
began to break out.
5. The beginnings of empire
• Two brothers, Tiberius
and Gaius Gracchus
were plebian tribunes
who tried to reform the
Roman government.
• Tiberius called on the
state to break up the
latifundia and give the
land to the farmers.
• Gaius wanted to use tax
money to buy grain for
the poor.
6. The beginnings of empire
• The Senate saw them as a
threat.
• Tiberius was clubbed to
death with 300 of his
supporters in the Forum.
• Gaius led a riot when he was
failed to win a third term.
• A consul sent in a group of
soldiers to slaughter Gaius'
followers.
• Upon seeing this, Gaius
ordered a slave to kill him.
7. The beginnings of empire
• Unable to resolve these issues, and growing
increasingly violent, Rome plunged into a series of
civil wars.
• At issue was who should hold power - the
Senate, which wanted to govern as it had in the
past, or popular political leaders who wanted to
weaken the Senate and enact reforms.
• In the midst of this conflict, slave uprisings broke
out in Rome, and different areas of the empire
began to revolt.
• Rome was in peril.
8. The beginnings of empire
• In 58 BC, a popular
Roman military
leader named
Julius Caesar set
out with his army
to restore order.
9. The beginnings of empire
• First, he launched a nine-year war to conquer
Gaul, the area now called France and Belgium.
• Then, Caesar swept around the
Mediterranean, suppressing the rising
rebellions. He returned to Rome victorious, with
the announcement:
“Veni, vidi, vici!”
(I came, I saw, I conquered!)
• He then forced the Senate to name him
Dictator, and was, in fact, an absolute ruler.
10. The beginnings of empire
• Caesar immediately set out to
repair the Empire.
• He launched a program to put
jobless people to work on
building projects for the public
good (called public works
jobs)
• He granted Roman citizenship
to more people in the Empire.
• He also introduced the Julian
calendar, which is still the
basis for our calendar today.
• The month of July is named in
his honor.
11. The beginnings of empire
• While on his
conquests, Caesar went
as far as Egypt, where he
met the embattled
Egyptian
queen, Cleopatra.
• He helped her to re-
secure her throne, they
subsequently had a child
named Caesarian, and he
set her up as Queen of
Egypt & an ally of Rome.
12. The beginnings of empire
• Meanwhile, the Senate was
still in place, but was totally
powerless.
• Caesar's enemies feared he
would declare himself
king, and plotted against
him.
• Also, Caesar's relationship
with Cleopatra worried the
Romans.
• Many feared this Egyptian
would soon be Queen of
Rome.
13. The beginnings of empire
• On March 15, 44 BC (known as
The Ides of March), a group of
senators led by Caesar's friend
Marcus Brutus murdered him
on the Senate floor.
• That day, Caesar took his seat in
the Senate.
• The Senator Cimber approached
him to ask a question, and all
the conspirators crowded
around Caesar.
14. The beginnings of empire
• The Senator Cimber grabbed
him by the shoulders and
Caesar yelled his last words:
This is violence!
• Then, one of the Casca
brothers stabbed him just
below the throat and Caesar
fell, drawing his gown over
his head as the Senators
stabbed him.
• He said nothing.
• There was no “Et tu Brute?"
15. The beginnings of empire
• After Caesar's death, his
grand-nephew (and adopted
son & heir) Octavian and his
friend Marc Antony tracked
down the murderers, defeated
their armies, and killed them.
• Following that, Marc Antony's
armies travelled as far as
Egypt.
• He fell in love with Cleopatra
and they married, even though
he was already married (to
Octavian's sister, Octavia.)
16. The beginnings of empire
• After a short time, Octavian waged
war on Marc Antony, and defeated
him in the naval Battle of Actium in
31 BC, after which Antony and
Cleopatra both committed suicide.
• Apparently, Cleopatra provoked
Antony's suicide by pretending to
be dead.
• He fell on his sword when he was
told.
• Cleopatra tried to negotiate with
Octavian, and when she was
unsuccessful, she had a servant
smuggle an asp in a basket of figs
into her room.
• She let it bite her and died.
17. An empire emerges
• The Senate appointed Octavian
sole consul, but he is commonly
known as the first Roman
Emperor.
• He conquered huge chunks of
new territory, and under his rule
the empire stretched from Syria to
Spain, and from Egypt to the
Danube River.
• He never called himself
Emperor, but Princeps, meaning
"First Citizen.“
• He was so loved by the Romans
that the Senate gave him the title
Augustus, or "Revered One.“
• He is known as Caesar Augustus.
18. An empire emerges
• The reign of Caesar Augustus
starts a period known as the Pax
Romana, or "Roman Peace.“
• This period lasted about 200
years, but cost the Romans the
powers of the Senate and the
Assemblies.
• Emperor Augustus died in 14
AD, and for the next 54
years, relatives of Julius Caesar
ruled the empire.
• These emperors were all-
powerful, and some greatly
abused their power.
19. An empire emerges
• Following Augustus’s
death, Tiberius, his
adopted son, becomes
Emperor of Rome and ruled
from 14 - 37 AD.
• He was an adequate but
disliked ruler.
• He was unpopular with the
Roman people because he
spent little money on public
games, yet he was a good
administrator and
economist.
20. An empire emerges
• Then came Caligula, whose
name means “Little
Boots”, who was the brutal
and insane nephew of the
Emperor Tiberius.
• It is said that he appointed
his horse consul of Rome.
• He murdered his wife and
baby daughter by bashing
her head against a wall.
• Caligula was murdered by
his own guards in 41 AD.
21. An empire emerges
• Emperor Caligula was
succeeded by the Emperor
Claudius, who was
intelligent and ruled
wisely until 54 AD.
• Under his rule, Rome
conquered Britain.
• It is thought his wife
Agrippina poisoned him
with mushrooms when
Claudius considered
giving the throne to a son
by a different woman.
22. An Empire Emerges
• Emperor Claudius was disastrously
followed by the Emperor Nero, who
was also thought to be nearly insane.
• He wanted to rebuild the areas of
Rome where the poor lived, so he
took a vacation to the countryside.
• While he was gone, a massive fire
broke out in that area, killing many
and destroying their homes.
• The Emperor then blamed a tiny
group called Christians for the
fires, and threw them to the lions of
the Coliseum.
• The people of
Rome, however, blamed Nero, and
he killed himself rather than face
assassination in 68 AD.
23. An empire emerges
• Following Nero’s death, Rome
devolves into a state of civil war
again until 69 AD, when the
Emperor Vespasian assumes
control until 79 AD.
• As Emperor, he granted
citizenship to non-
Italians, stabilized government
spending, replenished the
treasury, and built roads.
• He is probably most famous for
initiating the Coliseum’s
construction.
• He is probably most infamous for
sacking Jerusalem, destroying the
Temple, and dispersing the Jews
in 70 AD
24. An empire emerges
• After his father’s
death, Vespasian’s
son, Titus, assumes control of
the Empire in 79 AD, the same
year that Mt. Vesuvius erupts
and buries the cities of Pompeii
and Herculaneum.
• Despite the disaster, Emperor
Titus was known as “the light of
the world” during his reign, in
recognition of his administration
and completion of his father’s
Coliseum project.
• Titus was mysteriously killed in
81 AD.
25. An empire emerges
• After his death, Titus’s
brother, Domitian, assumes control
of the empire.
• The Empire was becoming
somewhat unstable after Titus
passed away, so a strong leader was
needed.
• As a leader, Domitian filled that
role, ruling with an iron fist to
reassert control, persecuting both
Jews & Christians throughout the
Empire.
• He was known as a “Holy terror”
during his authoritative reign.
• He was eventually murdered by
members of his household in 96 AD.
26. An empire emerges
• After Domitian’s retirement, the
Senate and the army played a
more active role in the selection of
the emperor, which resulted in the
appointment of the Emperor
Nerva in 96 AD, who ruled until
98 AD.
• When he was elected by the
Senate, Nerva was already
elderly, and passed away in office.
• Between 96 CE and 180 CE, the
Romans handled the problem of
succession by having each
emperor select a younger
colleague to train as a successor.
• Resulted in almost a century of
stability
27. An empire emerges
• Following Nerva’s death, the
Senate elected the Emperor
Trajan to lead Rome.
• Born in Spain, he was the first
Roman Emperor of non-Italian
origin & was a great ruler.
• He was able to extend Rome’s
territory to its greatest size
during his reign.
• Wisely, Trajan was mindful to
keep the Senate informed
about his campaigns, and
waited for their approval
before signing treaties.
28. An empire emerges
• The Emperor was very
popular with the public
because he greatly increased
Rome’s wealth through
conquest & spent large sums
on building
aqueducts, temples and public
baths
• Today his body is entombed
beneath his column in the
Roman Forum.
• His reign ended with his death
in 117 AD.
29. An empire emerges
• Following Trajan’s
death, the Senate elected
the Emperor
Hadrian, who then ruled
from 117 – 138 AD.
• Like Trajan before
him, Hadrian was also
born in Spain.
• To help protect the
boundaries of the
empire, he built Hadrian's
Wall from sea-to-sea in
Britain.
30. An empire emerges
• After Hadrian’s death, Antonius
ruled as Emperor from 138 CE –
161 AD.
• He was later assigned the
honorific “Pius” in recognition of
his just and honest nature.
• Due to his skillful
management, the Roman Empire
reached its peak under his
guidance
• Historically, he ruled during the
final few years of tranquility in
Rome.
• As a result, his death is
associated by many with the end
of the Pax Romana.
31. An empire emerges
• The Emperor Marcus
Aurelius, who succeeded
Antonius Pius, was the most
well-educated Roman
Emperor.
• Apparently, he preferred
studying & writing philosophy
– such as his work Meditations
– to fighting wars.
• Unfortunately for him, during
his reign, Rome was forced to
fight constantly against foreign
invaders, such as the Germanic
Goths, and the Asian Huns.
33. An empire in decline
• The start of Marcus Aurelius'
insane son, Commodus’s, reign
from 180 – 192 AD, signals the
beginning of the Empire’s end.
• Quite probably mentally
disturbed, Commodus was a
terrible, vain man who fought in
the gladiatorial contests of the
Coliseum.
• He is said to have fought in over
1,000 gladiatorial contests, often
dressed as Hercules.
• For his amusement, wounded
soldiers or amputees would often
be brought into the arena for him
to kill.
34. An empire in decline
• Once, the citizens of Rome who
were missing their feet through
some accident were tied
together, and Commodus
clubbed them to death while
pretending he was a giant.
• For each appearance in the
arena, he charged the city of
Rome a huge fee.
• He was later poisoned by his
mistress, but he vomited the
poison up.
• Finally, Commodus then
strangled as he bathed by his
wrestling partner.
35. An empire in decline
• For the next 300 years, Europe • Power passed to Septimius’
witnessed the decline of the Empire. son, Caracalla (211-217 AD), a cruel
• After Commodus died, the throne man who murdered his brother to
was up for auction. gain the throne
• From 192 – 193 AD, several men • Additionally, he was a poor leader
tried to gain power by buying the who raised the armies’
loyalty of different Roman armies. wages, bribed barbarians to stay
• The Emperor Septimius away from Rome & increased taxes
Severus, who ruled from 193 – 211 so much that the currency lost its
AD was a weak military value.
commander who catered to the • Following that, Rome descends into
army to hold his power a state of military anarchy during
• He let the men go soft by allowing which there were plagues, constant
their families to travel with wars, skyrocketing taxes, 100
them, (which slowed them claimants for the role of Emperor &
down), and also admitted a abandonment of a cash economy
barbarians to the army. in favor of the barter system until
284 AD.
36. An empire in decline
• The Emperor Diocletian
attempted to provide some
semblance of order during his
reign from 284 – 305 AD.
• His solution for the unwieldy
Empire was to divide it into
Eastern & Western halves, with
each half ruled by its own
Emperor & Caesar (co-ruler).
• This four-man arrangement was
called a tetrarchy.
• The Emperor Constantine ruled
with 3 others from 305 – 324
AD, and alone from 324 – 337 AD.
37. The end of An empire
• In 312 AD, Emperor Constantine
had a religious vision while
preparing for battle, during which
he reported seeing a giant cross
projected into the sky.
• Upon witnessing this, he
foreswore his pagan beliefs &
became a Christian.
• Later, he would pass the Edict of
Milan in 313 AD, which granted
religious toleration across the
Empire.
• As the Western Empire
collapsed, he moved to
Constantinople (modern-day
Istanbul, Turkey), and made it
the capital city of the Empire.
38. The end of An empire
• The Emperor Romulus
Augustulus was the last
Roman Emperor.
• He was deposed
(removed from the
throne) in 476 AD.
• This date marks the end
of the Roman
Empire, and the
beginning of the
Medieval Period, or
Middle Ages, in
European history.
39. The end of An empire
• In conclusion: The Roman
Emperors were variously
good, bad, intelligent, insan
e, honorable, and
murderous.
• The end of the Roman
Empire concluded an age of
culture and learning, and
ushered in the Middle
Ages.
• What happened until then?
• You'll see.
