Marcus Aurelius died in 180 CE, leaving his narcissistic and self-indulgent son as the sole Emperor of Rome.
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (died 495 BC) was the legendary seventh and final king of Rome, reigning 25 years until the popular uprising that led to the establishment of the Roman Republic. He is commonly known as Tarquin the Proud, from his cognomen Superbus (Latin for "proud, arrogant, lofty").
The last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Nero is not one to be passed over lightly. His story is one of a man who rose to power by means of his mother's ambition and fell as a result of his own selfish decisions.
Cruel and tyrannical Emperor Caligula ruled Ancient Rome through fear and terror. Rampaging through Rome committing murder, adultery and acts of debauchery, his reign came to an abrupt end when he was brutally assassinated after only four years. Stories surrounding the life of Emperor Caligula, Rome's third Emperor (r.
Unsurprisingly, the title of the “first greatest Roman emperor” goes to Caesar Augustus. While in his youth, Octavian plunged Rome into one of the bloodiest civil wars and toppled the Roman Republic; as emperor Augustus, he created the strong foundation for one of the truly greatest of all empires in human history.
Antonius Pius ruled Rome from 138-161 CE and is said to have had the most peaceful reign in the history of Rome. His rule is marked as an age of peace and prosperity, often saving senators who were sentenced to death. Marcus Aurelius reigned from 161-180 CE. History portrays him as the last of the Five Good Emperors.
Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) (27–68 CE)
Nero is perhaps the best known of the worst emperors, having allowed his wife and mother to rule for him and then stepping out from their shadows and ultimately having them, and others, murdered.
Caligula, Nero, Domitian, Commodus, Geta, and Caracalla — these names evoke immense power and great fear. They are the most terrible of the Roman emperors, known as tyrants, madmen, killers, blasphemers, and perverts.
Emperor Nero: Bad boy of Ancient Rome.
Caligula (r. 37-41 CE): Exemplifying the sexuallu deviant and insane emperor in the collective imagination, Caligula was actually beloved by everyone during the first seven months of his reign. He was the son of Germanicus, one of the greatest and most popular generals in the early imperial period.
Nero was the 5th emperor of Rome and the last of Rome's first dynasty, the Julio-Claudians, founded by Augustus (the adopted son of Julius Caesar). Nero is known as one of Rome's most infamous rulers, notorious for his cruelty and debauchery.
Domitian, Latin in full Caesar Domitianus Augustus, original name (until ad 81) Titus Flavius Domitianus, (born Oct. 24, ad 51—died Sept. 18, ad 96, Rome [Italy]), Roman emperor (ad 81–96), known chiefly for the reign of terror under which prominent members of the Senate lived during his last years.
Described as a sluggard and a glutton, Aulus Vitellius has been written of by history as a titular head of a rebellion without the command of his troops or the know-how to rule the Empire once he was elevated to the position of Emperor. He was the third Emperor of 'The Year of the Four Emperors'.
Roman Emperor Aurelian: The Underrated Emperor Who United a Fractured Rome. During one of the most tumultuous times in the history of Rome, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus achieved in five short years what many of his predecessors failed to do in decades on the throne. He united a fractured empire.
According to his biographer Suetonius, Caligula believed himself to be a god and often said: “Remember that I have the right to do anything to anybody.” He humiliated senators by making them run behind his litter or forcing them to fight for his amusement.
A great general and a masterful tactician, Hannibal Barca is widely considered one of finest military leaders in history. He was the only man that Rome feared. Nowadays, the military prowess and supremacy of ancient Rome is not questioned by the public.
Fully named Nero Claudius Caesar, Nero ruled from 54 to 68 AD and was arguably an even worse madman than his uncle Caligula. He had his step-brother Britannicus killed, his wife Octavia executed, and his mother Agrippina stabbed and murdered.
Perhaps deliberately following the tradition of his predecessor Claudius, Emperor Vespasian kept his wit about him as he lay dying, from diarrhea, as Julius Cicatrix explains in Imperial Exits.
Caligula's assassination: the most brutal of Roman emperor deaths.
Suspicious of the loyalty of Christians to the Roman state, Diocletian started persecuting them. He demanded that all Christian soldiers resign from the Roman army. He forbade gatherings for Christian worship and ordered the destruction of churches and sacred writings.
Caligula
Roman Emperor Caligula ruled for only four years, from A.D. 37 to 41. But in that short time, he became a deranged and sadistic ruler.
As Brutus speaks, he swears his loyalty to Rome and explains his honorable reasons for killing Caesar as he declares he “loved Caesar, but. . . loved Rome more.” Moments before killing himself, Brutus speaks to the unwavering loyalty his men have shown him every day.
Septimius Severus was the first African-born Roman emperor. This marble statue of the ruler from Alexandria in Egypt would once have been vividly painted, and shows him in military dress. He grew up in Leptis Magna, on the coast of modern-day Libya, and moved to Rome when he was around 18.