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27 BCE
Augustus
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Period: 27 BCE to 14 BCE
Augustus
He was adopted by his uncle Julius Caesar
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, Antony and Octavian formed the Second Triumvirate
He arranged for his sister and Antony to get married
He killed Cleopatra and Mark Antony -
14 BCE
Tiberius
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Period: 14 BCE to 37
Tiberius
Father was a former fleet captain for Julius Caesar
Mother was only 13 when he was born
Gave his allegiance to Antony
Became a fugitive and family fled to Sicily and Greece but by the age of three they were able to go back to Rome -
37
Caligula
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Period: 37 to 41
Caligula
Caligula wasn't his real name
People exaggerated his incest
The most infamous depiction of his life is banned in Canada and Iceland
He set in motion the conquest of Britain -
41
Claudius
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Period: 41 to 54
Claudius
His family ridiculed his disabilities
Entered politics late
His death is still unclear
Fan of the roman games -
54
Nero
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Period: 54 to 68
Nero
Killed his mom
Killed his first wife
Caused the Great Fire of Rome
Took part in many festivals -
68
Galba
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Period: 68 to 69
Galba
Appointed pro consul
Started rumors that Nero wanted to kill him
Planned to burn Rome and flee to Alexandria
Served less than 7 months as emperor -
69
Otho
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69
Vitellius
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69
Vespasian
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Period: 69 to 69
Otho
Served as emperor for three years
Proclaimed emperor by the army
Most of political success came from Nero
Killed himself -
Period: 69 to 69
Vitellius
Ruled for eight months
Germany was not nice to Galba but Vitellius won them over with generosity
Was recognized by the Senate and was welcomed into Rome
Murdered with great barbarity -
Period: 69 to 79
Vespasian
Last of the four emperors to rule in 69 AD
Always needed money
Found political success but never financial success
Began construction of the colosseum -
79
Titus
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Period: 79 to 81
Titus
Served for Britain and Germany
Commanded a legion under his father in Judaea
Was called “the darling of the human race”
Was married twice -
81
Domitian
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Period: 81 to 96
Domitian
Hated by the aristocracy
His military and foreign policy was not uniformly successful
Was the first emperor since Claudius to campaign in person
Execution of his cousin Flavius Sabinus in 84 was an isolated event -
96
Nerva
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Period: 96 to 98
Nerva
First of the Five Good Emperors
Distantly related to the Julio-Claudian house by marriage
Many elder statesmen helped him
Nerva in 97 adopted and took as his colleague Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, governor of one of the German provinces -
98
Trajan
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Period: 98 to 117
Trajan
His ancestors were Roman, or at least Italian,and they may well have intermarried with natives
There is little documentation of Trajan’s early life
Nerva adopted as his successor Trajan
Second of the Five Good Emperors -
117
Hadrian
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Period: 117 to 138
Hadrian
Third of the Five Good Emperors
Birthplace remains undetermined, some saying it in his father’s hometown of Italica and others saying that he was born in Rome
Career stopped for nearly 10 years
Hadrian was an officer under Trajan during the Parthian wars -
138
Antoninus Pius
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Period: 138 to 161
Antoninus Pius
After serving as consul in 120, Antoninus was assigned by the emperor Hadrian to assist with judicial administration in Italy
Hadrian specified that two men were to succeed Antoninus
When his wife, Faustina, died in late 140 or early 141 he founded in her memory the Puellae Faustinianae
References to Antoninus in 2nd-century literature are exceptionally scanty -
161
Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius
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161
Marcus Aurelius
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Period: 161 to 180
Marcus Aurelius
After Lucius died Marcus ruled alone until 180 AD
Known for his Meditations on Stoic philosophy
When he was born, his paternal grandfather was already consul for the second time
The child Marcus was thus clearly destined for social distinction -
Period: 161 to 169
Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius
The two brothers were co rulers of the roman empire
Marcus insisted that his adoptive brother be given the same status and powers as himself, except for the title pontifex maximus
Lucius then dropped the name Commodus and assumed Marcus’s original cognomen of Verus
In 164 Lucius married Marcus’s daughter -
180
Commodus
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Period: 180 to 192
Commodus
Lucius joined Marcus in his campaign against invading German tribes along the Danube
Soon after he became sole ruler, Lucius changed his name to Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus
Commodus’s sister Lucilla conspired with a group of senators to assassinate him
The plot failed, and Commodus retaliated by executing a number of leading senators -
193
Pertinax
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193
Didius Julianus
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Period: 193 to 193
Pertinax
Son of a freed slave
Taught at a school then entered the army
In the last years of Commodus’s life, Pertinax became prefect of the city of Rome
When Commodus was murdered on Dec. 31, 192, the Senate met before dawn and proclaimed Pertinax emperor -
Period: 193 to 193
Didius Julianus
Member of one of the most prominent families of Mediolanum
Had a long and distinguished public career
During the political disturbances of Commodus’ reign he was banished to Mediolanum
Commodus was murdered on the eve of Jan. 1, 193, however, and his successor, Pertinax, was assassinated by the imperial guard late in March
