Roman Empire Timeline

The Roman Empire

Period: 50 BCE to 180

Augustus to Marcus Aurelius

Ides of March

44 BCE

Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by the Senate.

Formation of 2nd Triumvirate

43 BCE

Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus start a triple alliance that ends in a major power play.

Battle of Actium

32 BCE

Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra and becomes head Roman authority figure.

Octavian is crowned Roman Emperor.

27 BCE

He is given the official title Caesar Augustus.

Augustus creates the Praetorian Guard.

27 BCE

For better or for worse, this group would serve as bodyguards for the Roman emperors and sometimes for their rivals for many years to come.

Reign of Caesar Augustus

Period: 27 BCE to 14

Julio-Claudian Dynasty

Period: 27 BCE to 68

From Augustus to Nero...these emperors all came, sometimes indirectly, from the family of Julius Caesar, Julia Caesar, or Tiberius Claudius Nero, the husband of Augustus's first wife.

Aeneid is published.

19 BCE

The Aeneid, a foundational story of Rome that combines historical and mythological elements, is widely regarded as one of the greatest pieces of Roman literature. It was unfinished when its author Vergil died, and it was published post mortem against his will.

Birth of Jesus Christ (historical estimate)

6 BCE

Augustus dedicates a new forum in Rome, the Forum of Augustus.

2 BCE

Augustus dies.

14

Augustus dies presumably of natural causes at the age of 76. His last words to his subjects are traditionally thought to be "I found Rome of clay; I leave it to you of marble."

Tiberius becomes emperor.

14

Tiberius ascends to the throne as the adopted son and heir of Augustus.

Reign of Tiberius

Period: 14 to 37

Tiberius exiles the Jews from Rome.

19

Tiberius's visit to Capri.

27

The emperor went to visit the island of Capri but started to lose his mind on the journey there. He stayed on Capri for a much longer time then planned and imposed a "reign of terror" on the island where people were executed for the slightest misdemeanor.

Crucifixion of Jesus Christ (estimated year)

33

...which would make Jesus' Crucifixion under the reign of Tiberius

Tiberius dies/Caligula comes to power.

37

He throws a javelin in a game and tears his shoulder. After this injury, Tiberius contracts the illness that leads to his death. Caligula then becomes emperor and executes his rival Gemellus.

Reign of Caligula

Period: 37 to 41

Excessive projects

39

Caligula initiates many superfluous building projects which drain the money of the empire, including a two mile floating bridge across the Bay of Bauli.

The (Almost) Invasion of Britain

40

Caligula leads an army into Gaul and almost invades Britain but decides against it.

Assassination of Caligula/Ascent of Claudius

41

The Romans grow fearful and angry at Caligula's excessive spending. The Praetorian Guard and the Senate conspire to kill him, and Caligula, his wife, and his daughter are stabbed to death. As an uncle of Caligula and someone the Praetorian Guard thinks they can control, Claudius becomes emperor.

Reign of Claudius

Period: 41 to 54

Annexation of Mauretania

42

Claudius makes some land gains and adds Mauretania to the empire. He splits it into two provinces.

Invasion of Britain

43

Claudius actually takes the leap and commands his troops to invade Britain. He mainly made this move out of hope of gaining popularity.

Poison of Claudius/Ascent of Nero

54

Claudius's power-hungry wife, Agrippina, poisons him. Her son, Nero, becomes emperor.

Reign of Nero

Period: 54 to 68

The Great Fire of Rome

64

This awful inferno burned down about two-thirds of the city. History is conflicted on its cause. Legend has it that Nero played his lyre as Rome burned because he started the fire as an excuse for rebuilding the city as he wanted it. Yet, Nero was actually away in Antium when the fire started. He blamed the fire on the Christians (presumably without evidence) and terrible persecution of this new faith followed.

Monetary Changes

64

Nero faced financial struggles in the empire and decided to decrease the weight and percent of precious metal in Roman coins.

Construction is completed on the Baths of Nero in Rome.

65

1. Suicide of Nero/Ascent of Galba

68

Chaos and financial degradation continue in Rome after the fire. Nero loses his control, and the Senate turns against him. He commits suicide, and also effectively ends the Julio-Claudian dynasty because he did not have a clear heir. Galba, as governor-general of Spain and with the support of the Roman Army, becomes emperor.

2. Pay Withholding

68

Galba decides to withhold pay from his troops, possibly not a good idea.

Reign of Galba

Period: 68 to 69

3. Heir Selection

69

Galba selects Lucius Calpurnius Piso as his heir, instead of Otho, a governor who had long hoped to be heir.

4. Death of Galba/Rise of Otho

69

Otho gains enough supporters and influence in the Praetorian Guard to have himself declared emperor and Galba killed.

5. Otho starts the gladiatorial games again.

69

6. Otho finishes construction on the Golden Palace of Nero.

69

7. Suicide of Otho/Rise of Vitellius

69

Otho's power is questioned by the governor general of Germany, Vitellius. Vitellius moves his army into Rome. Otho loses the ensuing battle and commits suicide. Vitellius becomes emperor.

8. Vitellius Plays Favorites

69

Vitellius gave his own German legions positions that the Praetorian Guard normally would have filled.

9. Vitellius visits the Battlefield of Cremona with reported disrespect, decreases his popularity.

69

10. Trouble in the East

69

The eastern provinces reject Vitellius as emperor. They crown an opposing emperor, Vespasian, who defeats Vitellius in the Second Battle of Cremona.

11. Death of Vitellius/Rise of Vespasian

69

Vitellius was tortured and killed by his enemy's supporters before Vespasian becomes the fourth emperor to rule in the year 69 AD.

*The Year of the Four Emperors*

69

Due to financial and political instability, four different emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian) all ruled in the year 69 AD.

Reign of Vespasian

Period: 69 to 79

Reign of Otho

Period: 69 to 69

Reign of Vitellius

Period: 69 to 69

The Flavian Dynasty

Period: 69 to 96

The Flavian Dynasty consisted of the reigns of Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian. After the Year of Four Emperors, the Flavian Dynasty created a sense of greater permanency about the position of emperor.

Vespasian makes financial changes.

70

Vespasian realized that the empire was in great debt from Nero's spending and from in-fighting, so he increased taxes throughout the empire. Sometimes these taxes reached twice their original value.

Vespasian commissions General Agricola as governor of the modern day United Kingdom.

78

Death of Vespasian/Rise of Titus

79

When Vespasian died of natural causes, his son Titus ascended to power with no bloodshed.

Mount Vesuvius Erupts

79

When the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius kills an estimated 13,000 people in Campania, Titus sent aid to the region.

Reign of Titus

Period: 79 to 81

Titus finishes work on the Colosseum

80

Death of Titus/Rise of Domitian

81

Titus supposedly died of a fever in this year, but there is a legend that he was poisoned by his brother Domitian, the next in line to be emperor.

Reign of Domitian

Period: 81 to 96

Domitian conquers the Agri Decumates, the lands above the upper Rhine and Danube rivers.

83

Strange orders from Domitian for Agricola

85

Domitian mysteriously calls General Agricola back from Britain, allegedly right before he would have conquered the island.

Assassination of Domitian/Rise of Nerva

96

Domitian was very paranoid and made mass accusations of treason. A plot was hatched by the Praetorian Guard to assassinate him. Domitian was killed by a freedman known as Stephanus. After Domitian died, the Senate chose Nerva, a wise lawyer, to take over.

The Five Good Emperors

Period: 96 to 180

The reign of the Five Good Emperors is not a dynasty because they were not directly related, but it includes the ruling periods of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. This time period was characterized by general peace and prosperity throughout the empire, although corruption simmered beneath the surface as more and more power was concentrated into the hands of the emperor.

Reign of Nerva

Period: 96 to 98

Revolt of the Praetorian Guard

97

Within the Praetorian Guard, some men were still loyal to Domitian, and they revolted and killed the two men who plotted his death. Although Nerva was not hurt in the incident, it shook his power.

Finding an Heir for Nerva

97

Nerva publicly adopted Marcus Ulpius Trocianus as his heir.

Death of Nerva/Rise of Trajan

98

With Nerva's death from natural causes, his heir, Trajan, comes into power peacefully.

Reign of Trajan

Period: 98 to 117

Trajan starts waging the Parthian Wars.

105

Trajan has some success in these wars and is able to annex the Nabataean Kingdom and upper Mesopotamia.

Trajan's building projects.

107

Trajan extensively supports Roman infrastructure with additions such as Trajan's Market, Trajan's Forum, and Trajan's Baths.

Death of Trajan/Rise of Hadrian

117

Trajan appoints Hadrian as his heir shortly before dying of natural causes.

Reign of Hadrian

Period: 117 to 138

Arch of Hadrian Constructed.

132

The Arch of Hadrian was built in Athens, as Hadrian was praised as an honorary founder of the city for all the support that he gave to that area.

Construction starts on Hadrian's Wall in northern Britain, which marks the northern boundary of the Roman Empire.

132

Death of Hadrian/Rise of Antoninus Pius

138

Hadrian dies, possibly of a heart attack. Antoninus Pius becomes emperor as the designated heir of Hadrian.

Reign of Antoninus Pius

Period: 138 to 161

Antoninus Pius starts a charitable organization.

141

Antoninus Pius started the Puellae Faustinianae as an organization that gave aid to the daughters of the poor in memory of his wife Faustina.

Construction of the Antonine Wall

142

Antoninus Pius built the Antonine Wall in Britain to extend the northern barrier to the Roman Empire first created by Hadrian's Wall.

Death of Antoninus Pius/Rise of Marcus Aurelius

161

Antoninus Pius died of natural causes, and Marcus Aurelius peacefully became emperor.

Reign of Marcus Aurelius

Period: 161 to 180

Marcus Aurelius made his brother Lucius Verus co-ruler until Verus's death in 169.

Marcus Aurelius's Italy is invaded.

167

Marcus Aurelius suffers an invasion of Italy by German tribes while off fighting across the Danube.

Marcus Aurelius writes Meditations.

167

In his Meditations, Marcus Aurelius recorded his daily thoughts and philosophies about life and ruling.

Death of Marcus Aurelius

180

Marcus Aurelius dies of natural causes and ends the reign of the Five Good Emperors.