1. – Julio-Claudian Emperors
• 27 B.C. – 68 A.D.
• Augustus
• Tiberius
• Caligula
• Claudius
• Nero
• Civil Wars
– Flavian Emperors
• 69 A.D. – 96 A.D.
– “Five Good Emperors”
• 96 A.D. – 180 A.D.
2. Problems with imperial rule:
• Lack of a clear-cut succession policy
• Unsuitability of some candidates
• Civil Wars after each dynasty’s rule
• Support of army became critical factor in
determining which candidate will prevail (the
donativum, or gift of money to troops)
The Praetorian Guard
3. Julio-Claudian Emperors
• So named because each was related by blood
or marriage to Augustus, who was the
grandnephew and adopted son of Caesar
Julius Caesar
ADOPTION
4. AUGUSTUS (Octavian) 27 B.C.-14 A.D
• Review
– Took complete control of the Roman Empire
(centralized imperial rule)
– Beginning of Pax Romana
– Respect for Senate and traditions
– Powerful speaker, personal prestige, skillful
diplomacy
– Appointed trusted governors to the provinces
– Adopted step-son Tiberius as his intended heir
6. Tiberius (14 A.D. – 37 A.D)
• Review
– In the beginning, continued Augustus’ policies
– Army general, aloof
– Respected Senate
– Son (Drusus) was poisoned, sparked treason trials
and executed people based on hearsay
– Senators distrusted him after this
– Common people didn’t like him (refused to
sponsor lavish gladitorial games. Seutonius.
7. Caligula (37-41 A.D.) “Little Boots”
• His rule began with promise:
– Pardoned political offenders
– Abolished certain taxes
– Ended treason trials
• BUT he got sick with a fever and there-after he became
mentally unbalanced
– Exhausted treasury
– Abused power
– Insulted public officials
– Incitatus (Seutonius)
– Revived treason trials to extort money from rich
• Assassinated by Praetorian Guard…
8. Claudius (41-54)
• Donativum
• Physical disabilities, eccentric
• Reforms and building projects
• Respected Senate
• Granted citizenship for “Romanized” peoples
11. Married Agrippina, Caligula’s sister
(“Seemed like a good idea at the time…”)
– Fell under her influence
– Convinced Claudius to accept her son Nero as
successor
– Assassinated Claudius A.S.A.P. (Tacitus)
“Such a good boy!”
12. Nero (54-68)
• Became emperor at 16, and like Caligula, he
started off O.K.
– Prosecuted governors extorting from populace
– No gladiator games to the death
– Engaged in defensive wars only
• BUT…in second year of reign,
became resentful of his mother’s
attempts to dominate him, so he
started plotting… “But Mom, I want to
rule all by myself!”
13. Her death…(An example of his meanness)
• First, he accused mom of treason, but…
– She was found innocent!
• Second, arranged for her to take a journey on a
collapsible boat; the boat sunk, but…
– She managed to swim to shore
• Lastly, in desperation, he just hired some
sailors to kill her without court sanction
14. Now, Nero shows no restraint in pursuing
his desires…
• Murdered wife to marry his mistress
• Neglected daily business of empire
• Devoted himself to music and poetry
• Forced people to attend concerts in which he
played the harp, sang or recited his own
poetry.
“We read of women in the audience giving
birth, and of men being so bored with
listening and applauding…”
-Seutonius
15. Fire in Rome (A.D. 64)
• Rumors started that Nero set
the fire and that he fiddled
while Rome burned
• Nero deflected criticism
from himself by blaming the
Christians
• Many Christians lost their
lives, possibly including
apostles Peter and Paul in
this first recorded
persecution of this sect
16. Nero discovers conspiracy…
• Ruthlessly crushed enemies
• Provinces revolted and Senate condemns him
to death
• Nero fled Rome, took his own life, and was
reported to have said:
18. FLAVIAN EMPERORS (69-96 A.D.)
• Civil Wars after Nero
• Vespasian (69-79) gained upper hand
– General
– Sent his son Titus to put down revolt in Judea
Titus
(Anthony
Hopkins)
25. Domitian (81-96)
• Least popular Flavian
• Dictator, insisted on being called “Master and
Lord” . Did not co-operate with Senate
• Christians and Jews scapegoats for the
empire’s problems; severely persecuted them
• Feared treason, many executions
• Murdered by palace conspirators
• Ushered in era of the “Five Good Emperors”
