The Roman Emperors

The Roman Empire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient World Economy & The Kingdoms of Africa, Arabia & India, Raoul McLaughlin, c. 2014, 2018.

To follow the book, one needs a quick review of Roman history.

Pre-history and early Rome: legend of founding by Romulus. Virgi's Aeneid.

Monarchy: the Etruscan dominance and the Regal Period, Romulus was first of seven kings

The Roman Republic: from local dominance of Latium, 5th century BC, to regional cominance by 3rd century BC, after defeating Carthage, the Punic Wars, 264 - 146BC, and controlling the western Mediterranean

The Roman Empire: with the rise of Julius Caesar, the Republic waned; ended through civil war, and concluded with the victory of Octavian, the adopted son of JC, over Mark Anthony?Cleopatra; in 27 BC; most notable holding was probably Egypt; Empire hung on but gradually diministed over time

The Duchy of Rome: 8th century AD; certainly the end of any "empire"

Medieval Rome: a break with Byzantium and the formation of the Papal States; the papcy struggled to retain influence during the emerging Holy Roman Empire; Rome almost disappeared completely

The Roman Renaissance: the Papacy reasserted itself with the Counter-Reformation; Rome was technically part of France during 1798 - 1814

Modern history: 19th century to the present

*******************************

The Roman Empire

Sulla: dictator, 82-81 BC

The emperors

Julius Caesar

• in 60 BC, Caesar, Crassus and Pompey formed the First Triumvirate, 
• died Ides of March, 44 BC 
• his death precipitated the end of the Roman Republic

What happened between 44 BC and 27 BC? Civil War -- Augustus probably credited with steering Rome through those tumultuous times

Augustus, 27 BC - 14 AD;

• reigned during birth of Christ; Gaius Octavius Thurinus; in JC's will -- the adopted son of JC
• the second triumvirate: Augustus, Mark Antony, Marcus Lepidus
• Octavius/Augustus defeats Mark Antony/Cleopatra

Tiberius: 14 - 37 AD, an almost exact contemporary of Jesus Christ

• born to Livia Drusilla, who divorced the father of Tiberius, and then married Octavian/Emperor Augustus
• one of the greatest of the Roman generals; laid the foundations for the northern frontier

Caligula, 37 - 41 AD

• grand-nephew and adopted grandson of Tiberius
• born into the first ruling family of the Roman Empire, conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty
• birth name: Gaius Caesar, but nicknamed "little soldier's boot" or "Caligula"
• got that name while campaigning in Germania with his dad
• started out well, but then may have become insane

Claudius, 41- 54 AD

• a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
• only Roman emperor to be born outside of Italy
• began the conquest of Britain

Nero, 54 - 68 AD

• last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty
• adopted by his great-uncle Claudius
• extended the kingdom
• committed suicide during revolt
• his death ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty

**********************************

Roman Civil War of 69 AD 

Revolt in the Northern Rhineland Territories

Galbus, 68 - 69 AD (seven months)

• led revolt; grabbed the title after Nero's suicide
• first of the four in the Year of Four Emperors

Otho, 69 -69 AD (three months)

• the second emperor of the Year of Four Emperors

Vitellius, 69 - 69 AD (eight months)

• first to add the honorific cognomen Germanicus to his name instead of Caesar

Vespasian, 69 - 79 AD (fourth and last emperor of the Year of Four Emperors)

• founded the Flavian dynasty; that dynasty ruled the Empire for 27 years

Titus, 79 - 81 AD 

• succeeded his father Vespasian
• controversial affair with Jewish queen Berenice

Domitian, 81 - 96 AD

• younger brother of Titus; son of Vespasian
• Empire probably strengthened
• power went to his head and he was assassinated by court officials

Nerva, 96 - 98 AD;

• an old man when he took over
• assassinated

Trajan, 98 - 117 AD;

• presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history
• successful war against the Parthian Empire

Hadrian, 117 - 138 AD

• perhaps nominated to be emperor by Trajan on the latter's deathbed

Antoninus Pius, 138 - 161 AD;

• one of the Five Good Emperors in the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii
• peaceful state of the empire

Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, co-emperors

• MA: 121 - 180 AD
• LV: 121 - 169 AD (dies first)
• MA: last of the Five Good Emperors
• last of the Pax Romana
• stoic philosopher

Commodus, 177 - 192 AD

• co-emperor with his father MA until the latter's death in 180
• assassinated after he developed a God-like personality cult
• the end of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty

Pertinax, 193 AD (three months)

• first in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors

Didius Julianus, 193 AD (nine weeks)

• killed by a soldier

Septimius Severus, 193 - 211 AD

• a most interesting name: I think Virginia Woolf used his name as a basis for a character in Mrs Dalloway
• many military adventures
• 208 AD: returned to Britain; strengthened Hadrian's Wall; reoccupied the Antonine Wall; invaded Caledoia (modern Scotland); fell fatally ill in 210 AD
• died in 211 AD at Eboracum (York, England)
• succeeded by his sons, thus founding the Severan dynasty
• the last dynasty of the Roman empire before the Crisis of the Third Century

Caracalla and Geta

• C: formally known as Antoninus; 198 - 217 AD
• co-ruler with his father Septimius Severus
• ruled with his brother Geta until he had his brother murdered upon his father's death in 211 AD
• assassinated by disaffected soldier

Macrinus, 217 - 218 AD

Elababalus, 218 - 222 AD

• Syrian
• as emperor: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus
• only known as Elagabalus after his death

Severus Alexander, 222 - 235 AD

• last emperor of the Severan dynasty
• assassination marked the epoch event  for the Crisis of the Third Century -- nearly 50 years of civil wars, foreign invasion, and collapse of the monetary economy, though this last part is now disputed

We will stop here for now.