Libraries: Classics in Credo: The Roman Empire

The Julio-Claudians

Augustus: Topic Page
(63 B.C.-14 A.D.) Augustus Caesar was born as Gaius Octavius in 63 BCE. His father had been governor of Macedonia; his mother was Julius Caesar’s niece. The young Gaius became Caesar’s protégé, adopted son and heir, and his eventual successor.
Tiberius: Topic Page
Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus, 42 B.C.- A.D. 37, second Roman emperor (A.D. 14-37).
Caligula
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(A.D. 12-41) Caligula, the third emperor, who reigned from AD 37–41, was the youngest son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder.
Claudius: Topic Page
Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, 10 BC-AD 54, Roman emperor (AD 41-54), son of Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus and thus nephew of Tiberius
Nero: Topic Page
Nero (37–68 CE) was the fifth Roman emperor and the last representative of Rome's first imperial dynasty, the Julio-Claudians.

The Year of Four Emperors and the Flavians

Otho
From Chambers Dictionary
Roman emperor. Formerly a close friend of Emperor Nero and ex-husband of Nero's consort, the Empress Poppaea Sabina, from AD 58 until Nero's downfall (AD 68), he governed in Spain, virtually as an exile from court.
Galba
From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Roman emperor. He became consul (AD33), and administered Aquitania, Germany, Africa and Hispania Tarraconensis with competence and integrity.
Vitellius
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Roman emperor (69), the last of Nero’s three short-lived successors.
Vespasian: Topic Page
Titus Flavius Vespasianus, A.D. 9-A.D. 79, Roman emperor (A.D. 69-A.D. 79), founder of the Flavian dynasty.
Titus
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus, A.D. 39-A.D. 81, Roman emperor (A.D. 79-A.D. 81), son of Vespasian.
Domitian
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Titus Flavius Domitianus, A.D. 51-A.D. 96, Roman emperor (A.D. 81-A.D. 96), son of Vespasian.

The Five Good Emperors

Nerva
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Marcus Cocceius Nerva, c.A.D. 30-A.D. 98, Roman emperor (A.D. 96-A.D. 98). He had an honorable career as a statesman at Rome, and his reputation was blameless.
Trajan
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia
Roman emperor from AD 98. He conquered Dacia (Romania) in 101–07 and much of Parthia in 113–17, bringing the empire to its greatest extent.
Hadrian
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
A.D. 76-138, Roman emperor (117-138), b. Spain. His name in full was Publius Aelius Hadrianus.
Antoninus Pius
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(AD 86 - 161) Antoninus was a Roman emperor, born at Lanuvium near Rome, the son of a consular, Aurelius Fulvus, who originated from Nîmes.
Marcus Aurelius: Topic Page
Roman emperor who ruled between March 7, 161 and March 17, 180 CE. Marcus's benevolent rule and interest in philosophy has garnered him almost universal praise among ancient and modern writers.

Commodus, the Severans, and the Third Century

Commodus (161 - 192 AD)

In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
(161 - 192 AD) Commodus, the emperor, was born at Lanuvium, the elder surviving son of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina (2).
Civil War and the Severans
From The Encyclopedia of World History
The political reality of the 3rd century is summarized in the dying Septimius's advice to his sons - “Enrich the soldiers, despise everyone else.”
Septimius Severus
From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
AD146-211. Roman emperor. The founder of the Severan dynasty, he was born near Leptis Magna in North Africa.
Caracalla
From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(A.D. 188-217) Roman emperor (211-17); son of Septimius Severus. His real name was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and he received his nickname from the caracalla, a Gallic tunic he regularly wore
Elagabalus
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Roman emperor (218-222) notable for his eccentric behaviour. Passed off as Caracalla's illegitimate son, he became emperor with the support of the army
Severus Alexander
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Roman emperor (222-235). At age 14 he succeeded Elagabalus, who had been murdered by the Praetorian Guard.
Foreign Invasion and Internal Disarray
From The Encyclopedia of World History
On the death of Severus Alexander, the internal stability of the Empire evaporated, and no emperor was able to secure the loyalty of the armies for long. Of those who ruled from 235 to 284, one died in battle, one was captured by the enemy, and one died of plague - all others either died in civil wars or were assassinated.

The Late Empire and the Fall of Rome in the West

Diocletian (c. AD 240 - 313)
From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Roman emperor. He was born of humble parentage near Salona, Dalmatia. He served under Probus, Aurelian and Carus, and was proclaimed emperor by the army (AD284).
Constantine I: Topic Page
The son of the Western Empire’s ruler, Constantius Chlorus (reigned 305–306 CE), Constantine was acclaimed emperor by the legions in Eboracum (modern York, England) after his father’s sudden death. A series of civil wars ensued, ending with Constantine in sole control of the empire by 324 CE.
Julian the Apostate: Topic Page
(Flavius Claudius Julianus), 331-363, Roman emperor (361-63), nephew of Constantine I; successor of Constantius II. He was given an education that combined Christian and Neoplatonic ideas.
Theodosius I: Topic Page
or Theodosius the Great, 346-395, Roman emperor of the East (379-95) and emperor of the West (394-95), son of Theodosius, the general of Valentinian I.
Honorius: Topic Page
384-423, Roman emperor of the West (395-423). The weak reign of Honorius marked an important stage in the decline of the Western Empire.
Romulus Augustulus
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
(born c.AD 461) Last Roman emperor in the western Roman empire.
Odoacer
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
First barbarian king of Italy (476-493). He was proclaimed king by his troops in 476, the date that traditionally marks the end of the Western Roman Empire.
Byzantine Empire: Topic Page
The Eastern Roman Empire 395–1453, with its capital at Constantinople (formerly Byzantium, modern Istanbul). It was the direct continuation of the Roman Empire in the East, and inherited many of its traditions and institutions.