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- Augustus Caesar. Augustus Caesar, born Gaius Octavius, was the first Roman emperor who ruled from 27 BCE to 14 CE. He is often regarded as one of the greatest Roman emperors due to his significant contributions to the empire's stability, expansion, and cultural development.
- Trajan. Trajan, born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, was the Roman emperor who ruled from 98 to 117 CE. He is considered one of the best Roman emperors due to his military successes, territorial expansion, and significant contributions to the empire's infrastructure and public welfare.
- Hadrian. Hadrian, born Publius Aelius Hadrianus, was the Roman emperor who ruled from 117 to 138 CE. He is considered one of the most effective and enlightened Roman emperors due to his focus on consolidating the empire, his architectural contributions, and his emphasis on cultural development.
- Marcus Aurelius. Known as the 'philosopher emperor', Marcus Aurelius ruled from 161 to 180 CE. He is considered one of the most exceptional Roman emperors due to his philosophical contributions, his dedication to the empire's welfare, and his ability to balance military and administrative duties.
Five Good Emperors, the ancient Roman imperial succession of Nerva (reigned 96–98 ce ), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138), Antoninus Pius (138–161), and Marcus Aurelius (161–180), who presided over the most majestic days of the Roman Empire. It was not a bloodline. Nerva was raised to the principate by the assassins of Domitian, and ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
List of Roman emperors. The Prima Porta statue of Augustus ( r. 27 BC – AD 14), the first Roman emperor. The Roman emperors were the rulers of the Roman Empire from the granting of the name and title Augustus to Octavian by the Roman Senate in 27 BC onward. [1] Augustus maintained a facade of Republican rule, rejecting monarchical titles but ...
PortraitNameReignSuccessionMaximinus I "Thrax" Gaius Julius Verus ...c. March 235 – c. June 238 [k] (3 years ...Proclaimed emperor by Germanic legions ...c. 172–180 – c. June 238 (aged approx.Gordian I Marcus Antonius Gordianus ...c. April – c. May 238 (22 days)Proclaimed emperor alongside his son, ...c. 158 (?) – c. May 238 (aged approx. 80) ...Gordian II Marcus Antonius Gordianus ...c. April – c. May 238 (22 days)Proclaimed emperor alongside his father ...c. 192 – c. May 238 (aged approx. 46) The ...Pupienus Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximusc. May – c. August 238 (99 days)Proclaimed emperor jointly with Balbinus ...c. 164 – c. August 238 (aged approx. 74) ...Sep 1, 2021 · Probably the most famous of them all are the so-called Five Good Emperors — the distinguished quintet that reigned between the first and second centuries CE. Their names — Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius — have been celebrated, past and present. At the start of their reigns, Rome was in danger of another civil war.
PortraitNameReignSuccessionMaximinus I "Thrax" Gaius Julius Verus ...c. March 235 – c. June 238 [k] (3 years ...Proclaimed emperor by Germanic legions ...c. 172–180 – c. June 238 (aged approx.Gordian I Marcus Antonius Gordianus ...c. April – c. May 238 (22 days)Proclaimed emperor alongside his son, ...c. 158 (?) – c. May 238 (aged approx. 80) ...Gordian II Marcus Antonius Gordianus ...c. April – c. May 238 (22 days)Proclaimed emperor alongside his father ...c. 192 – c. May 238 (aged approx. 46) The ...Pupienus Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximusc. May – c. August 238 (99 days)Proclaimed emperor jointly with Balbinus ...c. 164 – c. August 238 (aged approx. 74) ...Mar 14, 2022 · Chronicle of the Emperors The Roman state began as a semi-mythical and small-scale monarchy in the 10th century BC. It later prospered as an expansionist republic from 509 BC onwards. Then, in 27 BC, it became an empire. Its leaders, the emperors of Rome, went on to become some of the most powerful heads of
- Gaius Julius Caesar
- Caesar Augustus
- Tiberius
- Vespasian
- Trajan
- Hadrian
- Antoninus Pius
- Marcus Aurelius
- Valerian
- Diocletian
Technically, as the last ruler of Rome’s Republican era, Gaius Julius Caesarwas never recognized as an emperor. But it’s impossible to tell the story of Rome (or its eventual transition from a republic to an empire, without mentioning Julius Caesar. Aside from being a successful general, conquering Spain and Gaul—feats that greatly expanded the siz...
Gaius Octavius Thurinus, also known as Octavian or “Augustus,” served as the first official emperor of the Roman Empire, and is often seen by historians as the greatest. The emperor (for whom the month of “August” is named) introduced the period of peace known as the Pax Romana, which saw the Roman economy, agriculture and arts flourish. During tha...
In ancient Rome, few emperors were better at acquiring land for the empire than Tiberius Caesar Augustus. Rome’s second emperor owes his place on this list solely due to his military conquests. As an emperor and politician, Tiberius is largely considered to have been uninterested in the job and not shy in showing that disinterest. (Roman philosophe...
After the tyrannical reign of Emperor Nero, Rome found itself in a crisis of instability. So much so that during the 12-month span following Nero’s death, the empire had four different rulers (known as the “Year of the Four Emperors”). It wasn’t until Titus Flavius Vespasianus ascended the throne that stability and prosperity returned to Rome, sett...
Often in the conversation for “greatest Roman emperor” by historians, Marcus Ulpius Traianus was the second Roman emperor in the Nerva-Antonine dynasty commonly referred to as Rome’s “Golden Age.” Bolstered by one of the greatest military expansions in Roman history, Trajan’s reign marked the peak of Rome’s geographic expansion, as it covered nearl...
Publius Aelius Hadrianus claims a spot as one of Rome’s most influential emperors for his ability to secure Rome and its borders and the unprecedented engineering prowess he displayed while doing so. He oversaw construction of Hadrian’s Wall, a 73-mile-long defensive fort—much of which still stands today and is recognized as a British cultural icon...
Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius presided over Rome during one of the civilization’s most peaceful periods. That lack of turmoil afforded Pius the opportunity to focus on advancing on the infrastructure successes and civic reforms of his predecessor Hadrian. His greatest contribution to Roman civilization, however, came through the legal syste...
Known as the “emperor-philosopher,” emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus produced writings now considered philosophical canon. A fervent adherent of Stoicism—a Hellenistic school of philosophy that claimed that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker was key to gaining universal reason—the emperor (who was famously portrayed in the Oscar-winning Gladiat...
Publius Licinius Valerianus makes the influential list less for what he did than what was done to him. In 260 A.D., after the Battle of Edessa against the Persians, Valerian (a notorious persecutor of Christians) became the first Roman emperor to be taken as a prisoner of war. The unprecedented capture sent shockwaves through the Roman Empire, only...
On one hand, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus deserves to be remembered for saving Rome from the “Crisis of the Third Century,” a near 50-year period—marked by civil war, political instability rebellions and invasions—during which the empire nearly collapsed. On the other, some historians believe it was his installation of the “tetrarchy” form ...
- Aaron Randle
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- Augustus (September 63 BC – 19 August, 14 AD) At the top of the list is a very obvious choice – the founder of the Roman Empire himself, Augustus, who has the longest reign of 41 years from 27 BC to 14 AD.
- Trajan (September 53 AD – 8 August, 117 AD) Famously declared by the Senate optimus princeps or “the best ruler,” he ruled ancient Rome from 98 AD until he took his last breath in 117 AD.
- Marcus Aurelius (April 121 AD – 17 March, 180 AD) Considered to be the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” and a stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire from 161 to 180 AD.
- Tiberius (16 November, 42 BC – 16 March, 37 AD) Emperor from 14 to 37 AD, Tiberius Claudius Nero was the son of Livia Drusilla, who later married Augustus in 39 BC, making him Augustus’s stepson.
