The Roman state was established around 700BC, and by 509BC, had formed a republic, developed a strong and disciplined army, and formed the aggressive and expansionist character that was to lead to the largest and longest surviving land empire the world has ever known.
The Roman Empire was established in 27BC, with Gaius Octavius Caesar (Octavian) becoming the first Emperor, and taking the name Augustus Caesar.
The name Caesar was taken in part to honour the last dictator (which had a slightly different meaning then to today) of the Republic - Julius Caesar, but also in part to adopt for himself the prestige in which the name was held throughout the world. He was a blood relative of Julius - his mother was Julius' niece.
Although officially part of Rome's republican era, Julius Caesar held personal powers almost as great as the Emperors who followed him and indeed was widely suspected of intending to make himself King - probably the primary cause of his assassination. For this reason, as well as the fact that (nearly) all subsequent Emperors took the name and title Caesar, to the extent that it became synonymous with the post of the Emperor, this list starts with Julius Caesar.
From 161 to 169, Rome was ruled jointly by two Emperors.
From 283 to 395, Rome was often ruled by two or more Emperors - on occasion as many as four.
In AD364, the Roman Empire split into the Eastern Empire, governed from Byzantium (Constantinople), and the Western Empire, ruled from Rome. Sometimes each of these parts was ruled by a separate Emperor.
Around 476AD, with the fall of Rome, the Western Empire collapsed, leaving the Eastern Empire to last (at least in name) for nearly a thousand years until 1453, when it finally ended with Constantinople falling to the Turks.
Many of the Emperors were (and are) known by nicknames, or by names taken on accession to the throne. Caligula was in fact only a nick-name, meaning 'little boot'.
SiteSeer
| Name | Lifespan | Ruled | Comments |
| Julius Caesar | 99BC- 44BC |
49BC- 44BC |
Assassinated by a group of leading Romans lead by Cassius and Brutus. |
| Triumvirate of Octavian, Marcus Antonius and Lepidus |
44BC- 27BC |
The triumvirate eventually broke down into open warfare between Octavian and Marcus Antonius | |
| Augustus (Gaius Octavius) | 63BC- 14AD |
27BC- 14AD |
Believed killed by his wife Livia Drusilla |
| Tiberius (Tiberius Claudius Nero) | 40BC -37AD |
14-37 | Believed killed by followers of Caligula. |
| Caligula (Caius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) | 12-41 | 37-41 | Assassinated by Guards lead by Cassius Chaerea |
| Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus) | 10BC- 54AD |
41-54 | Believed Assassinated by his wife Agrippina |
| Nero (Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus) | 37-68 | 54-68 | Committed suicide while evading capture by troops led by Galba |
| With the death of Nero, the bloodline of the Caesars became extinct. | |||
| Galba | 3BC -69AD |
68-69 | Assassinated by the army faction led by Otho. |
| Otho | 32-69 | 69 | Committed suicide when his army was defeated by that of Vitellius. |
| Vitellius | 14-69 | 69 | Tortured & killed by the army faction loyal to Vespasian |
| Vespasian | 9-79 | 69-79 | Natural death !!! |
| Titus | 41-81 | 79-81 | Natural death !!! |
| Domitian | 51-96 | 81-96 | Assassinated. |
| Nerva | 96-98 | ||
| Trajan | 98-117 | ||
| Hadrian | 117-138 | ||
| Antonius Pius | 138-161 | ||
| Marcus Aurelius | 161-180 | ||
| Lucius Verus | 161-169 | ||
| Commodus | 180-192 | ||
| Pertinax | 193 | ||
| Didius Julianus | 193 | ||
| Septimus Severus | 193-211 | ||
| Caracalla | 211-217 | ||
| Macrinus | 217-218 | ||
| Elagabalus | 218-222 | ||
| Severus Alexander | 222-235 | ||
| Maximus Thrax | 235-238 | ||
| Gordian I and Gordian II |
238 | ||
| Pupienus | 238 | ||
| Balbinus | 238 | ||
| Gordian III | 238-244 | ||
| Phillippus | 244-249 | ||
| Decius | 249-251 | ||
| Gallus | 251-253 | ||
| Aemilianus | 253 | ||
| Valerian | 253-260 | ||
| Gallienus | 253-268 | ||
| Claudius II | 268-270 | ||
| Aurelian | 270-275 | ||
| Tacitus | 275-276 | ||
| Florian | 276 | ||
| Probus | 276-282 | ||
| Carus | 282-283 | ||
| Carinus | 283-285 | ||
| Numerianus | 283-284 | ||
| Diocletian | 284-305 | Eastern Empire | |
| Maximian | 286-305 | Western Empire | |
| Constantius I | 305-306 | Western Empire | |
| Galerius | 305-311 | ||
| Severus | 306-307 | ||
| Constantine I | 306-337 | ||
| Licinius | 308-324 | ||
| Maximinius | 310-313 | ||
| Constantius II | 337-361 | ||
| Constantine II | 337-340 | ||
| Constans | 337-350 | ||
| Julian | 361-363 | ||
| Jovian | 363-364 | ||
| Valentinian I | 364-375 | Western Empire | |
| Valens | 364-378 | Eastern Empire | |
| Gratian | 367-383 | Western Empire | |
| Valentinian II | 375-392 | Western Empire | |
| Eugenius | 392-394 | ||
| Theodosius I | 379-395 | ||
| Emperors of the Western Empire | |||
| Honorius | 395-423 | ||
| Valentinian III | 425-455 | ||
| Petronius Maximus | 455-447 | ||
| Majorian | 457-461 | ||
| Libius Severus | 461-467 | ||
| Anthemius | 467-472 | ||
| Olybrius | 472-473 | ||
| Glycerius | 473-474 | ||
| Julius Nepos | 474-475 | ||
| Romulus Augustulus | |||
"Commentaries on the Gallic & Civil wars" - Julius Caesar
"The twelve Caesars" - Suetonius
"The Age of Augustus" - Donald Earl, Pub: Ferndale, ISBN:0 905746 06 6.
Other sources will be credited - we're still reconstructing the list.
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