List of Roman Emperors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Note that in the list below Julius Caesar is not mentioned as an Emperor, while conventionally he is not considered as such. For a more in-depth discussion of whether or not Julius Caesar might have been considered as the first Emperor, see Roman Emperor.
For the worship of the Roman Emperor as a god, see imperial cult.
For a simplified list see: Concise List of Roman Emperors
italics: claimant who cannot be considered to have ruled or held power over part of the empire only
bold italics: nickname by which the individual is commonly known
The Principate
Julio-Claudian dynasty
Year of the four emperors
| Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
8 June 68 to 15 January 69
| Galba
| SERVIVS SVLPICIVS GALBA
| SERVIVS GALBA IMPERATOR CAESAR AVGVSTVS
| Murdered by Otho; | see: Year of the four emperors |
15 January 69 to 16 April 69
| Otho
| MARCVS SALVIVS OTHO
| IMPERATOR MARCVS OTHO CAESAR AVGVSTVS
| Committed suicide; | see: Year of the four emperors |
2 January 69 to 20 December 69
| Vitellius
| AVLVS VITELLIVS
| AVLVS VITELLIVS GERMANICVS IMPERATOR AVGVSTVS
| Co-emperor; murdered in the Forum; | see: Year of the four emperors |
Flavian Dynasty
| Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 July 69 to 24 June 79
| Vespasian
| TITVS FLAVIVS VESPASIANVS
| IMPERATOR VESPASIANVS CAESAR AVGVSTVS
| AD70: Pontifex Maximus Pater Patriae | co-emperor; see: Year of the four emperors |
24 June 79 to 13 September 81
| Titus
| TITVS FLAVIVS VESPASIANVS | TITVS CAESAR VESPASIANVS IMPERATOR TITVS CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVGVSTVS
| AD70: Pontifex Maximus Pater Patriae
| |
| from August 69 IMPERATOR TITVS CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVGVSTVS | ||||
14 September 81 to 18 September 96
| Domitian
| TITVS FLAVIVS DOMITIANVS | CAESAR DOMITIANVS IMPERATOR CAESAR DOMITIANVS AVGVSTVS, PONTIFEX MAXIMVS PATER PATRIAE
| lateAD83: Germanicus; | assassinated |
Nervan-Antonian dynasty - Five Good Emperors
Severan Dynasty, African, Asian and Syrian Emperors
Crisis of the Third Century
Emperors during the height of the Crisis
Gallic Empire 260 to 274
| Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
260 to 268
| Postumus
| MARCVS CASSIANIVS LATINIVS POSTVMVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS CASSIANVS LATINIVS POSTVMVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
|
| |
269 to 269
| Laelianus
| VLPIVS CORNELIVS LAELIANVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS VLPIVS CORNELIVS LAELIANVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS
|
| |
269 to 269
| Marius
| MARCVS AVRELIVS MARIVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS AVRELIVS MARIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS
|
| |
269 to 271
| Victorinus
| MARCVS PIAVONIVS VICTORINVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS PIAVONIVS VICTORINVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
|
| |
270 to 271
| Domitianus
|
|
| Proclaimed emperor of the Gallic Empire
| |
271 to 274
| Tetricus I
| CAIVS PIVS ESVVIVS TETRICVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS PIVS ESVVIVS TETRICVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
|
| |
Illyrian Emperors
Tetrarchies, unifications and new splits
Dominate
Valentinian Dynasty
| Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
26 February 364 to 17 November 375
| Valentinian I
| FLAVIVS VALENTINIANVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS VALENTINIANVS AVGVSTVS
|
| |
24 August 367 to 383
| Gratian
| FLAVIVS GRATIANVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS GRATIANVS AVGVSTVS
| Assassinated
| |
375 to 385
| Valentinian II
| FLAVIVS VALENTINIANVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS VALENTINIANVS AVGVSTVS
| Deposed; died in suspicious circumstances
| |
383 to 388
| Magnus Maximus
| MAGNVS MAXIMVS
|
| Rival in the west; deposed and executed
| |
| c.386 to 388 | Flavius Victor | FLAVIVS VICTOR
|
| Fate uncertain
| |
392 to 394
| Eugenius
| FLAVIVS EVGENIVS
|
| Usurper in the west; killed in battle
| |
Britannic Empire 286 to 297
| Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
286 to 293
| Carausius
| MARCVS AVRELIVS MAVSAEVS
|
|
| |
293 to 297
| Allectus
| not known
| not known
|
| |
Late Roman Empire
Theodosian Dynasty
| Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
388 to 17 January 395
| Theodosius I the Great
| FLAVIVS THEODOSIVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS THEODOSIVS AVGVSTVS
| Co-emperor; emperor in the east from 379
| |
23 January 393 to 395
| Flavius Augustus Honorius
| FLAVIVS HONORIVS
|
| Becoming emperor in the west
| |
Western Empire
- For continuation, see: list of Barbarian kings of Italy
Eastern Empire
| Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
26 February 364 to 17 November 375
| Valentinian I
| FLAVIVS VALENTINIANVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS VALENTINIANVS AVGVSTVS
| Co-emperor with Valens 364 to 378
| |
28 March 364 to 9 August 378
| Valens
| FLAVIVS IVLIVS VALENS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS IVLIVS VALENS AVGVSTVS
| Killed in battle
| |
September 365 to 27 May 366
| Procopius
|
| PROCOPIVS
| Usurper; executed by Valens
| |
24 August 367 to 383
| Gratianus
| FLAVIVS GRATIANVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS GRATIANVS
| co-emperor with Valentinian II (375 to 392); assassinated
| |
19 January 379 to 17 January 395
| Theodosius I The Great
| FLAVIVS THEODOSIVS
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS THEODOSIVS AVGVSTVS
| Co-emperor in the west from 388 |
|
383 to January 395
| Arcadius
| FLAVIVS 'ARCADIVS\'
| IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS ARCADIVS AVGVSTVS
| Becoming Byzantine Emperor January 395
| |
Byzantine Emperors
- Arcadius (395 - 408)
- Theodosius II (408 - 450)
- Marcian (450 - 457)
- Leo I (457 - 474)
- Leo II (474)
- Zeno (474 - 491)
- Basiliscus (475 - 476)
- Zeno (restored) (476 - 491)
See also
Roman Emperors by Epoch (see also: List - Concise List - Roman Empire) PRINCIPATE CRISIS of the
3rd CenturyDOMINATE LATE EMPIRE Julio-Claudian dynasty *Four Emperors 68-69 *Flavian dynasty * **Five Good Emperors *Severan Dynasty *Barracks
Emperors *Illyrian
Emperors *Gallic
Emperors(most Tetrarchies) *Constantine
Dynasty -
Brittanic
Emperors *Valentinian
DynastyTheodosian Dynasty
(Tetrarchy, unifica-
tion and final split)
Emperors of the
Western Empire
Byzantine Emperors-> (Italy:)
:Barbarian Kings
-> (Much later in Western Europe:)
:Holy Roman Emperors
-> (Continuing in Eastern Europe:)
:Byzantine Emperorss- Roman usurper
External links
- There are good biographies of most of the Roman Emperors in De Imperatoribus Romanis.
