Emperors of the Roman Empire

In the 500 years Rome was an Empire, there were over 140 different emperors!
Some emperors were good. Some emperors were bad. 
Some were just plain crazy. 

Augustus: The First Roman Emperor (Julius Caesar's adopted son)

Nero: At first, the people thought Nero was great. But Emperor Nero was insane. 

Trajan: Trajan was the first Roman emperor who was not from Italy. 
He was Spanish. He was a great conqueror. Under his rule, the empire grew and covered more geography than at any other time.

Diocletian: In an effort to better manage the Roman Empire, Diocletian split the empire into two pieces. Historians call these pieces the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire.  

Constantine: Constantine was the first Christian Roman emperor. 
He lived in the Eastern Roman Empire, and chose his capital to be the small town Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople. The western side of the empire, which included the city of Rome, became less and less important to the Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantium was located in a perfect position to trade with the east and the west. Rather than send traded goods onto to Rome, Constantine kept most of the goods in his own half of the empire. As well, he pulled monies from Rome to support and build Constantinople.

Valens: Emperor Valens & the Barbarians

 

Meet all the Emperors

List of Roman Emperors

 Roman Empire Map  

Every Coin Tells a Story  

See Also: Julius Caesar 

See Also: Free PowerPoint Presentations about Ancient Rome