For a simplified list see: Concise list of Roman Emperors
This is a list of the Roman Emperors with the dates they ruled, or claimed to rule, all or part of the Roman Empire , until the final demise of the Western Empire in 476 or to the death of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I in 565 .
Note that Julius Caesar does not appear in the list. His position as Dictator is considered a continuation of the Roman Republic . 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 .
The titles conferred on, or assumed by the Emperor, indicated in the Imperial name and Notes columns in the table include:
Imperator : 'Victorious Commander given power by the gods'
Pater Patriae : 'Father of the Fatherland'
Pontifex Maximus : 'Greatest Pontiff' (lit. Bridge-builder)
Key (for columns showing names in Latin):
italics: claimant who cannot be considered to have ruled, or who held power over part of the empire only
bold : name by which the individual is commonly known
bold italics : nickname by which the individual is commonly known (unless a claimant)
Principate
Julio-Claudian dynasty
Details
Portrait
Death
File:Aug11 01.jpg
Possibly assassinated by poisoning.
Possibly assassinated by suffocation.
Assassinated.
File:Emperor Claudius.jpg
Suggested assassinated by poisoning.
Committed suicide.
Year of the three emperors
Details
Portrait
Death
Murdered by Otho
Committed suicide
Murdered in the Forum
Flavian dynasty
Details
Portrait
Death
Peaceful death.
Reign: 24 June 79 to 13 September 81
Common Name: Titus
Birthplace: Rome
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR TITVS CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVGVSTVS from August 69 IMPERATOR TITVS CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVGVSTVS
File:Titus Bust.jpg
Assassinated.
Nervan-Antonian dynasty
Details
Portrait
Death
Peaceful death.
Assassinated: strangled by a wrestler.
Severan dynasty
Details
Portrait
Death
Murdered by soldiers on the Palatine.
File:Dupondus-Didius Julianus.JPG
Sentenced to death by the Senate; murdered on the Palatine.
Peaceful death.
Assassinated.
Murdered by Caracalla
Executed
Reign: May 217 to June 218
Common Name: Diadumenian
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR MARCVS OPELLIVS ANTONINVS DIADVMENIANVS CAESAR SEVERVS
File:055 Diadumenianus.jpg
Reign: June 218 to 222
Common Name: Elagabalus
Birthplace: Emesa , Syria
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR MARCVS AVRELIVS ANTONINVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS PROCONSVL
Assassinated
Crisis of the Third Century
Emperors during the height of the Crisis
Details
Portrait
Death
Reign: February/March 235 to March/April 238
Common Name: Maximinus Thrax
Birthplace: Serbia - Thrace or Moesia
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS JVLIVS VERVS MAXIMINVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS , AVGVSTVS
Assassinated.
Reign: Early January/March 238 to late January/April 238
Common Name: Gordian I
Birthplace: Phrygia
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS SEMPRONIANVS AFRICANVS
Committed suicide
Reign: Early January March 238 to late January/April 238
Common Name: Gordian II
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS SEMPRONIANVS AFRICANVS
Killed in battle.
Reign: early February 238 to early May 238
Common Name: Pupienus Maximus
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS CLODIVS PVPIENVS MAXIMVS AVGVSTVS
Murdered by the Praetorians.
Reign: Early February 238 to early May 238
Common Name: Balbinus
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name:
File:070 Balbinus 30 mm ext.jpg
Reign: May 238 to February 244
Common Name: Gordian III
Birthplace: Rome
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS ANTONIVS GORDIANVS , PIVS FELIX , AVGVSTVS
Unknown; possibly murdered.
Reign: February 244 to September/October 249
Common Name: Philip the Arab
Birthplace: Shahba , Syria
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS IVLIVS PHILLIPVS , PIVS FELIX , INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
File:Портрет Филипа Араба.jpg
Killed in battle.
Reign: 249 to June 251
Common Name: Decius
Birthplace: Budalia , Lower Pannonia
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS MESSIVS QVINTVS TRAIANVS DECIVS , PIVS FELIX , INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Reign: 251
Common Name: Hostilian
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR CAIVS VALENS HOSTILIANVS MESSIVS QVINTVS AVGVSTVS
Peaceful death.
Reign: June 251 to August 253
Common Name: Trebonianus Gallus
Birthplace: Italia
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS VIBIVS TREBONIANVS GALLVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Murdered by his own soldiers.
Reign: July 251 to August 253
Common Name: Volusianus
Birthplace: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS VIBIVS AFINIVS GALLVS VELDVMNIANVS VOLVSIANVS AVGVSTVS
Imperial Name:
Reign: August 253 to October 253
Common Name: Aemilianus
Birthplace: Africa
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS AEMILIVS AEMILIANVS , PIVS FELIX , INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Reign: 253 to June 260
Common Name: Valerian
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR PVBLIVS LICINIVS VALERIANVS , PIVS FELIX , INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Captured by Persians : died in captivity.
Reign: 253 to September 268
Common Name: Gallienus
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR PVBLIVS LICINIVS EGNATIVS GALLIENVS , PIVS FELIX , INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Assassinated.
Reign: 260
Common Name: Saloninus
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name:IMPERATOR CAESAR CORNELIVS LICINIVS SALONINVS VALERIANVS , PIVS FELIX , INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
File:093 Saloninus.jpg
Dominate
Tetrarchy and Constantinian dynasty
Details
Portrait
Death
File:Diocletian.jpg
Peaceful death.
File:Maximian.gif
Abdicated.
File:121 Constantius Chlorus.jpg
Peaceful death.
Murdered or forced to commit suicide in captivity.
Dies in battle by drowning in the Tiber.
Reign: 307 to 308
Common Name: Maximian
Birthplace: Serbia - near Sirmium , Pannonia
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS AVRELIVS VALERIVS MAXIMIANVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Forced to commit suicide.
Peaceful death.
Executed.
Committed suicide.
Reign: December 316 to 1 March 317
Common Name: Valerius Valens
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR AVRELIVS VALERIVS VALENS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Executed.
Reign: July to 18 September 324
Common Name: Martinianus
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR SEXTVS MARCIVS MARTINIANVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS
Killed in battle.
File:ConstantiusII.JPG
Peaceful death.
Reign: 337 to 350
Common Name: Constans
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: Constans|IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS IVLIVS CONSTANS AVGVSTVS
Killed by Magnentius .
Reign: 350
Common Name: Vetranio
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name:
Committed suicide.
Reign: November 361 to June 363
Common Name: Julian
Birthplace: Constantinople , Thracia
Imperial Name: Julian the Apostate|IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS CLAVDIVS IVLIANVS AVGVSTVS
Unknown.
Peaceful death.
Valentinian dynasty
Details
Portrait
Death
Peaceful death.
Killed in battle.
File:158 Gratianus.jpg
Assassinated.
Deposed; died in suspicious circumstances.
Theodosian dynasty
Details
Portrait
Death
Peaceful death.
Reign: 383 to January 395
Common Name: Arcadius
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS ARCADIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS
Reign: 23 January 393 to 395
Common Name: Honorius
Birthplace: IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS HONORIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS
Imperial Name:
Western Empire
Details
Portrait
Death
Reign: 395 to 15 August 423
Common Name: Honorius
Birthplace: ?
Imperial Name: IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS HONORIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS
Peaceful death.
Assassinated.
Stoned to death.
Execution.
Unknown: killed or died of dysentery .
Unknown: poisoned by Ricimer or died of natural causes.
Executed
File:Olybrius 01.jpg
Peaceful death.
Assassinated.
Fate unknown.
Eastern Empire
References
Chris Scarre, Chronicle of the Roman Emperors , Thames & Hudson, 1995, Reprinted 2001, ISBN 0-500-05077-5
Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome , Penguin Classics, Michael Grant Publications Ltd, 1971, Reprinted 1985, ISBN 0-14-044060-7
Martha Ross, Rulers and Governments of the World, Vol.1 Earliest Times to 1491 , Bowker, 1978, ISBN 0-85935-021-5
Clive Carpenter, The Guinness Book of Kings Rulers & Statesmen , Guinness Superlatives Ltd, 1978, ISBN 0-900424-46-X
R.F.Tapsell, Monarchs Rulers Dynasties and Kingdoms of The World , Thames & Hudson, 1981, Reprinted 1987, ISBN 0-500-27337-5
See also
External links