This is a list of the Roman Emperors with the dates they ruled the Roman Empire.
Note that in the list below Julius Caesar is not mentioned as an Emperor, as 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 who held power over part of the empire only
bold: 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 |
The Five Good Emperors
Severan Dynasty
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 269 | Postumus | MARCVS CASSIANIVS LATINIVS POSTVMVS | IMPERATOR CAESAR MARCVS CASSIANVS LATINIVS POSTVMVS PIVS FELIX INVICTVS AVGVSTVS | |
269 | Laelianus | VLPIVS CORNELIVS LAELIANVS | IMPERATOR CAESAR GAIVS VLPIVS CORNELIVS LAELIANVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS | Proclaimed himself emperor of the Gallic Empire |
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
Dominate
Tetrarchy and Constantinian Dynasty
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 | IMPERATOR CAESAR CARAVSIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS | |
293 to 297 | Allectus | not known | IMPERATOR CAESAR ALLECTVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS |
Valentinian Dynasty
Theodosian Dynasty
Reign | Common name | Personal name & Title at birth/ on eve of accession | Imperial name | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
379 to 17 January 395 | Theodosius I the Great | FLAVIVS THEODOSIVS | IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS THEODOSIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS | Co-emperor; emperor in the east from 379 |
383 to January 395 | Arcadius | FLAVIVS ARCADIVS | IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS ARCADIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS | Becoming Byzantine Emperor January 395 |
23 January 393 to 395 | Honorius | FLAVIVS HONORIVS | IMPERATOR CAESAR FLAVIVS HONORIVS PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS | Becoming emperor in the west |
Western Empire
- For continuation, see: list of Barbarian kings of Italy
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)
- For continuation, see: List of Byzantine emperors
See also
External links
- There are good biographies of most of the Roman Emperors in De Imperatoribus Romanis.
- The complete list of the Roman Empire Emperors