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Agrippina was the mother of the Emperor Nero. Her influence on politics and her ambition dates back to his birth and spans till the time her powers began to decrease, and eventual assassination in 59 AD. Nero was 17 at the time he succeeded Claudius. In the early years of his reign, Agrippina held great influence over her son and political affairs. However her downfall began in his inaugural address, when she was indirectly denounced by Nero, who later began to rely on others, such as Seneca, Burrus and Poppaea Sabina.…
Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus was born on September 18, 53 and died on August 9, 117, Roman Emperor (98117), commonly called Trajan, was the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire. The five good emperors heightened the overall Roman Empire. Trajan was born into a prominent political family. He was the son of Marci and Marcus Ulpius Traianus, a prominent senator and general. In the mid 70's, Trajan's father was Governor of Syria , where Trajan himself remained as Tribunus legions. Trajan was nominated as Consul and brought Apollodorus with him to Rome around the early 90's. It was the potental Emperor Hadrian who brought word to Trajan of his adoption, and thus had Trajan's favor for the rest of his…
Titus Flavius Vespasian was well known for restoring peace and stability to an empire in disarray following the death of Nero in A.D. 68. In the process he established the Flavian dynasty as the legitimate successor to the imperial throne.…
In 62 CE after the Praetorian Guard Burrus died, and after Seneca retired from Nero’s court, Nero started to take better care of the empire by himself (Kinsey 95). Since Burrus died, Nero appointed Tigellinus to replace him as Praetorian Guard (Kinsey 95). With nobody monitoring him, Nero was free to do whatever he pleased, so Nero began touring and performing in front of large audiences (Kinsey…
The Roman leader Nero slit his own throat on June 9th, 68 C.E. after receiving word that the Senate had declared him a public enemy. He was 30 years old. In the beginning of 68 C.E. Gaius Vindex led a rebellion against Nero, Rome’s current emperor, that could have been easily stopped had Nero not given up so soon. Nero did not put put up much of a fight during his fall, and was easily overtaken by the rebels, proving that anyone with an army backing them up could become emperor of Rome. Afterwards, Sulpicius Galba was put in charge of Rome but ruled poorly, marking the start of the Year of Four Emperors.…
When the Roman Emperor Augustus came to power in 27 BC it was after a period of civil war that lasted over 70 years following the death of Julius Caesar. Rome had 50 legions at this time, and number that would have put too great a financial strain on the Roman coffers. Augustus also feared for the loyalty of these legion due to the fact that many legionaries prior to the civil war had given their loyalty to the legion’s commander and not the state. During this time Augustus also limited Rome’s territorial ambitions choosing the secure its gains and to not expand it much further, thus making it more unmanageable both administratively and financially.…
was born December 15th, 37AD and died June 9th, 68AD. Commonly identified as Nero, he ruled…
Augustus’ dynasty included the unpopular Tiberius (14-37 A.D.), the bloodthirsty and unstable Caligula (37-41) and Claudius (41-54), who was best remembered for his army’s conquest of Britain. The line ended with Nero (54-68), whose excesses drained the Roman treasury and led to his downfall and eventual suicide. Four emperors took the throne in the tumultuous year after Nero’s death; the fourth, Vespasian (69-79), and his successors, Titus and Domitian, were known as the Flavians; they attempted to temper the excesses of the Roman court, restore Senate authority and promote public welfare. Titus (79-81) earned his people’s devotion with his handling of recovery efforts after the infamous eruption of Vesuvius, which destroyed the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii.…
This loss of power brought about a series of civil wars fought among generals with the backing of their distinct armies. Julius Caesar eventually prevailed when in 49 BCE he rode into Italy with his army against the orders of the Senate. In 44 BCE he declared himself dictator for life, but was murdered by a crew of strict republicans on the Ides of March 44 BCE. This once again plunged Rome into civil war and while Caesar's heir, his grand-nephew Octavian, and Marc Antony initially joined sides to avenge his death, they soon turned against each other and Octavian eventually triumphed over Antony and his ally, Cleopatra. Octavian was given the honorific title 'Augustus' in 27 BCE and ruled Rome for the next 40 years. While he claimed to have restored the Republic, Augustus held many important administrative and religious positions simultaneously and so, in fact, became the first emperor. He attempted to maintain control over the Empire by improving road systems and augmenting town growth. He also united the Empire through his use of the arts as a form of self-promotion and to promote the themes of his administration, such as peace, allegiance to Rome, and respect for tradition. He visually improved the city by constructing new buildings that were worthy of the powerful Empire. He made art into the materialization of Roman government which was an idea continued by his descendants and was declared a god-- as had been his father, Julius Caesar-- at his death in 14…
He took power in 27 B.C. After this he went by the title Augustus, and during his reign what used to be the roman republic, turned into a empire. It turned into an empire by having a pax romana. Pax romana means roman peace. Taking power away from the senate, having a strong army, and being lead by a brilliant leader all lead to the pax romana which led to an empire. The empire was similar to the republic by the fact that all citizens had a voice in what was done. But its also different by the fact that in the republic the ssenate had a big say in what was done, but in the empire the senate’s say didn’t have as much as affect as it did in the…
Rome’s location contributed to its success in unifying Italy and all the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Agriculture was essential to Rome and was the source of most wealth. Social status, political privilege, and fundamental values were related to land ownership. The heads of families who were able to acquire a large profit of land were members of the Senate—“Council of Elders” that played a central role in Roman politics. The Republic was not a democracy in the modern sense. In Rome, the votes of the wealthy classes counted for more than the votes of poor citizens. Individuals of separate classes came together in ties of obligation, such as the patron/client relationship. Rome’s success in creating a huge empire released forces that eventually destroyed the Republican system of government. Octavian eliminated all enemies and reconstructed the Roman system of government. This period following the Republic is called the Principate. Augustus, one of the many names given to Octavian, became the name by which he is best known. Augustus’s understanding of human nature enabled him to manipulate Roman society. During his reign Egypt, parts of the Middle East, and Central Europe were added to the empire. Augustus had allied himself with the equites; Italian merchants and landowners second in wealth and social status. They helped run the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire of the first three centuries was an “urban” empire. Trade was greatly enhanced by the pax romana guaranteed by the Romans. Romanization—the spread of the Latin language and Roman way of life—was strongest in the western provinces. During this period of tranquility and success, many waited for the arrival of “the Messiah,” or Jesus, a young Jew. Paul, a Jew from the Greek city of Tarsus in southeast Anatolia, threw his talent and energy into spreading the word of Jesus. Surviving pieces of roads, walls, aqueducts and buildings are evidence of the engineering expertise of the ancient Romans. The third…
The Forum of Augustus was erected in 2 BCE, a full forty years after it was promised in 42 BCE. Augustus at the time known as Gaius Octavius at the time vowed to Mars during the battle of Philippi to erect a temple in his name. He did this most likely to bring him strength in this battle as after the battle he was able to avenge his adoptive father Julius Caesar by killing his assassins. Sometime after in 27 BCE he became Princeps of Rome changings his name to Augustus. He then made plans to build a forum and build the temple he vowed of Mars Ultor inside of it. He also stated through propaganda that by doing this he was fulfilling his adoptive will linking him to the deified Julius Caesar whom the people loved making him more popular…
Nero Claudius Caesar, was born under the name Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, in the year 37 AD and was adopted by his uncle, Emperor Claudius. Nero’s mother had married Claudius after the death of her late husband. She later killed poised Claudius, leaving the throne wide open for 17 year old Nero. In his 5 years as emperor, Nero became highly disliked by both his citizens and fellow members of the Roman government. Nero is probably the most infamous Roman emperor, as he had assassinated his wife, mother along with numerous other people assassinated. He is also infamously known for his widespread massacre of Christians, which he blamed for the great Roman fire. He committed suicide, when he realized that everyone was against him in 68…
Emperor Nero was a sick human being who seriously lacked humility. He thought of himself as a god and would perform inhumane deeds such as stealing from sacred temples or killing innocent Christian people. Nero roughly killed about one hundred thousand Christians for no good reason whatsoever. He would use them to light up his parties or he would throw them into the gladiator pit, facing them against ferocious animals or deadly ruthless warriors. Nero's serious lack of humility caused him to perform poorly as a leader. If Nero had shown more humility throughout his time as leader, he would most likely have been not only a better person, but also a better leader. A good leader needs to display virtue in order to lead his people to…
The background to Herod's rise to power is the Roman civil war that will transform Rome from a republic into and empire ruled by the Caesars or emperors. In 44BCE Julius Caesar is murdered by Brutus and Cassius who are in turn defeated by Anthony and Octavian in 42 BCE. The Battle of Actium in 31 BCE is the final showdown between Octaviun and Anthony. Octaviun emerged as the unrivaled victor, changing his name to Augustus and becoming the first Roman emperor. Herod had originally sided with Anthony but switches allegiance at the last minute and backs Octavian. His last minute support for Octavian earns him Augustus's confirmation as King of Israel.…