Roman Emperors
Tiberius
Claudius
Gaius
(Caligula)
Nero
SUCCESSION
• In theory, the position of emperor was not hereditary
– It was not passed down automatically from father
to son
– According to law, when an emperor dies, his
power reverted back to the people of Rome and
they could then give this power to whomever they
liked
– Most Romans accepted this principle without
serious opposition
• Saw it as the only alternative to the bloody civil
wars of the Late Republic
THREE THINGS NECESSARY TO
BECOME AN EMPEROR
• Some sort of relationship with the previous
ruler
– Either through blood or adoption
• Formal recognition by the Senate and its
granting the new emperor full legal powers
– Could be obtained by force or intimidation
if the senators were hesitant to do so
voluntarily
• An expression of loyalty by the armies and
especially by the Praetorian Guard
– Often obtained through bribes
SUPPORT
To remain in power, emperors needed to retain
the support of three powerful factions:
• His staff
– Including the Praetorian Guard
• The army
• Wealthy aristocrats who made up the Senate
PRAETORIAN GUARD
• 5000 stationed in camp
outside of Rome
– Only several hundred
used in the palace at
any one time
• Rotated on a routine
basis
– Guarded the emperor
and his family
• To retain their support,
emperors gave them
monetary gifts and
bonuses
– Failure to do so was
often fatal
THE ARMY
• Had to have loyalty of troops on the frontier
– Emperors exerted great effort to accomplish this
• Made sure they were always present at major
campaigns
• Gave generous veteran benefits and periodic
bonuses
• Continually transferred commanders
SENATE ARISTOCRACY
• Senate no longer had any real power
– But it did include the wealthiest
and most powerful men in Rome.
• No emperor could afford to
ignore them as a result
• Senate was not powerful
enough to overthrow an
emperor by itself
– But when its opposition
was added to that of the
Praetorian Guard or army,
that was usually it for an
emperor
THE PEOPLE
• They did still occasionally riot
• But they never overthrew or
even seriously threatened the
power of an emperor
– Not a serious factor as long
as they received free food
and entertainment
HARDWORKING GUYS
• A few emperors did goof off
but most were busy men who
took their jobs seriously
– Administered justice,
directed war, supervised
imperial administration,
maintained unity of empire
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
• Emperor and his family in
the spotlight
– Subject to both vicious
gossip and graffiti as
well as unbelievable
public worship
• What is remarkable is not
that some emperors
became mad with power
and acted like
irresponsible tyrants but
that most of them resisted
this temptation and ruled
well and fairly