In the 500 years Rome was an empire, Rome had over 140 different
emperors! Emperors had absolute rule. They controlled the government, the
military, and the people. Two such emperors were Nero and Caligula.
Nero
Nero was a Roman emperor who ruled from 54 AD to 68 AD. He was always
indulged in foolish things, like racing at the Circus Maximus, which was a race
course for chariots. But people did not laugh at him for long. A new religion sprang
up in Rome. It was called Christianity. Christians believed in one god. They refused
to worship the Roman gods. In Nero’s time, that was against the law. If one did not
worship Roman gods, he was a criminal. Nero told his army to hunt down Christians.
Once people confessed to being Christians, they were brought to the Colosseum,
another big entertainment center in ancient Rome. They were then fed to the lions
in the colosseum for punishing them and entertainment purposes! Nero then turned
his attention to the members of the senate. They were ordered to kill themselves
since they possessed power. He killed his mother and wife as well. After seeing all
this happening, the senate ordered immediate execution. Hearing this Nero killed
himself in 68 AD.
Caligula
Caligula was another Roman emperor who ruled from 37 AD to 41 AD. He
provided lavish games for the Romans to enjoy, and abolished the sales tax. Seven
months into his reign he fell ill but he emerged from his illness as Rome’s
nightmare! He may have lost his sanity, though this is doubtful. He went out of his
way to humiliate the senate. He also included his horse in meetings! And intended
to make him consul! He insisted on being treated as a god. In 41 AD, the Praetorian
Guard assassinated Gaius with the members of the Roman Senate and of the
imperial court. He was 29 when he was assassinated. Only the common people, who
benefited from his extravagant spending, lamented his death.
Emperor Caligula
Emperor Nero
Emperor Caligula with his horse
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Using EBSCOHOST
Nero
"Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition." http://tas.blackboard.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. <
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=11&sid=2d68a5ae-fc46-43e3-bedcf17491caf3d4%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=39023937
>.
Caligula
"Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition." http://tas.blackboard.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. <
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=8&hid=6&sid=2d68a5ae-fc46-43e3-bedcf17491caf3d4%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=39000232
>.
Using Google advanced search
Nero
1) www.wikipedia.org/. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero >.
2) http://www.accla.org/. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. <
http://www.accla.org/actaaccla/nero.html >.
Caligula
1) www.wikipedia.org/. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula >.
2) http://www.bbc.co.uk/. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2010. <
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/caligula.shtml >.