The Emperors-Greatest of them all

[Quintus.JC]

Please choose the emperor who is in your opinion as the ' Optimus Princeps'

Emperors of Rome

Julio-Caudian emperors
Augustus 27BC-AD14
Tiberius AD14-37
Gaius (Caligula) AD37-41
Claudius AD41-54
Nero AD54-68

Year of the four emperors
Galba AD68-69
Otho AD69
Vitellius AD69

Flavian emperors
Vespasian AD69-79
Titus AD79-81
Domitian AD81-96

Adoptive and Antonine emperors
Nerva AD96-98
Trajan AD98-117
Hadrian AD117-38
Antoninus Pius AD138-61
Marcus Aurelius AD161-80
And Lucius Verus AD 161-169
Commodus AD180-92

Civil war
Pertinax AD193
Didius Julianus AD193

Severan emperors
Septimius Severus AD193-211
Caracalla AD211-17 and Geta AD211
Mancrinus AD 217-18
Elagabalus AD218-22
Alexander Severus AD222-35

Emperors of the age of chaos
Maximinus Thrax AD235-8
Gordian I AD238
Gordian II AND 238
Pupienus and Balbinus AD238
Gordian III AD238-44
Philip the Arab AD244-9
Decius AD249-51
Trebonianus Gallus AD251-3
Aemilius Aemilianus AD253
Valerian AD253-60
Gallienus AD253-68
Claudius II “Gothicus” AD268-70
Quintillus AD270
Aurelian AD270-75
Tacitus AD257-6
Probus AD276-82
Carus AD282-3
Numerian AD283-4
Carinus AD283-5

“Gallic” emperors
Postumus AD260-9
Laelianus AD269
Marius AD269
Victorinus AD268-71
Tetricus AD271-4

The tetrarchs and their successors
Diocletian AD284-305
Maximian AD286-305 and AD307-8
Constantius I AD305-6
Galerius AD305-11
Severus II AD306-7
Maxentius AD306-12
Maximinus Daia AD310-13
Licinius AD308-24


Emperors of the house of Constantine
Constantine I AD306-37
Constantine II AD337-40
Constans AD337-50
Constantius II AND337-61
Julian AD361-3
Jovian AD363-4
Valentinian I (west) AD364-75
And Valens (east) AD 364-75
Gratian AD367-83
Valentinian II AD375-92
Magnus Maximus (usurper0 AD383-8
Eugenius (usurper) AD392-4


Theodosian emperors
Theodosius I AD379-95
Arcadius (east) AD395-408
Honorius (west) AD395-423
Constantius III AD421
Theodosius II (east) AD408-50
Valentinian III (west) AD425-55


Last Western emperors
Marjorian AD457-61
Anthemius AD467-72
Romulus Augustulus AD475-6
Julius Nepos AD473-80

[Spartan198]

Romulus Augustulus,because he was the father of King Arthur!

No,just kidding,lol. I know he wasn't.

This is a really difficult one,because various caesars each did great things on behalf of Rome and the world. Augustus,Trajan,Marcus Aurelias,and Diocletian are all easy choices.

But,for the sake of wrapping this up without a lengthy essay,I put my vote in for Augustus. You can't go wrong with the guy who gave fidelity bonuses in Roman marriage and tried to root out corruption (at least,that's how I see it).

[CountArach]

Well Augustus is going to win this poll because he was the founder and basically set the standard for years to come. However, I chose to exclude him when I voted and it came down to Trajan for me.

[Gaius Scribonius Curio]

I voted Vespasian as he put the Empire back on track after a period of instability, (year of four emperors). Can't really say more now, going out, but I'll be back!

[Quintus.JC]

No-one for Diocletian? (apart from me)

[Conradus]

Well I voted for Augustus obviously because he was the founder and arguably the best one Rome ever got. Though if we were to exclude him, my vote would go to Hadrian. Trajan knew how to conquer huge amounts of land, but it was Hadrian who realised that Rome needed strong borders, and saw to that. Combine this with his love for Greek culture, you have one emperor who deserves my vote.

[Spartan198]

No-one for Diocletian? (apart from me)

Personally,Diocletian came in a close second on my list. So,no,you're not the only one.

[King Jan III Sobieski]

Constantinopolos is my favorite city...had to vote for its namesake.

[L.C.Cinna]

About the bad emperors:

Commodus and Elagabal are the two really bad ones from your list. the others surely aren't. The worst in general is the whole Theodosian dynasty and everything that followed. a complete bunch of unable, spoiled children.


As for Gaius and Nero: neither was mad, neither was bad. Nero didn't start the fire AND Nero didn't profit at all from it, on the contrary he lost his whole private collections and everything which he dearly loved, instead he sent all available troops to firefight in the densly populated poor areas. Nero and Gaius were emperors of the people who leaned towards monarchy without the Senate (Nero starts getting bad press after he passed a law which raised taxes for the rich and lowered them for the poor and middle classes). The true bad guys are in the Senate (and it's them who wrote the history).

[hellenes]

Guess whos this guy....

[Quintus.JC]

Guess whos this guy....

He looks like a Christian..............

[hellenes]

He looks like a Christian..............

A hint he was Roman Emperor

[Prince Cobra]

He looks like a Christian..............

How could I not? Basil the Second (976-1025). Well, this great Emperor caused much troubles to Bulgaria. In fact the people lying before him are the nations he conquered. I know for sure for the Bulgarians. I think there must be the Georgians, Armenians , maybe Arabs... Not sure for the rest.

He became Empreror when he was 18 year-old. He managed to win against the eunuch and king-maker Basil, then survived his only and last defeat by the Bulgarians (986), then the civil war which followed ( at that time he created the Varangian guards). After a long struggle with Bulgaria he conquered it after almost 50 years of war between Bulgaria nad Byzantium (967- 1018). He also conquered large parts of Armenia amd planned invasion against Sicily but he died soon before that. He never married and never have children. This was his only mistake: his brother had two daughters which later ruled but also have no children(one of them even ruled alone and unmarried as Emperor (Theodora (mid XI century)). This put the beginning of the dynastic crisis. Anyway, he was one of the greatest Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire.

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Yet, voted Augustus.