The Emperors-Greatest of them all

[spmetla]

I vote Augustus; though there was initially civil war he kept the empire relatively stable during his reign. Though the haphazard attempt at conquering Germania and his panic when Illyria revolted show a bit of mental instability. Having capable people surround him overcame a lot of that though. In his own words he found Rome in bricks and left it in marble.

My biggest gripe against him was not estabilishing a good policy for succesion, a clearly defined hereditary system or some sort of method of appointment would have saved the empire from a lot of woe.

[Furious Mental]

Although the Romans in Augustus' time were amenable to a principate and political dynasties, they had a particular distaste for monarchy. Octavian created the institution of a plebiscatory and meritocratic despot because it was not viable for him to do other than mask autocracy behind the forms and conventions of the oligarchic Republic.