THE FALL OF THE REPUBLIC
He was Rome's greatest orator and consul. Famous for exposing the Catiline Conspiracy and defending the Republic with his speeches — until he was executed in 43 BCE for opposing Mark Antony.
Who is Cicero?
He renamed the city of Rome after himself, declared himself the reincarnation of Hercules, and humiliated the Senate by fighting as a gladiator in the Colosseum.
Who is Commodus?
This group of five emperors — beginning with Nerva in 96 CE — is remembered for breaking the blood-succession cycle by adopting capable men as their successors.
What are the Five Good Emperors?
Who is Marcus Aurelius?
Period of relative peace brought about by Caesar Augustus that lasted for about 200 years.
What is the Pax Romana?
Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of senators on this famous date — March 15, 44 BCE.
What is the Ides of March?
Long dismissed as too weak to be dangerous — due to a stutter, a limp, and a nervous tic — this emperor surprised Rome by abolishing treason trials and conquering Britain.
Who is Claudius?
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero all belonged to this — Rome's first imperial dynasty.
What is the Julio-Claudian Dynasty?
The name given to the year (69 CE) following Nero's death that was filled with civil war and multiple men claiming to be emperor. Vespasian won the civil war starting the Flavian dynasty.
What is the Year of the Four Emperors?
Originally created to protect the emperor, this elite unit accumulated so much political power during the Julio-Claudian era that it could depose emperors, install new ones, and dramatically worsen Rome's succession crises.
What is the Praetorian Guard?
The Second Triumvirate was made up of Marc Antony, Octavian, and this man.
Who is Lepidus?
This British queen destroyed three Roman cities — including Londinium — around 60 CE. Despite vastly outnumbering them, her forces were defeated by a single disciplined Roman legion.
Who is Queen Boudica?
The second of the Five Good Emperors, this man pushed Rome's territorial borders to their absolute greatest extent — through victories in Dacia (modern Romania) and Mesopotamia. A famous column in Rome still celebrates his campaigns.
Who is Trajan?
The Third Century Crisis ended in 284 CE when this emperor came to power and actually stayed. He split imperial rule among four men, doubled the army's size, and issued a famous Edict setting maximum prices to fight runaway inflation.
Who is Diocletian?
Both Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus belonged to this political faction — the rivals of the Optimates — which championed land reform and the rights of common Romans.
What are the Populares?
This private three-man alliance that included Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus and was NOT a legal government body — it was a personal deal to advance each man's career while bypassing the Senate. When it collapsed, civil war followed.
What is the First Triumvirate?
Restorer of the World — this emperor reunited the empire's three fractured pieces and built walls around Rome still standing today. He was then assassinated by his own officers in 275 CE.
Who is Aurelian?
What is Edict of Caracalla?
In 193 CE — immediately after the assassination of Commodus — this many different men each claimed the title of Roman emperor within a single chaotic year.
What is FIVE? (Year of the Five Emperors)
The system of dividing imperial authority into the East and West among two senior Augusti and two junior Caesares as their designated successors.
What is the Tetrarchy?
He rivaled Marius for supremacy, marched his legions on Rome in 88 BCE — setting the dangerous precedent that military force could override political authority — became dictator, then uniquely resigned that power voluntarily in 79 BCE.
Who is Sulla?
The first African-born emperor of Rome, he won the civil war of 193 CE and founded a dynasty that lasted 42 years. Dying in Eboracum (York, Britain), his final advice to his sons: "Enrich the soldiers; scorn everyone else."
Who is Septimius Severus?
The three emperors of the Flavian Dynasty in order. The first emperor won the civil war of 69 CE, stabilized the economy, and started building the Colosseum. The second finished the Colosseum and resolved many crises in his reign of 2 years. The last is remembered as a tyrant and was assassinated.
Who are Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian?
This roughly 50-year period — 235 to 284 CE — saw approximately 50 emperors rise and fall, most killed by their own soldiers before completing even a single year in power.
What is the Crisis of the Third Century?
Ordinary military officers elevated to emperor by their armies; most ruled for less than two years and died violently
Who are the Barracks Emperors?