The Roman Empire: Difference between revisions

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While the image of [[The Caligula]] may linger in the popular imagination, Roman emperors varied from [[The Ace|good and competent]] to ineffectual to monsters. The early emperors, starting with Augustus, largely kept [[The Roman Republic|republican]] institutions in place, cultivating the image of what we would call a constitutional monarchy. However, all real power lay with the emperor, as he had the personal loyalty of the legions<ref>If he ''didn't'', he wasn't going to remain emperor for long</ref>. Later on, during the third century, the emperors dropped the pretense of being [[Just the First Citizen]] and openly embraced autocratic rule. Their personal force of bodyguards, the [[Praetorian Guard]], had a large role in both selecting and displacing them.

 

* Julio-Claudian Dynasty

** [[Emperor Augustus|Augustus]] (27 BC - AD 14): The first emperor, widely revered for bringing peace to the Empire. Extremely [[The Prince|Machiavellian]] with his political rivals, he was benevolent with the general public.

* Manuel I Komnenos (1143 - 1180): Pursued an aggressive foreign policy and expanded the Empire, but his conquests didn't last long.

* Constantine XI Palaiologos (1449 - 1453): The last emperor in the east, he led Constantinople in a heroic [[Last Stand]] against the Turks. [[Never Found the Body|His body was never found]], elevating him to [[King in the Mountain|legendary status]].

* [[The Emperor]] (from ''imperator'', a military title literally meaning "commander" and usually bestowed upon victorious generals)

* [[The Empire]] (and in the western tradition at least, also the [[Trope Codifier]])

* [[The Republic]] (from ''res publica'', "[government is a] public affair")

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Thermae Romae]]'', set in the reign of the emperor Hadrian (and in 21st century Japan).