Roman Emperors Table
| Emperor | Reign | Defining note |
|---|---|---|
| Augustus | 27 BC – AD 14 | Julio-Claudian · first emperor, Pax Romana begins |
| Tiberius | AD 14 – 37 | Julio-Claudian · reluctant ruler, Capri years |
| Caligula | AD 37 – 41 | Julio-Claudian · assassinated by the Praetorian Guard |
| Claudius | AD 41 – 54 | Julio-Claudian · conquered Britain, unexpectedly able |
| Nero | AD 54 – 68 | Julio-Claudian · Great Fire of Rome, forced suicide |
| Galba | AD 68 – 69 | Year of Four Emperors · ruled seven months |
| Otho | AD 69 | Year of Four Emperors · ruled three months, suicide |
| Vitellius | AD 69 | Year of Four Emperors · ruled eight months, executed |
| Vespasian | AD 69 – 79 | Flavian · founded the Colosseum dynasty |
| Titus | AD 79 – 81 | Flavian · Vesuvius buried Pompey during his reign |
| Domitian | AD 81 – 96 | Flavian · assassinated, damnatio memoriae |
| Nerva | AD 96 – 98 | Nerva–Antonine · adopted Trajan, began the Five Good Emperors |
| Trajan | AD 98 – 117 | Nerva–Antonine · maximum territorial extent |
| Hadrian | AD 117 – 138 | Nerva–Antonine · Hadrian’s Wall in Britain |
| Antoninus Pius | AD 138 – 161 | Nerva–Antonine · longest peaceful reign |
| Marcus Aurelius | AD 161 – 180 | Nerva–Antonine · the philosopher emperor, Meditations |
| Commodus | AD 180 – 192 | Nerva–Antonine · ended the era of good emperors |
| Septimius Severus | AD 193 – 211 | Severan · African-born, founded the Severan dynasty |
| Caracalla | AD 211 – 217 | Severan · Edict of Caracalla: citizenship for all free men |
| Diocletian | AD 284 – 305 | Tetrarchy · divided the empire, Great Persecution |
| Constantine the Great | AD 306 – 337 | Constantinian · legalised Christianity, founded Constantinople |
| Theodosius I | AD 379 – 395 | Theodosian · last to rule both halves, made Christianity state religion |
| Romulus Augustulus | AD 475 – 476 | Western (fall) · deposed by Odoacer: the conventional fall of Rome |
The Roman Empire had one ruler at a time for five centuries - but that ruler changed, often violently. This table traces the 23 emperors who defined the empire from Augustus in 27 BC to Romulus Augustulus in AD 476, with the dynasties, the transitions and the events that made each reign memorable.
The Year of Four Emperors (68–69 AD) packed four claimants into eighteen months; the Nerva–Antonine dynasty that followed produced the era Machiavelli called the Five Good Emperors; and the third-century crisis nearly ended the empire two hundred years before it actually fell.
How to use
- Type an emperor, dynasty or event to filter the table - click a name to copy it.
- Use the chips to isolate the Julio-Claudians, the Flavians, the Five Good Emperors, and the end of the Western Empire.
- Read the defining-note column for what each emperor is actually remembered for, not just their dates.
Frequently asked questions
How many Roman emperors were there in total?
Far more than 23 - the full list including usurpers, co-emperors and the Eastern branch runs past 70. This table curates the 23 whose reigns shaped the empire’s trajectory; the rest were either brief usurpers, co-rulers or Eastern-only after the 395 split.
Who was the last Roman emperor?
Romulus Augustulus, deposed on September 4, AD 476 by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer. His name is almost a joke - both Romulus (the founder) and Augustulus (little Augustus) - and his deposition is the conventional date for the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
Why is the Year of Four Emperors important?
It proved that the empire could survive without a clear dynastic heir - and also that armies could make emperors. Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian each claimed the throne in 68–69, each backed by different legions. Vespasian won and founded the Flavian dynasty, but the precedent of army-made emperors haunted the next three centuries.
Was Caligula really insane?
The ancient sources (Suetonius and Cassius Dio) portray him as unhinged - planning to make his horse a consul, declaring war on the sea. Modern historians debate whether he was mentally ill, the victim of hostile sources, or simply a young man with absolute power and no checks. He was assassinated after four years.