The Similarities And Differences And Their Impact On The Citizens Of Rome

The Roman Emperor

After the fall of Julius Caesar, one of history’s greatest military commanders, and most notable dictator of the Roman Empire, many successors with longer reigns followed - with arguably a lesser impact than that of their predecessor. Those emperors include Octavian, Nero, Domitian, and Marcus Aurelius. All four of these rulers had different ethics, and morals which contributed to the way they chose to govern the empire. This essay will contrast the similarities and differences between each of these emperors and their impact on the citizens of Rome.

In 27 B.C.ECaesar's adopted son, Octavian rose to power and declared that he restored the republic. However, in reality, Octavian disguised monarchy with his respect for tradition

Unlike Octavian, Nero was raised by his aunt who ensured that he had access to the best education. Although Nero was highly educated, he never truly desired to become emperor. His true passion was the arts such as music and acting. During his reign, it became quite apparent that Nero did not have a high moral compass. For instance, he murdered both his brother and mother to ensure his power as emperor and fought the Jewish rebels in 66 C.E. He took pride in his ability to eliminate those who threatened his position of power and disobeyed his rules. In addition to his murderous tendencies, he was also guilty of faking treason charges and bankrupting the treasury. Despite his negative attributes, he did make a few positive contributions to the Roman empire such as his generous cash distributions and public entertainment. With that being said, his reign soon came to an end when he was suspected of ordering a huge fire that damaged large portions of Rome in 64 C.E. After his own generals toppled his regime in 68 C.E., he committed suicide with the help of a

In the end Vespasian won. Vespasian had two sons named Titus and Domitian. Initially, Titus ruled first before Domitian but two years into his reign, he died. Afterwards, Domitian rose to power. During Domitian’s reign he rebuilt Rome by constructing multiple public buildings such as a concert hall, stadium, pantheon, and a palace. Additionally, he balanced the budget and campaigned against Germanic tribes who were threats to the empire. These actions caused the people of Rome to support him. However, his extreme arrogance caused the senate to despise him. Furthermore, he was quite cruel and possessed similar moral values to Nero. During his time of power, he executed anyone who proved to be disloyal or threatened his authority. Eventually the actions of Domitian caused his wife to fear him. So in 96 C.E. his wife and members of the Senate murdered