Romes Really Bad Emperors Essay - 1264 Words

Tiberius, who served as emperor from 14 to 37 AD, began his rule after the death of his father-in-law, Augustus. Tiberius was a weak ruler, and he understood that ruling Rome was like â€Å"holding a wolf by the ears.† When conflict arose in Europe, Tiberius sent his nephew, Germanicus, to deal with it. Germanicus did his job, and this resulted in Tiberius fearing the newest war-hero. To avoid the issue, Germanicus was appointed governor of the remote eastern provinces by his uncle. After the sudden death of Germanicus, people believed that Tiberius had poisoned him. He denied this, but the accusations never died. When he was in need of advice, Tiberius sought the assistance of Sejanus, a cavalry officer and town cheat. Tiberius sought the†¦show more content†¦Caligula also suffered from a chronic inability to sleep, a common symptom of epilepsy. Rather than being almost equal to his people, he acted godlike. Senators were forced to kiss his feet, and at dinner part ies, he seduced their wives. He restored the treason trials and executed allies and enemies. Sometimes, Caligula’s harsh actions were unexplained. For instance, when he was about to slaughter an animal for sacrifice, he turned and struck a priest nearby, killing him. During this time, Caligula was also spending more money than he had, and soon, the Roman treasury was bare. To get more spending money, he began to blackmail the rich of Rome. Caligula still saw himself as a god, and he ordered a statue of himself be built in the Temple of Jerusalem. Herod Agrippa convinced him otherwise. Finally, in 41 AD, after his return from Gaul, Caligula was murdered by the people he called allies, including members of his protectors. To avoid backlash, his wife and daughter were also killed, and he was succeeded by his uncle, Claudius. Nero, who took the throne after his mother poisoned Claudius, the current emperor, ruled from 54 to 68 AD. At first, Nero was the picture-perfect emperor. H e lowered taxes, allowed more freedom to the Senate, granted permission to slaves who wanted to sue their unfair owners, and rid Rome of capital punishment. Eventually, NeroShow MoreRelatedRome in the 3rd Century AD1216 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Roman Empire was like for people in early and late antiquity, under the republic and early empire and especially in the 2nd century. Without going into too much detail, the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire were dominated by Senators and Emperors that only came from dominating Roman/Italian families. Roman citizenship was a privilege that not everyone was able to enjoy. Rome was expanding its territorial power and beginning to define itself as the central power of the Mediterranean regionRead MoreThe Entertainment System Of Ancient Rome Essay1028 Words   |  5 PagesCaesars. Caesar used these gladiators to entertain the middle class of Rome called the â€Å"Plebeians†. 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