The Bad Emperors of Rome

Caring, respectable, valued and honoured are all traits desirable of an emperor. Augustus encompassed all of these and went as far as restoring the Republican government from its once fallen state, but this was all forgotten when Tiberius became emperor. Tiberius was corrupt by power and Rome began to live in an era of destruction. As well, the subsequent emperors, Caligula and Nero followed in the same path, portraying violence and negatively impacting the city of Rome. Their reign caused them to be unpopular as each marginalized pietas, the duty towards the Gods, family, homeland, and followers, which is highly valued by the romans. This can be seen through the actions and behaviours throughout their time as they were destructive towards their families and disrespectful towards the people of the city. Alienation of various sectors also caused unpopularity of these men. Undoubtedly, a barrier was created between each emperor and the SPQR which led to their ultimate fate essentially determined by the people of Rome.

Tiberius Nero Caesar was the first emperor to rule Rome after the death of Augustus. His reign began in 14 AD with a positive start as he was initially well liked by the people and the senate. As Suetonius tells, he put all the power in the hands of the senate; taxes, dealing with soldiers, appointing generals for the management of important wars, were all presented to the senate for review. As well, Tiberius persisted in keeping the peace in Rome from criminals, so he increased the number of military stations. Displaying the values of pietas, Tiberius remained popular in the beginning of his reign, but this took a turn when he began to treat his own family poorly and displayed a lack of respect to the p...

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