There are many Roman emperors and there are a few that people see as experiencing success. In a recent survey by worldaffairsboard.com Augustus, Marcus Aurelius and Trajan were voted as the best. Septimius Severus who was also a great emperor was not even on the list. There are many things that go into making a good emperor such as military strength, taxes and life of the people in Rome. Septimius Severus was a great emperor because he had many of these needed qualities. He had some admirable wins in war and also helped the Roman Empire to grow. Septimius Severus greatly improved life for soldiers in the army and also did great things for people in Rome. During his tenure as emperor of Rome he made many improvements that greatly helped improve life in Rome. However, Septimius Severus’ great accomplishments and reforms did not last long because of the emperors that followed him.
Roman emperors must have many good attributes for them to be successful and liked by the Roman people. An emperor must excel in the military by keeping the country under control and conquering new lands. The emperor must also be able to lead and control his people. Another thing that is needed for a good Roman emperor is a person who can treat people well and also take care of them. Lastly, you must spend money well and leave Rome in good conditions when you die. Being a Roman emperor is a hard thing to do and you must also be careful about how you do it.
Before Septimius became emperor he held some civilian and military jobs, was appointed as a senator by Marcus Aurelius and was even governor of a region on the Danube River (Matyszak 130). These positions all led up to his journey of becoming emperor. After Commodus was assassinated and Pertinax died ...
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Augustus Caesar was very ambitious leader. He is best known for bringing peace to Rome. Augustus was considered the first great roman emperor, because He didn’t care about wealth and fortune. Augustus cared about the people of Rome. He was a great military leader and was successful in most of his missions. He showed people that being a good ruler requires a lot of hard work and dedication. He was a very generous man. Augustus was greatly admired by the Roman people.
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The Emperor Claudius was both a successful and significant ruler of the Roman Empire. His control of the Senate and new bureaucratic reforms led him to improve the efficiency of the government. His most dramatic reform was the expansion of the empire and the extension of who could be granted Roman citizenship. These new reforms gained him a lot of support. Although Claudius was easily influenced by those close to him, such as his two wives and freedmen, his rule was successful and one which paved the way for other rulers after
Trajan was regarded as one of the best emperors in the whole time of the empire. His public works help further the empire. His help of the provinces made them more loyal and grateful of the empire. His expansion on the other hand might not have been the best for the empire considering the empire's financial state, but it increased the roman’s land mass to one of its highest
1. Tim Cornell, John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, Facts On File Inc, 1982. (pg.216)
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Antony Kamm ~ The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93
... the Five Good Emperors won the support of the senate and they improved Rome in many ways.
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