Caracalla was born in 186 and ruled from 211 to 217. The son of Severus, he was known by his nickname Caracalla which refers to the hooded tunic he regularly wore and made a trend out of.

When his father died and left him the throne in 211, he was actually proclaimed co-ruler with his brother Publius Septimius Antoninius Geta but he wasn’t happy with this decision and had his own brother killed. This however was not surprising as he came to be known as one of the most brutal rulers Rome had seen.

Growing up his father had always instructed him to look after his soldiers financially as they would remain loyal if it was paid for. He raised their pay and gave them many other benefits ignoring what his critics would say.

During his reign he would grant citizenship to freemen throughout Rome to increase the taxable population, reduced the value of coinage to make it possible to pay the legions their bounties and constructed what is now known as the Baths of Caracalla.

In 217 on his way to war with Parthia he was murdered on the roadside by an officer in the imperial bodyguard. Historians speculate that the reason was either that the murderers’ brother had been assassinated unjustly in the days before or that he was enraged at not being promoted.

Lucius Septimius Severus born in 146 and ruled from 193 to 211.  Severus was the first Roman emperor to be born in Africa and although his family was only of equestrian rank, he was made a senator by Marcus Aurelius in 172 and 18 years later became consul.

After Pertinax was murdered, his troops proclaimed him emperor and he proceeded to Italy to claim his rule. Here he found self proclaimed emperor Julianus who he had condemned to death and then took possession of the throne, he also offered the governor of Britannia, Clodius Albinus, the position of Caesar which would imply some claim to succession.

At the same time Pescennius Niger had been proclaimed emperor by the legions of Syria and he and Severus battled for power in the battle of Issus which Severus won.

After a few years Severus declared his son Caracalla would succeed him on the throne which sparked a war between Severus and Albinus and once again Severus was victorious.

Severus was a ruler who sought respect and power through military conquests and as a result he was never in favour with the Roman senate. He consequently had many members of the senate put to death for reasons of conspiring against him and replaced them with men of his choice. The roman citizens adored him as during his reign he In 211 he fell ill and died leaving his son to take over.

Marcus Severus Didius Julianus born in 133 and ruled in 193. After the death of Pertinax, Julianus who was a senator at the time, proclaimed himself as the new emperor, and this act in itself triggered a brief civil war which was won by Julianus's successor Septimius Severus who then ordered the his execution.

He was born to a noble family from Milan but was raised by the mother of Marcus Aurelius. Once Pertinax died the throne was auctioned off, with Julianus as the winner as he offered more money to the soldiers and the military subsequently pressuring the senate.

Three generals in different parts of the empire were opposed to this idea and rose in rebellion. Julianus saw that his military power would be futile when battling the combined armies and asked the senate to appoint one of the generals (Septimius Severus) as co-ruler. Severus however was already too close to Rome and quickly overthrew him ordering his execution.

Publius Helvius Pertinax born in 126 and ruled for a short period in 193. In his early life he was a teacher of Grammar but eventually became a commissioned officer after he sought a more rewarding and fulfilling career.

During the Parthian war he was promoted several times and became governor of the provinces of upper and lower Moesia, Dacia, Syria and finally became the governor of Britain.

Later he took a role in the Roman senate until he was forced out of public life by a praetorian prefect. 3 years later he was recalled to Britain to assist the officers as its army was in a state of mutiny, but he and his bodyguard were both attacked.

After his recovery he managed to severely punish his mutineers and was regarded from then on as using harsh disciplinary measures. He was later forced to resign for this reason as his army had grown resentful and hostile towards him.

Pertinax was proclaimed Roman emperor the day after Commodus was murdered in 193 and his reign lasted only 86 days. It was said that a group of over 300 disgruntled soldiers stormed the palace for the reason that they had only received half their promised pay.

Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus born 161 and ruled from 180 to 192, he was the son of Marcus Aurelius and had a twin who died at age 5.

In 177 after traveling to many battlefronts with his father, Marcus Aurelius granted his son the rank of Imperator and in 177 Commodus became consul, making him the youngest consul in Roman history. His father then gave him the title of Augustus, elevating him to the same status as his own and sharing power.

When his father died in 180 he left his son to rule the empire.  During his reign, Commodus showed how incredibly in awe of himself he was by ordering multiple statues of himself dressed as Hercules as he believed he was the reincarnation of Hercules. He also enjoyed combat and was frequently involved in gladiatorial combat in the arenas. As he was emperor he always won but the fights would never end in death. He was not considered popular among the roman people, many who thought him to be scandalous.

In 192 part of Rome burned and Commodus used this event to rebuild and rename the city in his own honor. The months were named after him as was the army by his own order.

In 193 he was strangled in his own bath by a wrestler who was ordered to do so by the mistress of Commodus. Following this, the senate overruled his changes and restored the city’s original name.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus born in 121. His reign came about because Hadrian adopted Antoninus on the proviso that Marcus and Lucius Ceionius Commodus (later to be named Lucius Aurelius Verus) would be adopted to be next in line as rulers.

In his youth, Marcus was portrayed through letters as an intelligent, hardworking and serious minded student. Upon the death of Antoninus, Marcus and Verus were made joint emperors and while equal in the constitutional view, Verus was younger and seems to have been less popular.

His reign as emperor, beginning in 161, was complicated by wars in Asia and also a revolt in the East that consequently failed. He was known as a philosopher and published a “literary monument” named Meditations and was fond of Epictetus who was an important moral philosopher of his time.

He fell ill and died in 180 in the city that is now known as Vienna. His succession was secured before his death allowing Commodus to rule and unknowingly ending the era of adoptive emperors.

Co-Emperor Lucius Verus

Lucius Ceionius Commodus Verus Armeniacus born in 130. Verus was said to have been an excellent student, receiving his education from a famous tutor of that time, Marcus Cornelius Fronto and was skilled in the writing and reciting of poetry and speeches.

He ruled as co-emperor with Marcus, something which had never occurred in Roman history, and though they shared the same title and equal powers Marcus ultimately became the more dominant. To prove there was no competition between the two, control of the armies was given to Verus and he also married the daughter of Marcus, further strengthening their ties.

While in control of the armies, Verus is known to have been an admirable commander who was not too proud to delegate tasks to generals more competent than he. The morale of the armies, while under his rule, was high and Verus always ensured he had a troupe of actors and musicians with him on any trip he took.

In 168 a war broke out that would last until 180 but Verus did not see the end of it as he died in 169 from either smallpox or food poisoning.

Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus Pius born in 86 and ruled from 138 to 161. He was the second heir adopted by Hadrian but rose to power after the death of Hadrian of old age and the death of Hadrian’s first heir Lucius Aelius Caesar who was of poor health.

Before becoming emperor he was appointed as one of the four proconsuls to administer Italia and then a proconsul of Asia. His accession to emperor was based on the condition that he would adopt Marcus Annius Verus.

His first task as emperor was to convince the senate to grant divine honours to Hadrian which they had previously refused. During his reign there were no military conflicts that were considered serious but he was the first ruler who was able to deal with all issues without leaving Italy. In 161 he died of a fever and he was succeeded by the husband of his only surviving daughter.

Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus born in 76 and ruled as emperor from 117 to 138. He was a distant relative to Trajan, and according to Trajan’s wife, was named emperor immediately before Trajan’s death though historians have never been able to confirm this series of events.

Even though he was born in Spain, he was so interested in Greek literature during his schooling he was nicknamed Graeculus, meaning “Little Greek”. During the reign of Domitian, he enlisted in the army serving the Roman legion Legio II Adiutrix and was then transferred to the Legio I Minervia in Germany. He personally informed Trajan of Nerva’s death in 98 and later won awards from Trajan for his many strategic successes on the battlefield.

After the death of Trajan, Hadrian almost instantaneously had the support of the legions. During his reign he was left to suppress the Jewish revolt that began during the reign of Trajan and also sort out the Danube frontier.
The Pantheon in Rome owes its grandeur to Hadrian who enriched the building and created what stands for the public to view today.

He spent much of his life traveling before and during his reign, and most of his architectural designs would have been influenced by ideas he had picked up during these travels. In 138 Hadrian died of natural causes leaving his rule to Antoninus Pius who he had adopted in the months prior to his death.

Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus born in 53 and ruled as emperor from 98 to 117. He was the son of a prominent senator and general. From a young age he was a member of the roman army and rose through the ranks, in 76 to 77 his father became Governor of Syria where Trajan was nominated as Consul.

The Emperor Domitian’s successor Nerva was unpopular with the army and to gain their support adopted Trajan to become his successor as he was highly respected.

He freed many who had been imprisoned during Domitian’s reign and redistributed property that Domitian had claimed as his own, continuing what Nerva had set out to achieve before his death.

In 101 he launched an attack into the kingdom of Dacia and was successful, a year later the army advanced further forcing the regions’ king to submit to him as he took over the capital. He returned to Rome triumphant and 5 years later the entire region had been conquered successfully.

Many other battles were fought during his reign until in 117 he fell ill and died. His successor Hadrian was said to have been adopted by him before his death but rumour has it that Trajan’s wife had an impersonator adopt Hadrian after Trajan had died.

Marcus Cocceius Nerva born 30 and reined from 96 to 98. He was the first roman emperor to choose his successor by their potential ruling capabilities rather than by a family relationship either through bloodline or adoption.

Born 50 miles north of Rome, his family was of Italian nobility rather than part of the roman elite, and was also the last Italian ruler who was Italian by both birth and family heritage. his position before elevation to emperor was that of consul to both Vespasian in 71 and then again to Domitian in 90, upon Domitian’s death the senate elected Nerva as new emperor it is thought that he was a safe choice as he was elderly and without heir. during his reign he set about righting Domitian’s wrongs by releasing those imprisoned by Domitian for treason, allowed most who had been exiled the privilege of amnesty and re-included the roman senate to have a say over the ruling of the empire.

The problem was Domitian still had followers in the Praetorian Guard, and in 97 these followers took Nerva hostage and was forced to disclose the parties that were responsible for the death of Domitian. Nerva wasn’t killed but his reputation was sorely damaged after this incident, as he had no natural child of his own he set about adopting an heir who would have support of both the roman civilians and the army. After much consideration he adopted a commander of the armies on the German frontier, Trajan. Nerva was reportedly ill with fever shortly after the adoption process and died.