The Principate or Early Roman Empire (27 BCE – 284 CE)
Julio-Claudian Dynasty- Augustus (27-14 CE)
- Augustus was the First Roman Emperor.
- Tiberius (14-37 CE)
- Caligula Gaius (37-41 CE)
- Claudius (41-54 CE)
- Nero (54-68 CE)
Year of the Four Emperors: (68-9 CE)
Flavian Dynasty: (69-96 CE)
Five Good Emperors: the Nervo-Trajanic Dynasty Dynasty: (96-180 CE)
- Nerva (96-98 CE)
- Trajan (98-117 CE)
- Trajan expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest extent and is considered to be The Greatest Roman Emperor.
- Hadrian (117-38 CE)
The Antonine Dynasty: (138-93 CE)
- Antoninus Pius (138-61 CE)
- Lucius Verus (161-69 CE)
- Marcus Aurelius (161-80 CE)
- Commodus (177-92 CE)
Year of the Five Emperors: (193 CE)
- Pertinax (193 CE)
- Didius Julianus (193 CE)
- Pescennius Niger (193 CE)
- Clodius Albinus (193 CE)
- Septimius Severus (193-211 CE)
Severan Dynasty: (193-235 CE)
- Septimius Severus (193-211 CE)
- Geta (209-211 CE)
- Caracalla (211-17 CE)
- Macrinus (217-18 CE)
- Diadumenianus (218 CE)
- Elagabalus (218-22 CE)
- Severus Alexander (222-235 CE)
Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 CE)
Year of the Six Emperors: (238 CE)
-
- Maximinus Thrax (235-38 CE)
- Gordian I (238 CE)
- Gordian II (his son) (238 CE)
- Balbinus (238 CE)
- Pupienus (238 CE)
- Gordian III (Grandson) (238-44 CE)
- Philip the Arab (244-49 CE)
- Decius (249-51 CE) with his son Herennius Etruscus (251 CE)
- Hostilian (251 CE)
- Trebonianus Gallus (251-253 CE) and Hostilian (251 CE)
- Aemilianus (253 CE)
- Valerian (253-260 CE)
- Gallienus (253-268 CE)
The Empire breaks up: (260-297 CE)
- The Gallic Empire: (260-74 CE)
-
- Postumus (260-69 CE)
- Laelianus (268 CE)
- Marcus Aurelius Marius (268-70 CE)
- Victorinus (268-70 CE)
- Domitianus II (271 CE)
- Tetricus I and Tetricus II (271-74 CE)
-
- Palmyrene Empire
-
- Odaenathus (250-67 CE)
- Vaballathus and Zenobia (267-72 CE)
-
- The Britannic Empire: (286-97 CE)
- Claudius II Gothicus (268-70 CE)
- Quintillus (270 CE)
- Aurelian (270-75 CE)
- Marcus Claudius Tacitus (275-76 CE)
- Florianus (276 CE)
- Probus (276-82 CE)
- Carus (282-83 CE)
- Carinus (283-84 CE)
- Numerian (283-84 CE)
The Dominate or Late Roman Empire (284-476 CE)
- Diocletian (284-305 CE)
- The Tetrarchy (293 – 305 CE) or ‘Rule of the Four’.
- Diocletian is considered to have saved the Roman Empire.
The Western Roman Empire: Capital is Milan
- Maximian (287-305 CE)
- Constantius I Chlorus (305-6 CE)
- Severus II (306-7 CE)
- Maxentius (306-12 CE)
- Constantine I (307-37 CE)
The Eastern Roman Empire: Capital is Nicomedia.
- Diocletian (284-305 CE)
- Galerius (305-11 CE)
- Maximinus Daia (309-13 CE)
- Licinius (308-24 CE)
Constantine Dynasty (324-364 CE): East and West are Reunited
- Constantine I (324-37 CE)
- Constantine I or The Great was the First Christian Emperor.
- Constantine II (337-40 CE)
- Constans (337-50 CE)
- Constantius II (337-61 CE)
- Magnetius (350-53 CE)
- Julian (361-63 CE)
- Jovian (363-64 CE)
The Empire is again divided into East and West: (364-395 CE)
The West:
Valentinian Dynasty- Valentinian I (364-75 CE)
- Gratian (375-83 CE)
- Magnus Maximus (383-388 CE)
- Valentinian II (375-92 CE)
- Eugenius (392-94 CE)
- Theodosius I (394-95 CE)
- Theodosius made Christianity the State Religion and abolished all the other Religions.
The East:
- Valens (364-78 CE) Valentinian Dynasty
- Procopious (365-366 CE) (Usurper)
- Theodosius I (379-95 CE) (briefly reunited East and West in 394 CE)
The Permanent Division of the Eastern and Western Roman Empire (395 CE)
The Western Roman Empire: (395-476 CE)
- Honorius (395-423 CE) and General Stilicho
- Constantine III (407-411 CE)
- Constantius III (421 CE)
- Joannes (423-25 CE)
- Valentinian III (425-55 CE) and General Aetius
- Petronius Maximus (455 CE)
- Avitus (455-56 CE)
- Majorian (457-61 CE) and General Ricimer
- Severus III (461-65 CE) and General Ricimer
- Anthemius (467-72 CE) and General Ricimer
- Olybrius (472 CE) and General Ricimer
- Glycerius (473-74 CE)
- Julius Nepos (474-75 CE)
- Romulus Augustus (475 CE-4 September 476 CE)
- Romulus Augustus was the Last Roman Emperor of the West.
The Eastern Roman Empire: (395-1453 CE)
Theodosian Dynasty- Arcadius (395-408 CE)
- Theodosius II (408-50 CE)
- Marcian (450-57 CE)
- Leo I (457-74 CE)
- Leo II (474-74 CE)
- Zeno (Emperor) (474-91 CE)
- Basiliscus (475-476 CE)
- Anastasius I (491-518 CE)
- Justin I (518-527 CE)
- Justinian I (527-565 CE)
- The last Emperor whose first language was Latin. He has been referred to as the ‘Last Roman’.
- Justin II (565-578 CE)
- Tiberius II Constantine (578-582 CE)
- Maurice (582-602 CE)
Usurper
- Phocas (23 Nov 602 – 5 Oct 610 CE)
Heraclian Dynasty
- Heraclius (5 Oct 610 – 11 Feb 641 CE)
- Heraclius lost Syria, the Levant and Egypt to the Arab Armies between 629-641 CE.
- He changed the official language of the Empire from Latin to Greek in 610 CE.
- He changed the Title of ‘Augustus’ to ‘Basileus’ in 629 CE.