PolledHistory: VS Roman History - Part 2/3 (27 BC-476AD)

 Hello! Today's portion regards the period of an "united" Rome and also the divided Roman Empire which ends in 476 AD. This period is 23% of Roman history and the most popular of the three divisions of Roman history.

In 27 BC, following a victory in Actium, Greece, Augustus (and Agrippa, a skilled commander) chased out Marc Antony, who he was fighting a civil war against, and took over Egypt after they died, which was after the Battle of Alexandria, which was a victory for Augustus.

Augustus became "emperor" or "princeps" of Rome, but did not proclaim himself as "king", because the Romans despised said title due to the scandal of the last king of Rome who was deposed in 509 BC. However, Augustus was basically, and quintessentially, a king. 

Augustus ruled 41 years, where the boundaries expanded, power strengthened, and ultimately, the Pax Romana - a period of Roman relative peace and prosperity was established. The most famous event associated with time of the reign of Augustus was Christ's birth (4-0BC). The famous Roman failure at Teutoburg was during his rule.

Following his natural death at 14 AD, Tiberius became emperor. The story behind Tiberius' accession was unfortunate - Augustus' chosen heirs strangely died at random, and Tiberius was chosen in the end, though he was unfavored. 

Tiberius was mediocre to good as an emperor, though had crucial mistakes and a lack of enthusiasm in administration. He ruled until 37 AD, and Caligula replaced him. Caligula is a very well known emperor, especially for his actions that ranged from weird to brutal. However, he was actually originally popular, until he was assasinated in 41 AD. Claudius, a less known emperor but more effective one, replaced him, until 54 AD, and then Nero, another extremely well known person, ruled. His rule was very brutal, though sometimes he is portrayed exccessively negatively. Nevertheless, he is still, a terrible ruler, and person overall. Nero's dearh marked the end of power for the Julio Claudian dynasty (that started with Augustus). 

69 AD was a year of turmoil where three emperors failed to take power, namely Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, who ruled shortly. Finally, Vitellius was replaced by Vespasian, who ruled 10 years. Vespasian is portrayed as a decent administrator. His son, Titus is best known for his sack on Jerusalem earlier and also for the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius that destroyed the city of Pompeii.

He ruled for a very brief time. His brother Domitian, who was seen as a bad emperor, was unpopular but active in administration. Domitian's death in 96 AD ended the Flavian dynasty of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. What came after was just under a century of prosperity.

Nerva was chosen as the next emperor of the empire and, though ruled only 2 years, is best known for choosing Trajan. Trajan being picked is one of the biggest things Nerva did to most people. Trajan ruled for 19 years and was popular, expanding the empire to its peak territorial extent. He was known as the "Optimus Princeps", or the best emperor. He selected Hadrian, who was active and best known for the consturction of Hadrian's Wall. He was effective at ruling, as he was picked through quality rather than picked through family. After him was Antoninus Pius, a peaceful emperor which probably saw Rome at irs very height, and after him Marcus Aurelius, who is known for his works of philosophy and also general skill. 

But the death of Marcus Aurelius began a darker time for the empire. The time between 180 and 235 Ad was a time of decline, due to ineffective rulers and worse circumstances. But the chaos escalated and reached its climax between 235 and 281 AD. This period was known as the Crisis of the Third Century. We have covered it earlier, but basically, there was invasion, political turmoil, and economic chaos that made the empire nearly fall. Due to more effective emperors nearing the end, destruction was averted. The Tetrachy was established by Diocletian. Though Diocletian is known for his harsh persecution, he was effective at administration. The Tetrarchy did not last long, eventually becoming a mess and Constantine reunited the empire and also made Christianity legal. He died in 337 AD, and unity quickly fell out of control again. His sons replaced him, though they started civil war after civil war against each other. In the end, Constantius II emerged victorious, and in 361 AD he died. Then there was Julian, a pagan emperor and nephew of Constantine, who ended his reign in 364 AD. Following that, there was Jovian, and then the Valentinian dynasty of Valentinian I and Valens. Valentinian I, though effective, died, basically because he got too mad. Some years later, Valens faced the brutal end of being burnt after losing a  battle. 

By 379 AD, Theodosius I began to unite and eventually united the empire once again after turmoil, and he died in 395 AD, where things began to severely go down for the empire. His two sons, Arcadius and Honorius, were both known for being ineffective and brutal. Arcadius ruled the eastern half as his brother ruled the west. Following Arcadius' death, Theodosius II ruled in the east, ruling a long 42 years. Meanwhile in the west, emperors were switching every few years. And when they didn't, the ruler, often a puppet, was extremely unbothered by the declining state of their empire. The Huns devastated both east andd west, finally being defeated by Aetius in 451. Then, Valentinian III, tthe ruling emperor, killed Aetius. The Western Roman Empire tried to save itself a few more times, but by 476 AD, it had collapsed.