To use the parlance of our time, these Roman emperors sucked. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the ten most widely reviled and criticized Roman Emperors.
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00:00From today, we cease to do Rome's bidding. From today, we go to war with Rome.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the 10 most widely reviled and criticized
00:11Roman emperors.
00:12To be born in your reign is a miscalculation.
00:17Valerian
00:18Serving between 253 and 260, Valerian reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century,
00:24a period of time that was marred by invasions, economic troubles, and internal instability.
00:29He failed to address the empire's fledgling economy and was known for his harsh persecution
00:34of Christians, which increased social unrest. He also struggled in his military duties,
00:47leading to what is perhaps his biggest contribution to history. Valerian was captured
00:52during the Battle of Edessa in 260 AD, making him the only Roman emperor to be taken captive.
00:59Not only that, but some sources claim that he was humiliated in captivity by the Sassanian
01:04King of Kings, Shapur I. It was a tremendous embarrassment for the failing Roman Empire,
01:10and it worsened an already terrible crisis.
01:22Tiberius
01:23Called the gloomiest of men by Pliny the Elder, Tiberius was a great administrator,
01:38but a terrible ruler. He was a highly distrustful man, and his rule was marred by paranoia and acts
01:44of violence. He launched numerous treason trials against perceived enemies and had many executed.
01:50He was also known for being aloof and reclusive, resulting in a rocky relationship with the Senate.
02:03Tiberius eventually left Rome altogether for the island of Capri, leaving the day-to-day
02:08administration in the hands of his Praetorian prefect Sejanus, who became increasingly corrupt.
02:13By the time he died in 37 AD, Tiberius was not viewed favorably, and Roman historians
02:19were incredibly critical of his reign, portraying him as a detached and tyrannical ruler.
02:28Domitian
02:38No one hated Domitian more than the Senate. He was a popular emperor in his time,
02:43and the people loved him. He protected Rome's borders with a solid military,
02:47and invested heavily into the empire. But Domitian ruled with an iron fist,
02:52emphasizing his autocratic power more openly than previous emperors. He called himself
02:57Lord and God, or Dominus et Deus, and he was notoriously paranoid about conspiracies against
03:04him, leading to his reputation as a tyrant. He also had a deeply antagonistic relationship
03:10with the Senate, resulting in his assassination in 96 AD. Following his death, Domitian was wiped
03:16from the public record, in a practice known as Dematio Memoriae, meaning Condemnation of Memory.
03:31Maximus Thrax
03:35We'll give him this. Maximus Thrax has probably the coolest name of any Roman emperor.
03:40Unfortunately, rulers are not judged on how cool their names are. Maximus was a renowned military
03:45leader, so the army declared him emperor following the death of Severus Alexander.
03:50This was not an especially popular idea, as his ascension marked the beginning of the crisis of
03:55the third century. The Senate saw Maximus as a low-born outsider, and his authority was undermined
04:01by his open disdain for diplomacy and political traditions. His continuous military campaigns were
04:07also very expensive, and he raised taxes in order to fund them. Naturally, this too was not a popular
04:13idea, and the high taxes led to widespread discontent. Elagabalus
04:35Want a real-life King Agon? It's Elagalabus. He began his reign at just 14, and proceeded
04:41to infiltrate politicians and citizens alike with his shocking public behavior and total
04:46disregard for political office. He openly defied traditional Roman customs, and even introduced a
04:52new god to the citizenry called Elagabal, which he forced people to publicly worship. He was also
04:58known for his sexual promiscuity and wild debauchery, as he certainly got around, and
05:03even sold his body for money. He did what he wanted, and didn't care who he upset in the process.
05:09Unfortunately for him, Elagalabus made one too many enemies and was assassinated,
05:14with his corpse being unceremoniously thrown into the Tiber River. Caracalla
05:29And if you want a real-life King Joffrey, let's point you towards Caracalla. The similarities
05:42between him and Joffrey are significant, with historian Edward Gibbon calling him,
05:46quote, the common enemy of mankind. Caracalla was very young and had virtually zero interest
05:52in politics, with most of the administrative work being left to his mother, Julia Domna,
05:57who ruled behind the scenes. Sound familiar? He was also a reckless spender and was enormously
06:12violent, having his own brother assassinated and unleashing a series of massacres across
06:18the Roman Empire. To this day, he is regarded as one of Rome's greatest tyrants, with some
06:23modern historians even suggesting that he was a clinical psychopath. Honorius
06:43Perilous times call for great leaders. Rome got Honorius. He ruled the western half of the empire
06:49between 393 and 423, during a time of great instability. Virtually everything was collapsing
06:56under Honorius, and the emperor was largely incompetent, relying mostly on a powerful
07:01military man named Stilicho to rule in his place. He died in 408, and the Roman Empire lost control
07:14of Britain just two years later. The empire was also plagued by rebellions and invasions during
07:20this time, culminating in the famous Sack of Rome, when King Alaric and his Visigoths invaded the
07:26symbolic centre in 410. This was the first time in nearly 800 years that the city fell,
07:32signalling the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire.
07:45Commodus
07:56The Pax Romana lies between the years of 27 BC and 180 AD, and is generally considered the golden
08:03age of the Roman Empire. That period of historic prosperity ended with the megalomaniac Commodus.
08:10Virtually everything fell apart under him, thanks to his inept rule and general neglect of
08:15governance. Commodus just wanted to have fun and had no interest in actually ruling, instead relying
08:20on corrupt officials and advisors to cover the day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, Commodus lived
08:34extravagantly, ruining the economy and often fighting in the Colosseum as a mock gladiator.
08:40He even started his own cult of personality, renaming Rome after himself and erecting
08:46statues portraying him as Hercules. These statues were promptly dismantled after Commodus was
08:52assassinated in 192. Nero
09:05It's said that Nero fiddled while Rome burned. This probably isn't literal,
09:17but it sure paints a good picture of his distaste for the city. Nero was popular with the commoners,
09:22but everyone else, especially the aristocracy, detested him. He had a lavish lifestyle and spent
09:29wildly, often taxing the higher classes to pay for his debauchery and opulence. He also valued
09:35personal entertainment over effective governance, and was known for his wicked cruelty, like having
09:41his mother, wife, and stepbrother all murdered. He also infamously blamed Christians for the Great
09:54Fire of Rome in 64 AD, kickstarting one of history's most notorious persecutions.
10:00Many contemporaries blamed Nero for starting the fire himself, either to scapegoat Christians or
10:07clear land for a new extravagant palace.
10:24Caligula
10:37There's a good argument to be made that Caligula was the worst emperor in Roman history.
10:43There's all the usual stuff, like reckless spending and political disinterest, but what
10:47sets Caligula apart is his mental health. The emperor enacted a rash of confusing,
10:53often nonsensical actions throughout the course of his tenure, earning the ire of his contemporaries.
11:01This includes sadistic executions for little to no reason, appointing his horse as consul,
11:07declaring himself a living god, and waging war against the ocean. According to modern historians,
11:14it's possible that Caligula suffered from mania, epilepsy, or even schizophrenia, which severely
11:20affected his decision-making. Others debate the veracity of contemporary sources, arguing that
11:25they are biased and highly exaggerated. What do you make of these men and their actions?
11:39Let us know in the comments below!
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