Julian Emperors Essay, Research Paper
The Julian Emperors were the emperors of Rome that were related to Julius Caesar, hence
the name. There were four of them that ruled from A.D.14 to A.D.68. Some of them were
related to him vaguely, but legally they were still related to him.
The first person in the Julian Empire was Tiberius. He was born in Rome on
November 16, 42. When he was four, his mother divorced his father and married the
Emperor Augustus. He had Tiberius educated on the art of war, and had him command an
expedition to Armenia where he fought the Pannonians. While he was fighting, Augustus
made Tiberius end his happy marriage to Vipsania Agrippa, the daughter of the Roman
general Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. Augustus then had him marry his daughter, Julia. Then
in BC 6 he went to Rhodes to study.
When he came back seven years later, he found out that his wife had been banished
for adultery, and that one of two of Augustus? grandsons had died. Then two years later,
Augustus? other grandson had died. Tiberius was adopted in A.D.4 by Augustus so he
would receive the throne. After that he went to go fight the Germans to get revenge on
them for taking out the Roman general Publius Quinctilius Varus? army. After that he
went back into Germany two more times and defeated them. Several years later , he was
pronounced a triumph, the highest honor for a victorious warrior.
Augustus died in A.D.14 and Tiberius was succeeded to the throne. Things looked
a lot better for Rome after he was appointed. He was rebellious against other parts of the
empire and was keeping Rome safe, and was managing their money wisely. But during the
later part of his rule, there were a lot of conspiracies and executions.
Tiberius left Rome in A.D.26 to go to Campania, and then the year after that he
moved to Capreae. He left the power of the throne to Lucius Aelius Sejanus, but later he
realized that he was trying to steal the imperial power. Tiberius killed him and all of his
supporters in A.D.31. He stayed in Capreae until he died in A.D.37 in Misenum. Some
historians say that Sejanus killed him.
People say that his style of government was cold and very unpopular with the
people.
The person to follow Tiberius after his death was Caligula. He was born in 12A.D.
in Antium and was the grandnephew of Tiberius. Caligulas name comes from the word
that means ?little boot? in Latin. This nickname came from his young experience in
military camps when he wore small boots.
When Caligula got the throne in 37A.D., it was supposed to be shared between
him and Tiberius? grandson, Tiberius Gemellus. But the people voted that it only be
Caligula. Caligula later adopted Gemellus, but then had him killed.
After only six months of being on the throne, he went insane and became vicious
towards people. He spent most of his money on entertainment and building projects, and
killed most of his relatives. Among other things, he also made his horse a consul; declared
himself a god; tortured people while he dined; and erected temples to himself. He was
killed in 41 after a conspiracy was made by his guardsman.
The third person of the Julien Emperors was Claudius I. He was born in
Lugdunum in 10B.C. He was the son of Tiberius? younger brother, Nero Claudius Drusus.
He became a consul for his nephew Caligula, who was the emperor at the time, when he
was 47. When Caligula was assassinated in 41, Claudius was proclaimed emperor by the
Praetorian Guard. After he became emperor, a conspiracy against his life was uncovered
and he went into seclusion. His wife, Messalina, took over the main duties and was very
cruel to everyone.
In 48, Claudius executed his wife because she had publicly displayed a mock
marriage with her lover. Then he married his niece, Agrippina the Younger, and got a big
disapproval from the Roman citizens. By her influence, he then deprived his biological son
Britannicus and adopted Agrippina?s son, Nero, from a previous marriage. After he
adopted Nero, Claudius was poisoned by his wife.
Many people called Claudius? rule ignorant and malicious. Nonetheless, he did
successfully defeat the Germans, and make Thrace and Judea Roman provinces. He also
gave responsibility and wealth to those who supported him.
The forth and final Julian emperor was Nero. He was born on December 15, 37 at
Antium. Nero married his stepfather Claudius? daughter Octavia. When Claudius died in
54, Nero was declared emperor by Claudius? guards at the age of 17.
Nero?s rule was guided by two men. One by the name of Burrus and one by the
name of Seneca, who was his tutor. During his first year as emperor, he poisoned his
father?s biological son, Brittanicus. During the year 59 he had his mother poisoned also for
her criticism of his mistress, Poppaea Sabina. In 62 he had his wife executed and married
Sabina. His assistant Burrus died and was also suspected of being poisoned by Nero. Most
likely out of fear, his other assistant Seneca retired.
In July of 64, while Nero was at Antium, two-thirds of Rome burned. He was
accused of setting the fire, but most people believe that he was innocent. Some people say
that he blamed the fire on the Christians and persecuted them. He fed and sheltered the
homeless, and added fire precautions when he rebuilt the city. The food and rebuilding
supplies were financed by the raiding of Italy and nearby provinces.
During this time, the empire was in question. So Nero raided Armenia and
established it as a buffer state against Parthia. This mission was however unsuccessful
because the war was so costly.
In 65, Gaius Calpurnius Piso started a conspiracy against Nero. Among the 41
people in the plot, 18 were killed. Among them was his old assistant Seneca. A man
named Poppaea was kicked to death by Nero and his widowed wife married Nero. After
that he was declared a public enemy by the senate and he fled Rome. Before all of his
enemies could find him, he committed suicide on June 9, 68, near Rome.
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