10 Worst Roman Emperors To Have Ever Lived

WatchMojo

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.

Transcript

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!

11:50Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more videos like this one, and hit the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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