The Emperors of Rome
The views of the people toward the emperor of Ancient Rome differed somewhat from the views
of the followers of the pharoah in Ancient Egypt. In Rome, for the most part, the emperors were
viewed as leaders of the nation but unlike the pharoahs, they were not considered gods as the
pharoahs for the most part was. Unlike the pharoahs who obtained their power through
inheritance, most of the emperors of Ancient Rome had to be approved by the people in order to
become the next emperor. Thats not to say that the bloodline had no effect on deciding the next
emperor, because it certainly did. However, in some cases, as with Galba, he had to get the
approval of the Senate and the Praetorian Guard before he could take over the reigns that Nero
had left him. At other times, as in the case of Nero, the Senate was forced by the military or the
Praetorian Guard to vote an emperor into office.
After a Roman citizen had become emperor, he would have to maintain harmonious relations with
three groups of people if he was to survive long. The three groups included: the emperorís
advisors, the armies of Rome, and the Senatorial aristocracy.
The first group, the advisors to the emperor, included: the administators, advisors, servants, and
extending as far up as the Praetorian Guard.. This group was the most influential on the emperor.
Any ruler who lost the loyalty of those around him, as was the case with: Nero, Gaius, Domitian,
Commodus, and Pertinax were doomed for failure. They opened themselves up to assaination
which is exactly what happened to all the above mentioned.
The armies on the frontiers were obviously influential on the emperor. To keep his armiesí
loyalty, many of the emperors had to buy it with land-grants and tributes. One time Augustus had
to pay the men out of his own pocket to prevent a potential overthrow.
Before you became emperor of the Roman Empire it was imperative to maintain good relations
with the Senate. however, once you were officially named the emperor of Rome, the Senateís
influence dimished somewhat. It was still in the best interests of the emperor to keep at peace
with thr Senate and to pay close attention to their advice. The Senate no longer governed but it
had the power to appoint the emperorís personnel and influence the beliefs of the Roman
populace. The emperors that survived their positions paid much attention to the Senate, as did
Augustus who would reign for nearly half a century.
Even though the Roman populace did not have as much influence on the emperor as the Senate,
army, or advisors, they certainly had a signifigant influence on him. There were several instances
in which Roamns took to the street to voice their opinions and speak out against the emperor.
The Roman citizens attempted an overthrow of the emperor several times but fortunately for the
emperors they failed.
We will be taking a look at three famous Roman emperors from the ancient time. These three are
Nero, Caligula, and Augustus. Augustus, sometimes called the father of the Roman Empire, was
the most popular of probably all the emperors to have ever reigned in Rome. However, even he
was not viewed as a god and on one attempt the Senate tried to assasinate him. Nero and
Caligula are viewed as two of the more hated rulers of Rome. They certainly were not viewed as
gods of the time and both were assasinated by their followers. We will prove exactly how the
emperors differed in respect to the pharoahs of Ancient Egypt. They did not have to pay for the
loyalty of their people and had no worries about uprisings, for they were considered untouchable.
The emperors were just as human as the next guy, they made mistakes just like he next person