The Roman Emperors Of The First Century

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The Roman Emperors of the First Century Augustus The first Emperor of the first century is Augustus and under his rule the Roman imperium, or power of the imperial state. Augustus became the princeps, or first citizen of the land. He ruled wisely and well. In 27 B.C. it conferred on Augustus the office of commander –in-chief of the armed forces of the empire. He was given the tribunitial power for life, which meant that he had control over the popular assemblies and was appointed the permanent representative of the people. He was given the prerogative of introducing the first topic of discussion in the Senate and the right to call its meetings. Augustus also sought to improve the morale of the people. He revived the state religion and rebuilt many temples. Augustus organized the police and fire departments of Rome and appointed a supervisor for the grain supply. Augustus boast was that he had found Rome brick and had left it marble. During his forty-one years of his administration he brought order out of chaos. He restored confidence in the government, replenished the treasury, and introduced an efficient public works department, and promoted peace and prosperity. Tiberius At the death of Augustus his adopted son Tiberius was chosen to succeed him. The imperium or power that Augustus had received under constitutional regulations and for a limited period was conferred on Tiberius for life. He was fifty six years old at the time of his succession and had been engaged during most of his life in the service of the state, so that he was novice in politics. Augustus insisted that he divorce the wife whom he loved and that he marry Julia, Augustus daughter, a woman of openly profligate life. The bitterness of this experience soured his temper permanently. He was distant haughty, suspicious, and irascible. Caligula Caligula or “Little Boots” as he was

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