Emperor Wu: Did you mean...?

The government of the Byzantine Empire was headed and dominated by the emperor, but there were many other important officials who assisted in operating the finances, judiciary, military, and bureaucracy of a huge territory. Without elections...

Valerian ruled as emperor of the Roman Empire from 253 CE until his capture in 260 CE. In 253 CE an elderly Roman military commander and experienced former senator was proclaimed emperor by his troops - a very common occurrence at the time...

When Maximinus Thrax was named Roman emperor upon the death of Alexander Severus, the news was not well-received by many in Rome and the Roman Senate considered him an illiterate barbarian. His financial excesses, principally used to fund...

Gallienus was Roman emperor from 253 to 268 CE. Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus, the eldest son of Emperor Valerian, was named co-emperor by his father in 253 CE. He was one of many who would claim the throne over the next two decades...

Emperor Vespasian was a self-made man who was loved by the Roman people and his successors. He was able to save the Empire after the crash of the Julio-Claudian dynasty! He has been called the Citizens Emperor, a man of the people. In this...

Emperor Nero. We’ve certainly come along way since the time of Augustus, there was no longer any pretense of a republic, Rome was now a hereditary monarchy and Nero had seen the Empire as his personal inheritance, his right by blood. Augustus...

Tiberius the second emperor of Rome. He went thru many changes of fortune in his life - he was the stepson of Augustus however never the preferred heir. Born 43 BC, into a very distinguished Nobel-family in Rome, the Claudii. Throughout...

Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96 CE and his reign, although one of relative peace and stability, became engulfed in both fear and paranoia. His death at the hands of those who were closest to him brought an end to the short dynasty...

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow is a narrative poem of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) inspired by the love affair between Xuanzong (r. 712-756 CE), the seventh emperor of the dynasty, and his consort Lady Yang. It was written by the Chinese...

The Western Roman Empire is the modern-day term for the western half of the Roman Empire after it was divided in two by the emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305 CE) in c. 285/286 CE. The Romans themselves did not use this term. At its height (c...