Emperor wen: Did you mean...?

Vespasian (9-79 CE) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79 CE. Despite his low birth, he worked hard to rise through the ranks of Roman politics and eventually achieved prominence as a military commander. He came to power at the end of the brief...

Elgabalus was Roman emperor from 218 to 222 CE. Having failed to keep many of his promises to the army, Roman Emperor Macrinus (217 – 218 CE) was becoming increasingly unpopular, and it would only take a little lie from a young boy's mother...

Didius Julianus was Roman emperor from March to June 193 CE. On March 28, 193 CE Roman Emperor Pertinax was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, and like his predecessor Commodus, he left no apparent successor. Two possible claimants presented...

Constantine VII was Byzantine emperor from 945 until 959 CE. Sometimes known as Constantine Porphyrogennetos because of his birth in the purple chamber of the royal palace, he was served by various regents from 912 CE until reigning in his...

A painted silk scroll depicting Taizong, second emperor during the Tang Dynasty of China, r. 626-649. The emperor's robe shows a dragon, a traditional symbol of rulership as the creature represents wisdom, justice, and benevolence. National...

Statue of an emperor, heavily restored by Bartolomeo Cavaceppi as a portrait of emperor Galba. (Sala Rotonda Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican Museums)

Proclaiming Claudius Emperor, oil on panel painting by Lawrence Alma-Tadema, 1867. Depicted here is Claudius being proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard following the assassination of Caligula.

Portrait of Emperor Leopold I as a young man, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece, oil on canvas by Benjamin Block, 1631-1689. Private collection. This portrait of the young monarch is rare as it depicts Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor...

A portrait of Emperor Guangxu (r. 1875-1908), the 10th emperor of the Chinese Qing dynasty.

The Hongwu Emperor, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644 CE) who reigned from 1368 to 1398 CE. 14th century CE painted silk hanging.