Bread and Circuses

#71 Romulus Augustulus: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome concludes with Romulus Augustulus, the final Roman emperor in the West.

  

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#70 Julius Nepos: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Julius Nepos, who has some claim to being the last ruler of the Roman empire in the West.

  

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#69 Glycerius: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Glycerius, a military stop gap emperor more than others and crowned, as one chronicler has it: “more by presumption than by election”.

  

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#67 Anthemius: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Anthemius, the last credible ruler of the western Roman empire, at least on paper if not in practise.

  

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#66 Libius Severus: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Libius Severus, the puppet of the general Ricimer who took refuge instead in religion.

  

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#65 Majorian: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Majorian, probably the best-known of the shadow emperors, and one of the last truly credible emperors of the west.

  

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#64 Avitus: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Avitus, who tried to stop the Western Roman empire shrinking, but it was too late.

  

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#63 Petronius Maximus: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Petronius Maximus, the first of the eight shadow emperors to reign from 455 and who came to the throne in the aftermath of the assassination of Valentinian III.

  

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The Shadow Emperors: Emperors of Rome

Tomorrow Emperors of Rome continues with Petronius Maximus, the first of the eight Shadow Emperors who reigned - rather than ruled - from March 455 to August 475. Even contemporaries had little to say about them.

“Although I know their names well, I won’t mention them at all. They only lived a short time after attaining the office and as a result accomplished nothing worth mentioning.”

Procopius, History of the Wars, 3.7.16-17.

I confess that I have rather a soft spot for them, and of all the emperors that I have covered they have been the most fun. Emperors like Augustus, Hadrian and Constantine – at times – have the sense of a well-trodden path about them. Everyone knows them and everyone has their own views on their time on the throne. With the Shadow Emperors, it is rather like having a swimming pool to yourself.

#62 Valentinian III: Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome continues with Valentinian III, the great-grandson, the grandson, the son, cousin, and nephew of Roman Emperors, still an ineffectual ruler dominated first by his mother and then by the barbarian general Aetius.

  

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