I have made a table of all Roman emperors until the end of the Western Roman Empire. The • sign means that an emperor is the (biological) son of the previous one. I also listed empresses of the Severan dynasty as they held considerable power as regents of Elegabal and Severus Alexander.
I gave my rating for each emperor based on their achievements, reforms, legacy, buildings, military abilities, popularity, and so on. Emperors who ruled for less than one year or who were appointed emperors when they were children (usually co-emperor with their father) have no rating [-].
The last column shows the ethnic and social origin of each emperor. For ethnic Roman emperors, I tried to research whether their ancestors came from patrician or plebeian families.
I gave my rating for each emperor based on their achievements, reforms, legacy, buildings, military abilities, popularity, and so on. Emperors who ruled for less than one year or who were appointed emperors when they were children (usually co-emperor with their father) have no rating [-].
The last column shows the ethnic and social origin of each emperor. For ethnic Roman emperors, I tried to research whether their ancestors came from patrician or plebeian families.
Emperors | Rating | Origins |
Augustus (31 BCE–14 CE) | ***** | Rome (Patr. + Pleb) |
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (31-12 BCE) | ***** | Central Italy (Plebeian) |
Tiberius (14–37 CE) | *** | Rome (Patrician) |
Caligula (37–41 CE) | * | Rome (Patrician) |
Claudius (41–54 CE) | **** | Rome (Patrician) |
Nero (54–68 CE) | ** | Rome (Patrician) |
Galba (68–69 CE) | - | Rome (Patrician) |
Otho (January–April 69 CE) | - | Etruria (Patrician) |
Aulus Vitellius (July–December 69 CE) | - | Rome (Patrician) |
Vespasian (69–79 CE) | ***** | Sabine (Pleb.) |
Titus (79–81 CE) | ***** | Sabine (Pleb.) |
Domitian (81–96 CE) | **** | Sabine (Pleb.) |
Nerva (96–98 CE) | **** | Rome/Umbria (Pleb.) |
Trajan (98–117 CE) | ***** | Roman (Patr. + Pleb.) |
Hadrian (117–138 CE) | ***** | Roman (Pleb.) |
Antoninus Pius (138–161 CE) | ***** | Roman (Patr. + Pleb.) |
Marcus Aurelius (161–180 CE) | ***** | Roman (Plebeian) |
Lucius Verus (161–169 CE) | *** | Roman (Plebeian) |
Commodus (177–192 CE) | * | Roman (Plebeian) |
Publius Helvius Pertinax (January–March 193 CE) | - | Piedmont (freedman) |
Marcus Didius Severus Julianus (March–June 193 CE) | - | Roman (Plebeian) |
Septimius Severus (193–211 CE) | **** | Punic/Roman |
x Julia Domna | *** | Syrian |
Julia Maesa (sister of Julia Domna and mother of Julia Soaemias) | *** | Syrian |
Julia Soaemias (daughter of Julia Maesa and mother of Elagabalus) | * | Syrian |
Julia Avita Mamaea (daughter of Julia Maesa and mother of Alexander) | *** | Syrian |
• Geta (209–211 CE) | * | Punic/Roman/Syrian |
• Caracalla (198–217 CE) | * | Punic/Roman/Syrian |
Macrinus (217–218 CE) | *** | Berber (equestrian) |
Elagabalus (218–222 CE) | * | Syrian |
Severus Alexander (222–235 CE) | *** | Syrian |
Maximinus Thrax (235–238 CE) | * | Thracian |
Gordian I (March–April 238 CE) | - | Anatolian? |
• Gordian II (March–April 238 CE, co-emperor with father Gordian I) | - | Anatolian? |
Pupienus Maximus (April 22–July 29, 238 CE) | - | Roman (Plebeian) |
Balbinus (April 22–July 29, 238 CE) | - | Roman (Plebeian) |
Gordian III (238–244 CE) | ** | Roman/Anatolian |
Philip the Arab (244–249 CE) | ** | Syrian |
• Philip II (247-249 CE, co-emperor with father Philip) | - | Syrian/Roman |
Trajan Decius (249–251 CE) | ** | Illyrian |
• Herennius Etruscus (May-June 251, co-emperor with father Decius) | - | Illyrian/Roman |
• Hostilian (251 CE, son of Decius, co-emperor with Trebonianus) | - | Illyrian/Roman |
Trebonianus Gallus (251–253 CE) | * | Etruria (Plebeian) |
• Volusianus (251–253 CE, , co-emperor with father Trebonianus) | - | Etruria (Plebeian) |
Aemilian (253 CE)- | - | Berber |
Valerian (253–260 CE) | * | Roman (Patr. + pleb.) |
Gallienus (253–268 CE) | **** | Roman (Patr. + pleb.) |
• Valerian II (256–258 CE, caesar under father Gallienus) | - | Roman (Plebeian) |
• Saloninus (260 CE, co-emperor with father Gallienus) | - | Roman (Plebeian) |
Claudius II Gothicus (268–270 CE) | *** | Illyrian |
Quintillus (270 CE) | - | Illyrian |
Aurelian (270–275 CE) - monetary reform XXI | **** | Illyrian (Serbia?) |
Marcus Claudius Tacitus (275–276 CE) | - | Umbria |
Florian (June–September 276 CE) | - | Umbria? |
Probus (276–282 CE) | **** | Illyrian (Serbia?) |
Carus (282–283 CE) | ** | ? |
Numerian (283–284 CE) | * | ? |
Carinus (283–285 CE) | * | ? |
---Tetrarchy--- | ------ | ------ |
- Diocletian (east, 284–305 CE) | *** | Illyrian (Dalmatia) |
- Maximian (west, 286–305 CE) | ** | Illyrian (Serbia) |
-- Galerius (east, 305–311 CE) | ** | Illyrian (Bulgaria) |
• Maxentius (west, 306–312 CE, son of Maximian, son-in-law of Galerius) | * | Illyrian |
-- Valerius Severus (west, 306–307 CE) | * | Illyrian |
-- Maximinus II Daia (east, 308-313 CE, nephew of Galerius) | * | Illyrian |
-- Licinius I (308–313, then eastern Augustus 313-324 CE) | ** | Dacian |
• Licinius II (317–324 CE as eastern Caesar of father Licinius I) | * | Daco-Illyrian |
- Constantius I Chlorus (west, 305–306 CE) | ** | Illyrian (Kosovo) |
• Flavius Dalmatius (half-brother of Constantine I) | - | Illyrian |
• Constantine I (306–337 CE) reunified the empire | ** | Greco-Illyrian |
• • Flavius Julius Crispus (317–326 CE as western Caesar) | - | Greco-Illyrian |
• • Constantine II (337–340 CE, western emperor) | * | Greco-Illyrian-Syrian |
• • Constantius II (337–361 CE, eastern emperor) | * | Greco-Illyrian-Syrian |
• • Constans I (337–350 CE, emperor of Italia & Africa) | * | Greco-Illyrian-Syrian |
Magnentius (usurper 350-353 CE) | ** | Celto-Frankish? |
Constantius Gallus (351–354 CE, half-brother of Julian) | * | Illyrian-Roman-Syrian |
Julian the Apostate (361–363 CE) | *** | Greco-Illyrian-Syrian |
Jovian (363–364 CE) | ** | Illyrian (Serbia) |
Procopius (usurper 365-366 CE, Julian's cousin) | * | Greek |
Valens (east, 364–378 CE, co-emperor with brother Valentinian) | * | Illyrian (Croatia) |
Valentinian I (west, 364–375 CE, co-emperor with brother Valens) | * | Illyrian (Croatia) |
• Gratian (west, 367–383 CE; coemperor with father Valentinian I) | * | Illyrian (Croatia) |
• Valentinian II (375–392 CE; crowned as child, son of Valentinian) | - | Illyrian (Croatia) |
Theodosius I (east, 379–392 CE; east and west, 392–395 CE) | * | Hispano-Roman? |
• Arcadius (east, 383–395 CE, coemperor; 395–402 CE, sole emperor) | * | Hispano-Roman? |
Magnus Maximus (west, 383–388 CE) | * | Hispano-Roman? |
• Honorius (west, 393–395 CE, coemperor; 395–423 CE, sole emperor) | * | Hispano-Roman? |
Constantine III (usurper 407-409, co-emperor 409-411 with Honorius) | * | ? |
Constantius III (Feb-Sept 421, with Honorius) | - | Illyrian |
• Valentinian III (west, 425-455 CE, son of Constantius III) | * | Illyrio-Hispano-Roman |
Petronius Maximus (west, Mar-May 455 CE) | - | |
Eparchus Avitus (west, 455-456 CE) | * | |
Majorian (west, 457-461 CE) | * | |
Libius Severus (west, 461-465 CE) | * | |
Anthemius (west, 467-472 CE) | * | |
Olybrius (west, 472 CE) | * | |
Glycerius (west, 473-474 CE) | * | |
Julius Nepos (west, 474-475 CE) | * | |
Romulus Augustulus (west, 475-476 CE) | * |