The eight bloodiest emperors in the history of Rome

They are often described as ruthless and bloodthirsty, famous for their tyrannical reign. Historian Sean Land tells us about the eight bloodiest emperors of Ancient Rome, from the Illyrian emperor Diocletian to Nero.

We have heard of most of the Roman emperors. We know some of them as crazy, evil and very dangerous. In fact, as historians point out, many of the emperors in the following list were skilled administrators. Some emperors, such as Nero or Domitian, have gone down in history as models of paranoid tyrants, while others, such as Diocletian, were capable administrators who governed well. Even under the worst emperors, Rome continued to function, but involvement in public life could become a dangerous business.

Tiberius (ruled 14-37)

Tiberius was the successor of Augustus, although Augustus did not want Tiberius to succeed him, but it was the untimely deaths of his nephews, Gaius and Lucius, that led to Tiberius taking the throne. Tiberius was a good military commander, and he respected the authority of the senate. However, he had a gloomy opinion and suspicions that led him to bitter quarrels with Agrippina, the widow of his war-hero nephew. Many people who wanted to achieve power were arrested and executed by Tiberius. Doubts about him were everywhere and from everyone around him. He retreated to the island of Capri and revived the ancient charge of treason, using it to sentence all suspects to death. Roman historians tell us a picture of Tiberius' life there as a sexually depraved predator.

Gaius or Caligula (ruled 37-41)

Gaius is known for a number of strange actions, such as declaring war on the sea and declaring himself a god. His reign was promising at first, but after a difficult period due to illness, he became paranoid, which led to erratic behavior, including incest with his sister, Julia Drusilla. . Gaius delighted in humiliating the Senate, declaring that he could make consul whomever he wished, even his own horse. Gaius was keen to establish his military credentials, although his campaign in Germany did not achieve much and his failed invasion of Britain turned into a war with the sea god Neptune. He is said to have ordered his troops to attack the waves with their swords. Gaius proclaimed himself lord and used his divine status to establish absolute monarchy in Rome. He followed the example of Tiberius by using treason trials to eliminate enemies, real and imagined. After his infantile behavior, an assassination was organized against him. And Gaius is thought to have protested that he couldn't be killed since he was an immortal God, which turned out not to be the case.

Nero (ruled 54-68)

Nero is a Roman emperor we all love to hate, and with good reason. He was a good administrator, and was surrounded by capable people, including his tutor - the writer Seneca. However, he was a ruthless killer, starting with the murder of his half-brother, with whom he was supposed to share power. Continuing with his wife, Octavia, whom he abandoned for his lover Poppaea, he then executed for adultery. Perhaps to please his girlfriend, he also killed his own mother, who after a plot gone wrong to drown her with a boat, was beaten to death. He later killed his girlfriend in a fit of rage, while she was pregnant and expecting his child. Nero's great passion for his music and poetry led him to compel the senators to sit and listen to his endless and pointless recitals. Nero was also much hated after he built his great golden house on the ruins of what used to be Rome's public area. He persecuted large numbers of Christians, and his childish insistence on gaining fame at the Olympic Games in Greece caused the empire to split. Nero was overthrown by a military revolt.

Domitian (ruled 81-96)

Domitian was the youngest son of the general Vespasian, who had emerged from the chaos following the fall of Nero and established stability in Roman public life. Domitian inherited none of his father's charm, and was highly suspicious of those around him, leading to paranoia, perhaps due to his sneaky escape during the civil war to overthrow Nero. Many citizens were killed on suspicion of plots against him, including 12 consuls and two of his cousins. Domitian's rule became even more autocratic, and he demanded to be treated as God. Domitian turned against the philosophers, banishing many of them from the country. Domitian was deposed after a plot organized by his wife Domitia, and then stabbed by a palace servant. Some historians think Domitian's tyranny was exaggerated, while others have compared him to a modern-day Saddam Hussein.

Komodo (ruled 180-192)

Komodo was the emperor played by actor Joaquin Phoenix in the movie Gladiator. Komodo was an avid follower of gladiator fights, and even fought in the arena himself, often dressed as Hercules, and later proclaimed himself the Roman Hercules. Komodo was the son of the philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius. Although the scene in the movie where Komodo kills his father is fictional, it is true that he was against everything his father decided. Commodus bankrupted the Roman treasury and tried to replenish it by executing wealthy citizens for treason in order to confiscate their property. Soon, people began plotting against him, even Komodo's own sister. The plots failed, and he proceeded to execute more people, those who had conspired against him, or those he thought would in the future. The Praetorian prefect hired a professional athlete who drowned Comodo in the bath.

Mark Aurelius Anthony I (Caracalla) (ruled in the years 211-217)

Marcus Aurelius Antony was the son of the able and effective emperor Septimius Severus. To avoid power-sharing scenarios with his brother Geta, Marcus Aurelius Antony killed him. He treated his opponents brutally, and exterminated all Geta's supporters. Marcus Aurelius Antonius is known for his magnificent bath complex in Rome that bore his name, and for granting Roman citizenship to all freemen within the empire. He was trying to raise the necessary money for his personal expenses. He turned the wealth inherited from his father into a severe deficit. Marcus Aurelius Antonius I was killed by a group of officers.

Marcus Aurelius Antonius II (Elagabalus) (reigned 218-222)

He was a relative of the wife of Septimus Severus, who then took the throne after the assassination of Mark Aurelius Antony I. The latter was also noted for his strange reign. Marcus Aurelius Antony offended Roman moral and religious principles. As a symbol of the sun god he used a black stone, for which he would previously have been sentenced to death. The Romans were offended by Marcus Aurelius Antony's sexual behavior. He was also openly known for his sexual relations with men. Few historians speak well of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. He was killed by a plot organized by his own grandmother.

Diocletian (ruled 284-305)

It may seem unfair to include Diocletian on this list, as he is known for the risky decision he made to split the government of the Roman Empire in two, making Marcus Aurelius Maximian co-emperor. Diocletian was a good administrator, and managed to hold together the fragmented command structure at a time when the Roman empire was under great pressure from enemies abroad. But what makes Diocletian part of this list, was the relentless persecution of Christians. Diocletian wanted a total disappearance of religion. Churches were destroyed, scriptures were burned and Christian priests were imprisoned. Christians who refused to renounce their faith were tortured and executed. At a time when union was essential to the survival of the empire, fear was what Diocletian reflected. /Telegraph/