Roman Emperors – An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families

Background to the marriage From the time of the Norman conquest in 1071 of Bari, the last Byzantine possession in Italy, and Robert Guiscard’s invasions of Greece in the 1080s, the Normans had been a constant threat to the Byzantine empire. As a result, the foreign policy of both John II (1118-1143) and Manuel I Comnenus (1143-1180) was motivated […]

Dethroned and mutilated in 695, the emperor Justinian II was exiled to Cherson on the Crimean peninsula. There he sought help from the Chazar chagan, the Chazar Turks being the ruling tribe in the northern Caucasus in this period. To cement the alliance Justinian married the chagan’s sister in 703. The Chazar princess subsequently took the name of Theodora, […]

Eugenius was a tribune of 500 soldiers that were stationed in Seleucia. In 303/4 the soldiers raised him to the purple and marched on Antioch. In the ensuing battle, Eugenius died. Bibliography Barnes, T.D., New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine, (Cambridge, 1982), 12. Jones, A.H.M., J.R. Martindale, and J. Morris. “Eugenius 1.” The Prosopography of the Later […]

As the emperor Justin II deteriorated into dementia in 574 it became obvious that a colleague would have to be appointed to fulfil the duties of government. The empress, Sophia, was consulted, and her choice fell on Tiberius, leader of the excubitors (an elite corps of palace guards). Tiberius was accordingly adopted by Justin and given the title Caesar on 7 […]

Those of us who teach ancient languages and cultures must constantly confront our students’ lack of background in formal grammar. Changes in high school education over many years have resulted in students having very little formal training in the grammar of Modern English or any other language, and so we must spend valuable classroom time […]

The descriptions of Imperial Battles between 306 and 363 A.D. are listed below in alphabetical order. If you wish to see a map of the the location of a particular battle, simply click on the hypertext link for the name of a particular battle. Remember only to have one map open at a time. Additionally, […]

EARLY HISTORY Little is known of the origins of the emperor Libius Severus (sometimes, apparently incorrectly, referred to as Livius Severus). He was described in the Gallic Chronicle of 511 and the Chronicle of Cassiodorus as a Lucanian, and was said to have lived religiose (piously) (Laterculus imperatorum). Theophanes and the Paschal Chronicle report that he had the cognomen (“nickname”) “Serpentius.” As the […]

(c) 1999 Chris Connell Revolt and Accession In 697 AD, the caliph cAbd al-Malik carried out a successful attack on Byzantine Africa that resulted in the capture of Carthage. The emperor Leontius sent a naval fleet under the command of  John the Patrician to retake Byzantine Africa. Following a surprise attack on Carthage that allowed John to seize […]

SOURCES Most of the sources that mention the emperor Anicius Olybrius deal with his life before he became emperor. Summaries of his brief reign, during which scarcely any of his activities are known, are limited primarily to brief notices of his accession and death. The best of the bare-bones accounts of his life are provided […]