Roman imperial succession / John D. Grainger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Grainger, John D., 1939- author.

Contributor:

EBSCOhost.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Emperors--Succession--Rome.

Emperors.

Rome--History--Empire, 30 B.C.-284 A.D.

Rome.

Rome (Empire).

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 volume) : illustrations

polychrome

Place of Publication:

Yorkshire : Pen & Sword Military, 2020.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

An analysis the Roman imperial succession and the failure to come up with an enduring, consistent system for selecting the next emperor with over 22 genealogical tables and 100 images illustrating the Emperors. John D Grainger analyses the Roman imperial succession, demonstrating that the empire organized by Augustus was fundamentally flawed in the method it used to find emperors. Augustus' system was a mixture of heredity, senatorial and military influences, and these were generally antagonistic. Consequently the Empire went through a series of crises, in which the succession to a previous, usually dead, emperor was the main issue. The infamous 'Year of the Four Emperors', AD 69, is only the most famous of these crises, which often involved bouts of bloody and destructive civil war, assassinations and purges. These were followed by a period, usually relatively short, in which the victor in the 'crisis' established a new system, juggling the three basic elements identified by Augustus, but which was as fragile and short lived as its predecessor; these 'consequences' of each crisis are discussed. The lucid and erudite text is supported by numerous genealogical tables and dozens of depictions of emperors.

Contents:

Part I Augustus Defines the System p. 1

Chapter 1 Augustus p. 3

Part II The Augustan Process p. 23

Chapter 2 The First Imperial Family p. 26

Chapter 3 The Crisis of 68-69 p. 50

Chapter 4 The Consequence of Civil War: The Flavian Dynasty p. 66

Chapter 5 The Crisis of 96-97 p. 74

Chapter 6 The Consequences of Trajan: The Antonine 'Dynasty' p. 88

Chapter 7 The Crisis of 193 p. 107

Chapter 8 The Consequences of Septimius p. 123

Part III The Senate's Revival p. 139

Chapter 9 The Crisis of 238 p. 142

Chapter 10 The Consequences of Gordian (1): Successful Emperors p. 158

Chapter 11 The Consequences of Gordian (2): Unsuccessful Emperors p. 178

Part IV Heredity and Absolutism p. 195

Chapter 12 The Tetrarchy p. 198

Chapter 13 The Crises of 306-312 p. 209

Chapter 14 The Consequences of Constantine p. 218

Chapter 15 The Crises of 375-379 p. 240

Chapter 16 The Consequences of Theodosius p. 248

Part V Breakdown p. 265

Chapter 17 The Crises of 455-457 p. 268

Chapter 18 The Consequences of Ricimer and Aspar p. 279

Chapter 19 The Crisis of 474-476 p. 288.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Electronic reproduction. Ipswich, MA Available via World Wide Web.

Online resource ; title from PDF title page (EBSCO ; viewed June 3, 2020)

ISBN:

9781526766052

1526766051

Publisher Number:

99984942718

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.