The 10 most extravagant Emperors.

[Gaius Paulinus Maximus]

A dodgy mortgage claim is feeble stuff set against the spending of history's top kleptocrats. Here is Times Money's list of the 10 most extravagant emperors, in chronological order.........

 

http://timesbusiness.typepad.com/money_web...t-emperors.html

 

Spot the inaccuracies!!!!

Edited July 8, 2009 by Gaius Paulinus Maximus

[Klingan]

These guys really need learn a few things about source criticism!

[caesar novus]

I question calling Hadrian one of the most extravagant; wasn't there value to most of his expenditures? Tivoli may be an exception, but not as a world beating extravagance. BTW see "heart of italy" aerial documentary on hi def Smithsonian tv channel, which has one of the longest sequences on Hadrians villa from the air. Like most of their programs, it's a bit unpolished, and in this case they chose a hazy/smoggy day to depict Italy from the air.

 

I was going to make a similar case against the Emperor Wu choice, who spent a lot but gained an empire larger than Rome's. I was going to propose Empress Dowager Cixi who is always castigated for diverting military funds to a summer palace and it's marble boat in particular. This is repeatedly said to weaken China defenses enough to make it eventually fall to Europeans (which would give it negative value for the money).

 

But I always thought that stupid ornamental ship could hardly cost so much, and it would almost get lost in some Roman villas. Now I see wikipedia paints a much more complex or muddied picture for Cixi, so I am left without a good case. Awaiting more knowlegable replacements... pharaohs?

Edited July 9, 2009 by caesar novus

[sylla]

Spot the inaccuracies!!!!

Arguably, the whole list is a gross inaccuracy from a pretty inaccurate site.

Not only is "extravagancy" an entirely subjective judgment value, but it is also not even approximately defined here; ie. is it the mere waste of money, the bizarre conduct, a mixtures of both or something else? By using the first criterion, Napoleon I would have been my obvious first choice.

Besides, it is not clear what "Emperor" means here (Bokassa???). After all, Herr Hitler might have been aptly called an

Edited July 10, 2009 by sylla

[Primus Pilus]

I'm actually surprised Augustus isn't on the list. He may not have been flamboyant or necessarily wasteful as regards excessive expenditures., but he spent fortunes on various reforms and various building projects.

 

Of course, the list lacks clarity as to how these things were determined anyway.

[Ingsoc]

I question calling Hadrian one of the most extravagant; wasn't there value to most of his expenditures? Tivoli may be an exception, but not as a world beating extravagance. BTW see "heart of italy" aerial documentary on hi def Smithsonian tv channel, which has one of the longest sequences on Hadrians villa from the air. Like most of their programs, it's a bit unpolished, and in this case they chose a hazy/smoggy day to depict Italy from the air.

 

Hadrian extensive travels in the provinces put an excessive expenditures burden on the local economies.

[sylla]

I'm actually surprised Augustus isn't on the list. He may not have been flamboyant or necessarily wasteful as regards excessive expenditures., but he spent fortunes on various reforms and various building projects.

 

Of course, the list lacks clarity as to how these things were determined anyway.

The finantial definition for Extravagant (Merriam-Webster):

"exceeding the limits of reason or necessity; lacking in moderation, balance, and restraint; spending much more than necessary".

 

Naturally, all governments spend; the problem is the efficiency of the expenditure.

 

From where I am, the Augustan administration was one the most efficient (ie, the less "extravagant"), if not simply the most, in all the long history of Ancient Rome.

[Aurelia]

Goodness, this list could go on and on.

 

I would add Cleopatra (fair enough, she seems to have been a competent administrator but she was extravagant), Louis XIV of France (but then again most French kings of the Ancien Regime lived and spent lavishly), and since Bokassa was mentioned why not include Mobuto from former Zaire (even though he was not an "emperor" he certainly lived like one and basically led his country to the brink of bankruptcy).

[Klingan]

I question calling Hadrian one of the most extravagant; wasn't there value to most of his expenditures? Tivoli may be an exception, but not as a world beating extravagance. BTW see "heart of italy" aerial documentary on hi def Smithsonian tv channel, which has one of the longest sequences on Hadrians villa from the air. Like most of their programs, it's a bit unpolished, and in this case they chose a hazy/smoggy day to depict Italy from the air.

 

Hadrian extensive travels in the provinces put an excessive expenditures burden on the local economies.

 

They surely did, but he also spend an awful amount of cash on his travels(i.e, boosted the local economic, intentional or not). I'm not quite sure that he should even be on this list, in my opinion.

 

Maybe we should put together our own list here at unrv?

[sylla]

Maybe we should put together our own list here at unrv?

It's not easy to distinguish indispensable from extravagant expenditures, as boast also had its place in politics and diplomacy.

 

In any case, for the sake of brevity, the converse list (ie. the "less extravagant") would probably be more useful; my first guesses would be Augustus, Tiberius, Vespasian, Marcus Aurelius, Pertinax and Julian.

Edited July 11, 2009 by sylla