Lex Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hi Who do you think is THE most despotic Roman Emperor ever? And when I say 'despotic' I don't mean acts like killing family members or enemies etc, I mean towards the population of the Empire as a whole. So which emperor was the harshest and cruelest towrds the citizens and under who's reign would you say that the Romans suffered the most because of the emperor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Nero has to be a front-runner, He nearly spent all the state money bankrolling his palace! he raised taxes to get the job finished and the citizens suffered for it! Caligula had totally disregard for the sanctity of life, upon his accession to absolute power the 3 months celebrations included the sacrifice of 160,000 people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Sacrifice 160,000 people!! Where'd you hear that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted February 17, 2005 Report Share Posted February 17, 2005 Suetonius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Posted February 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2005 I agree with you on Nero and Caligula, but I admit I never knew that Caligula was such a tyrant to the population as a whole. Do you know of anything else that he did? How about the most oppressive taxes (and the means to obtain them)? I've heard that in the later empire taxes were so bad that many Roman citizens chose to rather become exiles and abandon their property. Apparently when Caracalla was in one of the eastern provinces (I think Syria) he had a few thousand people from a city killed, because some of them 'insulted his dignity'. I don't think anyone ever insulted him again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted February 18, 2005 Report Share Posted February 18, 2005 I've read Suetonius a few times and don't recall him ever saying that Caligula specifically killed 160,000 people. There are many references to all sorts of atrocities, but never an exact number that I recall. Keep in mind too that Suetonius is widely considered among the least accurate of some already fairly poor choices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted February 19, 2005 Report Share Posted February 19, 2005 Try reading the 12 Caesars - he refers to it there! I would not post untrue statements! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spartacus Posted February 19, 2005 Report Share Posted February 19, 2005 Reference : Suetonius The Twelve Caesars Chapter 4 Page 156 Quote: so splendid were the celebrations that 160,000 victims were publicly sacrificed duing the next 3 months, or perhaps even a shorter period. I know Suetonius is prone to exaggeration, I was merely quoting what was written Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augur Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 Most Despotic? Hmm, so many choices, so little time. Well, if one eliminates all the totally bizzar private/personal antics (your standard incest, murder, rape, regicide, patricide, matricide, infantocide, torture, buggery, spitting on the sidewalk and the like), the worst Roman despot in a totally public sense is, in my opinion, Diocletian, who's "reforms" acted to permanently fix/limit the future status, lives and livelyhoods of all Roman citizens. Second choice: Constantine I (and those he empowered ) who permanently imposed the religion called Christianity upon all Romans -- and much of the world thereafter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.Clodius Posted May 10, 2005 Report Share Posted May 10, 2005 When Seutonius talks of victims, he means sacrificial animals. Not humans!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Well......Commodus was preety despotic I heard. Anyone whp spoke his name in a bad way was killed immeditatly by Imperial order, he didn't really help the goverment much either. Zeke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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