Roman emperors and dynasties
Follow succession from Augustus through rulers such as Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian and Constantine.
Roman Empire · historical archive
Roman Empire Timeline
Explore a searchable chronology of Roman emperors, imperial dynasties, warfare, government, religion, Roman Britain, frontier expansion and the Eastern Roman Empire through the World History Database.
2,067Roman Empire records
1–1453database year span
348named people
Roman Empire and client states in AD 117. Map by Tataryn, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Roman history guide
Roman Empire history: emperors, dynasties, wars and the Eastern Empire
The Roman Empire developed from the Roman Republic when Augustus established a durable imperial settlement in 27 BC. From Rome, successive emperors governed territories across Europe, North Africa and the Near East. The archive below follows imperial succession, government, warfare, religion, provincial administration and major events across the Roman world.
Key periods include the Julio-Claudian emperors, the Flavian dynasty, the Nerva–Antonine era of Trajan and Hadrian, the Severan emperors, the third-century imperial crisis, the reforms of Diocletian and Constantine, and the later Eastern Roman Empire centred on Constantinople. The western imperial office ended in AD 476, while the Eastern Roman Empire continued for centuries and survived until the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
Roman warfare and frontiers
Explore campaigns, civil wars, frontier policy, Roman Britain, Hadrian’s Wall, Dacia, the Rhine and Danube frontiers, and conflicts in the eastern provinces.
Eastern Roman Empire
Continue beyond late antiquity through Constantinople, Justinian, medieval imperial dynasties and the final Palaeologan rulers.
Historical overview
From Augustus to Constantinople
The archive follows imperial Rome from the early principate through expansion, civil wars, frontier government, the third-century crisis, Christian emperors and the long history of the Eastern Roman Empire.
27 BC–AD 68
Augustus and the Julio-Claudians
Imperial government develops under Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.
AD 69–96
Flavian recovery
Vespasian restores stability after civil war, while Titus and Domitian continue Flavian rule.
AD 96–180
The Five Good Emperors
Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius preside over a major phase of imperial power.
AD 193–284
Severans and imperial crisis
Military emperors, civil conflict and external pressure transform the political structure of the empire.
AD 284–395
Diocletian and Constantine
Tetrarchic reform, Constantine's dynasty and the growing importance of Christianity reshape Roman government.
AD 395–1453
Eastern Roman Empire
Constantinople remains the centre of the Eastern Roman state through Justinian, later dynasties and the final centuries.
Historical images
Rome, its monuments and its frontiers
Images are stored locally by the installation script for stable display. Source pages remain linked for provenance.
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Roman dynasties and major themes
Select a card to filter the live Roman Empire chronology. The page uses the same World History Database records as the site's principal search tools.
Julio-Claudian Emperors
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero.
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Flavian Dynasty
Vespasian, Titus, Domitian and the empire after AD 69.
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Five Good Emperors
Nerva to Marcus Aurelius, including Trajan and Hadrian.
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Severan Dynasty
Septimius Severus, Caracalla and the imperial family of the early third century.
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Soldier Emperors
The rapid imperial changes and military politics of the third-century crisis.
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Constantinian Dynasty
Constantine and the imperial transformations of the fourth century.
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Roman Warfare
Campaigns, invasions, civil wars, frontier fighting and military expansion.
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Government and Provinces
Governors, consuls, legates, provincial administration and imperial office.
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Late Eastern Empire
The Palaeologan rulers and the closing centuries of Constantinople's empire.
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Search the archive
Search Roman Empire records
Search by person, event, place, role or description, then narrow by year, category, dynasty, person or event. Text dropdowns are divided into A–Z sections.
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Static research guides
Explore Roman Empire topics
These crawlable topic pages provide focused introductions and link back to the live Roman Empire archive.
Roman Emperors
Imperial succession and dynasties from Augustus to Constantinople.
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Roman Britain
Provincial government, Hadrian’s Wall and the northern frontier.
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Roman Warfare
Legions, campaigns, frontiers and imperial civil wars.
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Roman Government
Emperors, governors, officials and provincial administration.
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Eastern Roman Empire
Constantinople, medieval dynasties and the empire to 1453.
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About this collection
World History Database Roman Empire archive
The Roman Empire page is a specialist view of the structured World History Database. Stored fields include year, country, historical category, dynasty or subject, title, personal name, event, place, date ranges, day, month and description.
- Open the full World History Database search
- Browse the World History Chronology
- Search historical biographies
- Search history by place
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Compiled and edited by World History Database. Last reviewed: September 2026.