Dilettantes think about the Roman Empire. True Roman connoisseurs rank the Roman emperors.

And obsessive-compulsive Roman connoisseurs compile their complete rankings of Roman emperors, albeit with abbreviated entries.

I’ve previously ranked the Roman emperors but I did so in my usual top ten format – my Top 10 Best & Worst Roman Emperors, twenty special mentions for each category (best and worst), and honorable mentions in each category (best and worst) for emperors of “ambiguous legitimacy” (typically as usurpers) or “varying ascribed status” (typically as child emperors).

So here they all are in abbreviated entries as one complete ranking from best to worst – for the “classical” Roman emperors from the first emperor Augustus to the last western emperor Romulus Augustulus.

 

TOP 10 BEST ROMAN EMPERORS

 

S-TIER (GOD TIER)

 

(1) AUGUSTUS – JULIO-CLAUDIAN DYNASTY

(16 JANUARY 27 BC – 19 AUGUST 14 AD: 40 YEARS 7 MONTHS 3 DAYS)

 

Felicior Augusto – “May you be more fortunate than Augustus…”

THE Roman emperor – the first and best emperor, the definitive and archetypal emperor, the OG and GOAT emperor.

The most august emperor – the most Augustus of Augustuses.

 

(2) TRAJAN – NERVA-ANTONINE DYNASTY / FIVE GOOD EMPERORS

(28 JANUARY 98 AD – 9 AUGUST? 117 AD: 19 YEARS 6 MONTHS 10/14 DAYS)

 

Melior Traiano – “and greater than Trajan”

The Optimus Prime of Roman emperors – Optimus or Optimus Princeps, “the best” or “the best emperor”.

 

 

(3) AURELIAN – NON-DYNASTIC / CRISIS OF THE THIRD CENTURY

(AUGUST 270 AD – NOVEMBER 275 AD: 5 YEARS 3 MONTHS)

 

Restitutor Orbis – the Restorer of the World.

 

Aurelian, Aurelian, we love you

But we only have five years to save the Roman Empire!

 

(4) HADRIAN – NERVA-ANTONINE DYNASTY / FIVE GOOD EMPERORS

(11 AUGUST 117 AD – 10 JULY 138 AD: 20 YEARS 10 MONTHS 29 DAYS)

 

The definitive Roman emperor, famed for his Wall.

 

(5) CONSTANTINE – CONSTANTINIAN DYNASTY

(25 JULY 306 AD – 22 MAY 337 AD: 30 YEARS 9 MONTHS 27 DAYS)

 

In hoc signo vinces – “in this sign thou shalt conquer”.

Constantine the Great – Diocletian may have created the Dominate but Constantine…dominated it (heh).

 

A-TIER (TOP TIER)

 

(6) MARCUS AURELIUS – NERVA-ANTONINE DYNASTY / FIVE GOOD EMPERORS

(7 MARCH 161 AD – 17 MARCH 180 AD: 19 YEARS 10 DAYS)

 

Best known as the Stoic philosopher-emperor and for his Meditations.

The cool old emperor in Gladiator.

 

(7) PROBUS – NON-DYNASTIC / CRISIS OF THE THIRD CENTURY

(JUNE 276 AD – SEPTEMBER 283 AD: 6 YEARS 3 MONTHS)

 

Usually overlooked among Roman emperors, Probus deserves to be hailed with Aurelian as the saviors of the empire in the Crisis of the Third Century – one of “the soldier emperors who saved Rome”.

 

(8) DIOCLETIAN – NON-DYNASTIC / TETRARCHY: EASTERN EMPIRE

(20 NOVEMBER 284 AD – 1 MAY 305 AD: 20 YEARS 5 MONTHS 11 DAYS)

 

Dominus of the Dominate – Diocletian ended the Crisis of the Third Century and stabilized the empire, instituting the Dominate and the Tetrarchy.

Also achieved the capstone of imperial achievement – peaceful retirement.

 

(9) VALENTINIAN – VALENTINIAN DYNASTY: WESTERN EMPIRE

(25/26 FEBRUARY 364 AD – 17 NOVEMBER 375 AD: 11 YEARS 8 MONTHS 23 DAYS)

 

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides – by barbarians. And he will strike down upon them with great vengeance and furious anger. And they will know his name is…Valentinian

 

(10) MAJORIAN – NON-DYNASTIC / LAST WESTERN ROMAN EMPERORS: WESTERN EMPIRE

(28 DECEMBER 457 AD – 461 AD: 4 YEARS 11 MONTHS 1 DAY)

 

As per Edward Gibbon, Majorian “presents the welcome discovery of a great and heroic character, such as sometimes arise, in a degenerate age, to vindicate the honour of the human species”.

 

Majorian (and Probus) might well be ranked by me above other top-tier candidates for my top ten (from my special mentions) but I consider their achievements earn them that ranking – particularly in relative terms of the position they inherited – and are unfairly overlooked among emperors.