Augustus through Year of Four Emperors Flashcards
Explain the different names of Augustus
Gaius Octavius (OG), Octavian (after Caesar adopts him), Augustus (Senate calls him this), Princeps (means first citizen, he wants people to call him that)
How was Octavius related to Caesar?
Was his great nephew, later his adoptive son
Who’s funeral oration did Octavius give?
Julia Minor, Caesar’s sister
Who does Caesar adopt in his will as his heir, angering Antony?
Octavian
Who delivered Caesar’s funeral oration?
Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony)
When was the Battle of Mutina?
April 21, 43 BC
Antony went to seize Mutina from which Roman who had control over Cisalpine Gaul, prompting the Battle of Mutina?
D. Brutus (Caesar assassinator)
Who were the consuls of 43 BC who went with Octavian to take Mutina back from Antony?
Hirtius and Pansa
When was the Second Triumvirate formed?
43 BC
What consul of 43 BC died from wounds he got at a battle a few days before Mutina, and what was the battle called?
Pansa, injured at the Battle of Forum Gallorum
What is the outcome of the Battle of Mutina?
Octavian comes to power, Hirtius dies, Antony retreats
What happens after the Battle of Mutina?
Octavian’s army marches on Rome and kills D. Brutus
What series of 14 speeches did Cicero write against Antony?
Philippics
Who was in the Second Triumvirate?
Mark Antony, Lepidus, Octavius
What law made the Second Triumvirate official?
Lex Titia
Who was Mark Antony married to?
Originally Octavia (Octavian’s sister), then Cleopatra
What were Cleopatra and Antony’s kids named?
Twins Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios and younger brother Ptolemy Philadelphos.
Who was the Battle of Actium (31 BC) fought between?
Antony and Cleopatra vs Octavian and Agrippa (right hand man, built Pantheon)
When did the Empire begin?
27 BC, when the Senate calls Octavian “Augustus”
What other honorific title was the senate considering giving to Octavian in 27 BC before
deciding on Augustus?
Romulus
What does “Augustus” mean?
The revered one
What office did Augustus get in 23 BC?
Tribune
Who found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble?
Augustus
What was Augustus’ motto?
“Festina lente” (make haste slowly)
What emperor extended the empire’s boundaries to Egypt and forbade any general for entering it without his permission?
Augustus
Which emperor extended the empire to Illyricum, Pannonia, and Egypt?
Augustus
What emperor divided the city of Rome into 14 districts?
Augustus
What title did Augustus take in 12 BC after Lepidus’ death?
Pontifex Maximus
At what 9 AD battle did Germanic chieftain Arminius defeat Publius Quinctilius Varus?
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Who led the Roman forces to a defeat at the Teutoburg Forest?
P. Quinctilius Varus
What happened to Quinctilius Varus?
Suicide to avoid capture
What Germanic tribe was Arminius from?
Cherusci tribe
How many standards did the Romans lose at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest?
3
Who avenged the Teutoburg Forest by recovering 2 of 3 lost standards?
Germanicus
What title did Augustus receive in 2 BC?
Pater Patriae
Who was Augustus’s daughter?
Julia the Elder
Who were the husbands of Julia the Elder?
Marcellus, Agrippa, Tiberius
When did Augustus rule?
27 BC-14 AD
Who did Augustus deny a spolia opima, and who had that man defeated?
Marcus Licinius Crassus (not Cra$$us) for defeating Deldo
Who were the initial contenders for Augustus’ heir, and why were they never emperor?
Marcellus (his nephew and son in law) and Agrippa (right hand man and son in law), both died young
Who died in 23 BC, making him unable to be Augustus’ heir?
Marcellus
Who died in 12 BC, making him unable to be Augustus’ heir?
Agrippa
Who did Augustus give his signet ring to, signifying that he wanted him as his heir?
Agrippa
Who were Augustus’ grandsons who died young, making them unable to take the throne, and who were their parents?
Gaius and Lucius Caesar, sons of Agrippa and Julia the Elder (Augustus’ daughter)
Who were Augustus’ wives?
Claudia, Scribonia, Livia Drusilla
Who were Livia Drusilla’s existing children before she married Augustus?
Tiberius (became emperor) and Drusus I (fell off his horse and died)
Who was the son of Drusus I?
Germanicus
What emperor established the Praetorian Guard?
Augustus
Name the Julio-Claudian emperors in order
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero
Who was the second emperor of Rome?
Tiberius
Who was the “reluctant emperor”?
Tiberius
Who was killed shortly into Tiberius’ reign, even though he was already exiled, just so there weren’t any issues with the legitimacy of his ascendance?
Agrippa Postumus, son of Agrippa and Julia the Elder
Name the only emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty who had no Julian blood.
Tiberius
How was Tiberius related to Augustus?
He was Augustus’ stepson (mom was Livia Drusilla)
Who was Tiberius’ first wife, daughter of Agrippa?
Vipsania
How many kids did Tiberius and Vipsania have?
1, Drusus II
Where did Tiberius go into self imposed exile before becoming emperor, and why did he do it?
Went to Rhodes because Augustus wanted him to marry Julia the Elder (Augustus’ daughter)
What governor of Syria was accused for poisoning Germanicus?
Cn. Calpurnius Piso
Who plotted against Tiberius?
Praetorian prefect Sejanus
Who warned Tiberius about Sejanus?
Antonia the Younger, his sister in law (and mother of Claudius!)
Where did Tiberius retire to, leaving Sejanus in charge?
The Island of Capri
Who replaced Sejanus after Tiberius had him killed?
Macro
Who did Tiberius adopt as his co-heirs?
Tiberius Gamellus and Caligula
What was the barracks of the Praetorian Guard called, made by Sejanus?
Castra Praetoria
Who was the third emperor of Rome?
Caligula
Who helped Caligula’s rise to the throne?
Macro
Who did Caligula have an affair with, the wife of Praetorian Prefect Macro?
Ennia Thrasylla
Who were Caligula’s parents?
Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder
Who was Caligula’s sister who would eventually marry Claudius?
Agrippina the Younger
What happened to Agrippina the Elder?
Exiled to Pandateria by Sejanus
What favorite sister did Caligula deify posthumously?
Drusilla
Where does the name Caligula come from?
Means “little boot”, he spent time as a child in battle with his father
What was a phrase Caligula said?
“Oderint dum metuant (let them hate as long as they fear”
Who did Caligula try to make consul?
His horse Incitatus
How did Caligula die?
Killed by Cassius Chaerea (Praetorian Guard)
Why did Caligula kill his cousin, and what was his name?
He kills Tiberius Gamellus because he was supposed to be co-heir with Caligula according to Tiberius’ will
Who was Tiberius Gamellus
Grandson of Tiberius, was supposed to be co-heir with Caligula, so Caligula killed him
Who was the fourth emperor of Rome?
Claudius
Who was Claudius?
Uncle to Caligula, was cowering in curtains when Caligula was killed, Praetorian Guards chose him to rule
How much did Claudius pay for the Praetorian Guard’s loyalty and what was this called?
15,000 sesterces each
Donativum
Pallas, Narcissus, and Polybius were all notorious freedmen of what emperor?
Claudius
Parents of Claudius
Drusus and Antonia the Younger
What four provinces did Claudius acquire?
Lycia, Thrace, Mauretania, and Britain
Who annexed Britannia in 43 AD?
Claudius
Who led Claudius’ invasion of Britannia in 43 AD?
Aulus Plautius
Which British King did Claudius capture to get the title Brittanicus?
Caratacus, son of Cunobelinus (Shakespeare play about him)
What Brigantian queen defeated and handed over Caratacus to the Romans?
Queen Cartimandua
Who was Claudius’ 3rd wife who was executed for her adultery?
Messalina
Who did Messalina essentially marry while also married to Claudius, and who informed Claudius?
-Gaius Sillius
-Narcissus (freedman) informed him
Who was Messalina and Claudius’ son?
Britannicus
Who was Messalina and Claudius’ daughter?
Claudia Octavia
How many wives did Claudius have, and who was his last?
4, last was Agrippina the Younger
How did Claudius die?
Agrippina the Younger gave him poisoned mushrooms, securing the throne for her son Nero
Who did Agrippina the Younger get the poison to kill Claudius from, the same person that Nero would later use to kill Britannicus?
Locusta
Who did Nero have poisoned since he was a threat to his title as emperor?
Britannicus, his half brother
How old was Nero when he was first emperor, and who was regent?
16, so Agrippina the Younger was regent until he killed her
What was Nero’s original name?
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
During who’s reign did Boudicca’s revolt occur in?
Nero
What tribe was Boudicca from?
Iceni (in Britannia)
Who did Nero send to suppress Boudicca’s revolt?
Seutonius Paulinus
Who’s army killed 70-80K Romans during her revolt against the Roman rule of Britannia?
Boudicca
What was the name of Nero’s pregnant 2nd wife whom he killed by kicking her stomach?
Poppaea Sabina
Who were Nero’s three wives?
Claudia Octavia, Poppaea Sabina, Statilia Messalina
Who was Claudia Octavia?
Daughter of Messalina+Claudius, sister of Britannicus, first wife of Nero
What emperor hosted the Juvenalia, or Ludi Juvenales, to honor his transition to adulthood?
Nero
When did Nero fiddle?
During the Great Fire of Rome (64 AD)
What did Nero build in the wreckage of the fire?
Domus Aurea
Who led a conspiracy against Nero in 65 AD?
C. Calpurnius Piso
Who were Piso’s main co-conspirators?
tribune Subrius Flavus and centurion Sulpicius Asper
Who was accused of aiding Piso’s assassination attempt of Nero even though he was Nero’s tutor and then was forced to commit suicide?
Seneca the Younger
What future emperor helped put down the Pisonian conspiracy and got a triumph for it?
Nerva
Which emperor enjoyed participating in chariot racing and musical performances?
Nero
What future emperor fell out of favor with Nero when he fell asleep during a musical performance of his?
Vespasian
How many horses did Nero use in his Olympic chariot race, and how many did the others have?
He had 10, the others had 4
What general and governor did Nero force to commit suicide?
Domitius Corbulo
Which governor of Gallia Lugdunensis rebelled against Nero’s tax policies in March of 68 AD?
Vindex
What was Vindex the governor of?
Gallia Lugdunensis
What future emperors supported Vindex’s rebellion?
Galba and Otho
Who did Nero send to defeat Vindex at Vesontio?
Lucius Verginius Rufus
How and when does Nero die?
Commits suicide on June 9, 68 AD
What were Nero’s last words before he committed suicide on June 9, 68 AD?
“Qualis artifex pereo” (what an artist dies with me)
When was the year of four emperors?
69 AD
What were the emperor of 69 AD?
Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian (GOVV)
What was Galba the governor of?
Hispania Tarraconensis
What was Otho the governor of?
Lusitania (Portugal)
What governor of Lusitania had to give up his wife Poppaea Sabina to Nero?
Otho
What did Galba do on his way to Rome after being declared emperor?
Led a scorched earth campaign
What does Galba refuse to do, prompting Otho to use this as an opportunity to have him killed and take the throne for himself?
Galba refuses to bribe the Praetorian Guard (the standard practice)
Who did Galba adopt rather than Otho, prompting Otho to have him killed?
Lucius Calpurnius Piso
How did Galba die?
Killed by Praetorian Guard
Who did Galba have killed for cutting off Rome’s grain supply?
African governor Clodius Macer
Which of the 69 AD emperors committed suicide?
Otho
Who owed his ascension to the imperial throne to two commanders of the Rhine legions
named Fabius Valens and Caecina Alienus?
Vitellius
At what battle does Vitellius defeat Otho for the throne, prompting Otho to kill himself?
First Battle of Bedriacum (69 AD)
At what battle was Vitellius defeated and Vespasian risen to the throne?
Second Battle of Bedriacum (69 AD)
Who fought on Vespasian’s behalf at the Second Battle of Bedriacum?
Antonius Primus
Where was Vespasian when he was proclaimed emperor?
Egypt
What island did Augustus exile Julia the Elder to?
Pandateria
Grandson of Augustus, adopted and exiled
Postumus
Who did Augustus make Tiberius adopt?
Germanicus
Caligula’s wife
Caesonia
Wives of Claudius
Plautia Urgulanilla, Aelia Paetina, Messalina, Aggripina the Younger
