Rulers of the Roman Empire Quiz

Domitian's reign in the Flavian Dynasty was marked by religious intolerance and a penchant for executions.

Justinian the Great oversaw a renewed expansion of the empire and a dedication to civil law.

He ascended from the lowest ranks of society to become head of the empire.

A man named Stephanus concealed a dagger and then stabbed Domitian to death; it was revenge for one execution too many.

As a 14-year-old, Elagabalus was too immature (and too evil) to be in power, and he used the throne to wreak mayhem.

Sex scandals of every kind roiled his short four years in power; the people grew weary of his awful behavior and rose up to kill him.

Maximinus Thrax was notoriously distrustful and prone to violence, plunging his country into chaos and perhaps triggering the 50-year Crisis.

Aurelius was known for being a thoughtful and philosophical ruler who spent much of his time learning.

He is considered a fine military man who won many victories, but he was sullen and withdrawn as emperor, wanting nothing to do with ruling.

After two decades of successful rule, he called it a career and retired to his hobbies.

Commodus had a God complex, such as naming the months of the year after himself, and he paid for it when he was assassinated .

He issued hundreds of edicts against Christians and thousands were executed simply for their religious beliefs.

Trajan not only made the empire as big as it would ever be, but he also created social support systems to improve the lives of citizens.

He supposedly wanted a massive palace compound and to make space, he simply set the city on fire.

Constantine was the second-longest serving emperor in the empire's history; he won many major battles and had a stable reign.

There isn't much concrete information about Caligula (in spite of his unsavory reputation) but he was indeed murdered by soldiers of the empire.

With more than 23 murdered, there were probably more emperors that died from assassination than from natural causes.

He supposedly fed live people to vicious animals out of boredom; his reputation for cruelty may be undeserved but it has become his legacy.

Although the details are lost to history, Jovian may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a charcoal fire.

Although he ruled for a decade, very little is really known about him; he was emperor from 69 C.E. to 79 C.E.

The Senate pronounced him "the best ruler" for his intelligent and courageous manner; he died of a stroke in 117 C.E.

Augustus kept the peace at home and fought many imperial wars that added country after country to Rome's list of conquests.

In his rush to battle, he opted to leave behind his armor, a decision that proved fatal.

He had at least 20,000 people killed for mocking his murderous rage; he also burned the entre city of Alexandria.

His brief 3-month reign left little of note other than he was chopped to pieces at the end.

Forced to confront false accusations about his rule, he chose to commit suicide instead of facing public scorn.

Unlike many emperors who persecuted Christians, Gratian actually preferred the teachings of Christ.

His hearing impairment (and limp) earned him scorn from other nobility, but he eventually ascended to the status of emperor.

Titus had his two-year reign ended by a fever, but before his death he was known for finishing the still grand Colosseum.

Licinius was always at odds with Constantine I, who fueled a civil war against him and eventually killed him.