Roman Emperor Rankings: Best & Worst

Roman Emperors of the Principate, Dominate, and Late Western Roman Empire through the deposition of Romulus Augustulus in 476 CE.

World Ranking

▲ Top 5

Augustus (27 BCE–14 CE)

First Roman Emperor who transitioned Rome from an oligarchic republic into the Principate, established the Pax Romana, professionalized the legions, and rebuilt Rome in marble.

+123

Marcus Aurelius (161–180)

Stoic philosopher and last of the 'Five Good Emperors', who repelled Germanic invasions during the Marcomannic Wars while authoring his private Meditations.

+96

Constantine the Great (306–337)

Reunified the empire, converted to Christianity, convened the Council of Nicaea, and established Constantinople as the empire's new capital.

+70

Trajan (98–117)

'Optimus Princeps' whose conquest of Dacia and campaigns against Parthia expanded the Roman Empire to its maximum territorial extent, celebrated by Trajan's Column.

+58

Hadrian (117–138)

Consolidated imperial borders by building Hadrian's Wall, rebuilt the Pantheon, and traveled the provinces to promote Panhellenic culture and architectural patronage.

+21

▼ Bottom 5

Glycerius (473–474)

Commander elevated by Gundobad who averted a Visigothic invasion of Italy, deposed without bloodshed by Julius Nepos and made Bishop of Salona.

-122

Olybrius (472)

Roman senator installed as Western emperor by Ricimer during the siege of Anthemius, reigning for a few months before dying of dropsy.

-100

Libius Severus (461–465)

Lucanian puppet ruler installed on the Western throne by general Ricimer, unrecognized by Constantinople and the Roman governors of Gaul and Dalmatia.

-75

Florianus (276)

Brother of Tacitus who proclaimed himself emperor in the West, murdered by his own troops at Tarsus after two months when facing Probus's superior forces.

-48

Quintillus (270)

Brother of Claudius Gothicus whose brief reign of a few weeks ended in suicide or murder when legions acclaimed Aurelian as emperor.

-25

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All Items (78)

Augustus (27 BCE–14 CE)+123

Marcus Aurelius (161–180)+96

Constantine the Great (306–337)+70

Trajan (98–117)+58

Hadrian (117–138)+21

Diocletian (284–305)+6

Aurelian (270–275)+1

Tiberius (14–37)—

Caligula (37–41)—

Claudius (41–54)—

Nero (54–68)—

Galba (68–69)—

Otho (69)—

Vitellius (69)—

Vespasian (69–79)—

Titus (79–81)—

Domitian (81–96)—

Nerva (96–98)—

Antoninus Pius (138–161)—

Lucius Verus (161–169)—

Pertinax (193)—

Didius Julianus (193)—

Septimius Severus (193–211)—

Caracalla (198–217)—

Geta (209–211)—

Macrinus (217–218)—

Elagabalus (218–222)—

Severus Alexander (222–235)—

Maximinus Thrax (235–238)—

Gordian I (238)—

Gordian II (238)—

Pupienus (238)—

Balbinus (238)—

Gordian III (238–244)—

Philip the Arab (244–249)—

Decius (249–251)—

Trebonianus Gallus (251–253)—

Aemilian (253)—

Valerian (253–260)—

Gallienus (253–268)—

Claudius Gothicus (268–270)—

Tacitus (275–276)—

Probus (276–282)—

Carus (282–283)—

Carinus (283–285)—

Numerian (283–284)—

Maximian (286–305)—

Constantius I Chlorus (305–306)—

Galerius (305–311)—

Severus II (306–307)—

Maxentius (306–312)—

Licinius (308–324)—

Constantine II (337–340)—

Constans (337–350)—

Constantius II (337–361)—

Julian (361–363)—

Jovian (363–364)—

Valentinian I (364–375)—

Valens (364–378)—

Gratian (367–383)—

Valentinian II (375–392)—

Theodosius I (379–395)—

Honorius (395–423)—

Constantine III (407–411)—

Constantius III (421)—

Valentinian III (425–455)—

Petronius Maximus (455)—

Avitus (455–456)—

Majorian (457–461)—

Anthemius (467–472)—

Julius Nepos (474–480)—

Romulus Augustulus (475–476)—

Commodus (177–192)-5

Quintillus (270)-25

Florianus (276)-48

Libius Severus (461–465)-75

Olybrius (472)-100

Glycerius (473–474)-122

Image credits (71)

Aemilian (253) — CNG · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Anthemius (467–472) — CNG Coins · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Antoninus Pius (138–161) — Jebulon · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Augustus (27 BCE–14 CE) — Justin Benttinen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Aurelian (270–275) — CNG · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Avitus (455–456) — Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG · CC BY-SA 3.0 ch · Wikimedia Commons
Balbinus (238) — George Shuklin · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Caligula (37–41) — Sergey Sosnovskiy from Saint-Petersburg, Russia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Caracalla (198–217) — Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Carinus (283–285) — Lalupa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Carus (282–283) — Carus (02..-283; empereur romain). Autorité émettrice de monnaie Siscia (Mésie0260-0387atelier monétaire). Atelier monétaire · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Claudius (41–54) — Unknown author · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Claudius Gothicus (268–270) — Museum of Fine Arts, Boston · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Commodus (177–192) — Merulana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Constans (337–350) — Ladislav Luppa · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Constantine the Great (306–337) — Merulana · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Constantius I Chlorus (305–306) — Marie-Lan Nguyen · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Constantius II (337–361) — Mary Harrsch · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Constantius III (421) — Bernd Gährken · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Decius (249–251) — José Luiz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Didius Julianus (193) — Wilfredor · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Diocletian (284–305) — Dosseman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Domitian (81–96) — Unknown author · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Elagabalus (218–222) — Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Florianus (276) — Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG · CC BY-SA 3.0 ch · Wikimedia Commons
Galba (68–69) — American Numismatic Society · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Galerius (305–311) — Shinjirod · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gallienus (253–268) — Sailko · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Glycerius (473–474) — ANS · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gordian I (238) — Classical Numismatic Group · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Gordian II (238) — Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Gordian III (238–244) — Marie-Lan Nguyen · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Gratian (367–383) — SJuergen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Hadrian (117–138) — Djehouty · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Honorius (395–423) — unknown Roman artist (diptych) Dea Picture Library (photo) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Julius Nepos (474–480) — CNG Coins · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Libius Severus (461–465) — Leu Numismatik · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Licinius (308–324) — unknown, found in Ephesos · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Lucius Verus (161–169) — Unknown author · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Macrinus (217–218) — José Luiz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Majorian (457–461) — Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG · CC BY-SA 3.0 ch · Wikimedia Commons
Marcus Aurelius (161–180) — Daniel Martin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Maxentius (306–312) — Mark Landon · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Maximian (286–305) — Pierre-Selim · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Maximinus Thrax (235–238) — Unknown artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Nero (54–68) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Nerva (96–98) — Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Numerian (283–284) — originally uploaded by CharlesS in 2004 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Olybrius (472) — Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG · CC BY-SA 3.0 ch · Wikimedia Commons
Otho (69) — Fred Romero from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Pertinax (193) — Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Petronius Maximus (455) — CNG Coins · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Philip the Arab (244–249) — Sergey Sosnovskiy from Saint-Petersburg, Russia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Pupienus (238) — Unknown artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Quintillus (270) — Numismatica Ars Classica NAC AG · CC BY-SA 3.0 ch · Wikimedia Commons
Romulus Augustulus (475–476) — ANS · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Septimius Severus (193–211) — Unknown artist · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Severus Alexander (222–235) — Unknown artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Severus II (306–307) — American Numismatic Society · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tacitus (275–276) — Pe-Jo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Theodosius I (379–395) — www.livius.org · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tiberius (14–37) — Giovanni Dall'Orto · Attribution · Wikimedia Commons
Titus (79–81) — Marie-Lan Nguyen · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Trajan (98–117) — Unknown artist · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Trebonianus Gallus (251–253) — Unknown author · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Valens (364–378) — АНО "Международный нумизматический клуб" · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Valentinian I (364–375) — ANS · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Valentinian II (375–392) — Brastite at English Wikipedia · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Valentinian III (425–455) — Tony Querrec (photo) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Vespasian (69–79) — Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Vitellius (69) — American Numismatic Society · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons