The outbreak of civil war in Rome that began when Julius Caesar "crossed the Rubicon" on 11 January 49 BC ended only when the defeat of Mark Anthony and target="ifrm1">Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium and their subsequent suicides made Octavian the undisputed leader. So thankful was the Senate, they named him Augustus and began a process that transformed Rome from a Republic into an Empire. Henceforth, the real power laid with the emperors—Octavian or Augustus Caesar being the first—even though the Senate continued to act like it mattered. The dynasties, and their constituent emperors, most important for understanding the life of the early church include:
1. Julio-Claudian
Octavian-Augustus, d. 14 AD,
Tiberius, d. 37,
Gaius-Caligula, d. 41,
Claudius, d. 54,
Nero, d. 68,
Nero's death was followed by a year of civil strife that became known popularly as "the year of the three emperors"—Galba, Otho, and Vitellius—until Vespasian returned from Palestine, where he had begun putting down the First Jewish Revolt, to establish the Flavian Dynasty.
2. Flavian
Vespasian, d. 79,
Titus, d.81,
Domitian, d.96.
3 Nervo-Trajan
Nerva, d. 98,
Trajan, d. 117,
Hadrian, d. 138.
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