The mad world of the Roman emperors

This course will give you an insight in the world of the Roman emperors. In the late first century BC, Rome transitioned from a republic, where no man could rule Rome by themselves, to an empire. In doing so, Rome experienced a period of unprecedented success and innovation. Yet, this coincided with the rule of some of the most tyrannical and brutal emperors history has seen.

In many cases, they were no more brutal than they were mad. They would be a tabloid’s dream today, and some of the stories are scarcely believable. Our journey will introduce us to a range of characters, such as the emperor who tried to make his horse a consul and a mother who poisoned the emperor to get her son to power.

This will take us through arguably the most prosperous, but at times, the most tumultuous, period of Rome’s history, all the way to the fall of the Empire.

   456 students completed this course

   93% recommend it to other students

   Teacher: James Wareing

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93% of students recommend

  “An informative and fact-packed guide, easy to read and digest. Top marks!”

  “The course was fascinating, informative and well presented.”

  “While familiar with many of the emperors, the course helped greatly to put together the timeline and intricacies of their rise and fall. Thank you, James!”

Course plan

Lesson 1. How Rome Came to Be Ruled by Emperors
Lesson 2. Augustus: The First Roman Emperor and Bringer of Peace
Lesson 3. Tiberius: The Beginning of Rome’s Plunge to the Depths of Madness
Lesson 4. Caligula: A Big Fan of Horses But Not So Disposed Toward Goats
Lesson 5. Claudius: The Unlikely and Reluctant Emperor
Lesson 6. Nero: The Artist of an Emperor
Lesson 7. The Year of the Four Emperors and the Stability of Vespasian
Lesson 8. Titus: Continuing Where His Father Left Off
Lesson 9. Relative Sanity Is Short-Lived as Domitian Returns Rome to Its Roots
Lesson 10. Rome after the Flavian dynasty and Its Ultimate Collapse
+ Quiz

Format

Starting tomorrow, you will receive a new lesson straight to your inbox every morning for 10 days. Lessons take just 5 minutes to read, and each course is followed by fun, knowledge-testing quiz.

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