List of Roman dynasties

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This is a list of the dynasties that ruled the Roman Empire and its two succeeding counterparts, the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire. Dynasties of states that had claimed legal succession from the Roman Empire are not included in this list.

Contents

List of Roman dynasties

DynastyPeriod of rule Rulers [lower-alpha 1]
StartEndTermFirst to ruleLast to rule List / Family tree
Dynasties of the Principate
Julio–Claudian dynasty 27 BCE [1] 68 CE [1] 95 years Augustus Nero (list)
(tree)
Flavian dynasty 69 CE [1] 96 CE [1] 27 years Vespasian Domitian (list)
(tree)
Nerva–Antonine dynasty [lower-alpha 2] 96 CE [2] 192 CE [2] 96 years Nerva Commodus (list)
(tree)
Severan dynasty 193 CE [3] 235 CE [3] 41 years [lower-alpha 3] Septimius Severus Severus Alexander (list)
(tree)
Gordian dynasty 238 CE [4] 244 CE [4] 6 years Gordian I Gordian III (list)
(tree)
Decian dynasty 249 CE251 CE2 years Decius Hostilian (list)
Valerian dynasty 253 CE268 CE15 years Valerian Gallienus (list)
Caran dynasty 282 CE285 CE3 years Carus Carinus (list)
Dynasties of the Dominate
Constantinian dynasty [lower-alpha 4] 305 CE [5] 363 CE [5] 58 years Constantius Chlorus
(Western)
Constantine I
(Eastern)		 Julian
(Western & Eastern)		(list)
(tree)
Valentinianic dynasty 364 CE [6] 392 CE [6] 28 years Valentinian I
(Western & Eastern)		 Valens
(Eastern)
Valentinian II
(Western)		(list)
(tree)
Theodosian dynasty 379 CE [7] 457 CE [7] 78 years Theodosius I
(Western & Eastern)		 Valentinian III
(Western)
Marcian
(Eastern)		(list W) / (list E)
(tree)
Eastern (Byzantine) dynasties
Leonid dynasty 457 CE [8] 518 CE [8] 61 years Leo I Anastasius I (list)
(tree)
Justinian dynasty 518 CE [9] 602 CE [9] 84 years Justin I Maurice
and
Theodosius [lower-alpha 5] 		(list)
(tree)
Heraclian dynasty 610 CE [10] 711 CE [10] 91 years [lower-alpha 6] Heraclius Justinian II
and
Tiberius [lower-alpha 7] 		(list)
(tree)
Isaurian dynasty [lower-alpha 8] 717 CE [11] 802 CE [11] 85 years Leo III Irene of Athens (list)
(tree)
Nikephorian dynasty 802 CE813 CE11 years Nikephoros I Michael I Rangabe
and
Theophylact [lower-alpha 9] 		(list)
(tree)
Amorian dynasty [lower-alpha 10] 820 CE [12] 867 CE [12] 47 years Michael II Michael III (list)
(tree)
Macedonian dynasty 867 CE [12] 1056 CE [12] 189 years Basil I Theodora Porphyrogenita (list)
(tree)
Komnenid dynasty [lower-alpha 11] 1057 CE [13] 1185 CE [13] 106 years [lower-alpha 12] Isaac I Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos
and
John Komnenos [lower-alpha 13] 		(list)
(tree)
Doukid dynasty 1059 CE [14] 1078 CE [14] 19 years Constantine X Doukas Michael VII Doukas (list)
(tree)
Angelid dynasty 1185 CE [15] 1204 CE [15] 19 years Isaac II Angelos Alexios V Doukas (list)
(tree)
Laskarid dynasty [lower-alpha 14] 1204 CE1261 CE57 years Theodore I Laskaris John IV Laskaris (list)
(tree)
Palaiologan dynasty 1259 CE [18] 1453 CE [18] 194 years Michael VIII Palaiologos Constantine XI Palaiologos (list)
(tree)

Graphical representation

Palaiologan dynastyLaskarid dynastyAngelid dynastyKomnenid dynastyDoukid dynastyKomnenid dynastyMacedonian dynastyAmorian dynastyNikephorian dynastyIsaurian dynastyHeraclian dynastyHeraclian dynastyJustinian dynastyLeonid dynastyTheodosian dynastyValentinianic dynastyConstantinian dynastyGordian dynastySeveran dynastyNerva–Antonine dynastyFlavian dynastyJulio-Claudian dynastyList of Roman dynasties

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ As adoption was widely practiced by the upper classes, some Roman monarchs were not directly biologically related to their predecessors despite belonging to the same dynasty. For example, the second emperor of the Julio–Claudian dynasty, Tiberius, was in fact an adopted son of the dynastic founder, Augustus.
  2. ↑ The Nerva–Antonine dynasty is sometimes subdivided into the Nerva–Trajan dynasty and the Antonine dynasty.
  3. ↑ The rule of the Severan dynasty was interrupted between 217 CE and 218 CE. Caracalla was the last ruler before the interregnum. Elagabalus was the first ruler after the interregnum.
  4. ↑ The Constantinian dynasty is also known as the "Neo-Flavian dynasty".
  5. ↑ Maurice and Theodosius reigned as co-rulers.
  6. ↑ The rule of the Heraclian dynasty was interrupted between 695 CE and 705 CE. Justinian II was both the last ruler before the interregnum and the first ruler after the interregnum.
  7. ↑ Justinian II and Tiberius reigned as co-rulers.
  8. ↑ The Isaurian dynasty is also known as the "Syrian dynasty".
  9. ↑ Michael I Rangabe and Theophylact reigned as co-rulers.
  10. ↑ The Amorian dynasty is also known as the "Phrygian dynasty".
  11. ↑ The Komnenid dynasty ruled the Empire of Trebizond between 1204 CE and 1461 CE.
  12. ↑ The rule of the Komnenid dynasty was interrupted between 1059 CE and 1081 CE. Isaac I Komnenos was the last ruler before the interregnum. Alexios I Komnenos was the first ruler after the interregnum.
  13. ↑ Andronikos I Komnenos and John Komnenos reigned as co-rulers.
  14. ↑ In the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, the Laskarid dynasty of the empire of Nicaea is traditionally accepted by historians as the legitimate continuation of the Roman Empire, mostly because in 1261 it recovered Constantinople, New Rome. [16] During the period between 1204–1261, however, there were four competing dynasties—aside from the Laskarids in Nicaea, these were the Latin emperors of the "Flanders dynasty" in Constantinople, [17] the Komnenodoukai of Epirus and the Megalokomnenoi of Trebizond—equally claiming the east Roman emperorship.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore I Laskaris</span> First Emperor of Nicaea (1205–1221)

Theodore I Laskaris or Lascaris was the first emperor of Nicaea—a successor state of the Byzantine Empire—from 1205 to his death. Although he was born to an obscure aristocratic family, his mother was related to the imperial Komnenos clan. He married Anna, a younger daughter of Emperor Alexios III Angelos in 1200. He received the title of despot before 1203, demonstrating his right to succeed his father-in-law on the throne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin Empire</span> 1204–1261 Crusader state on the former Byzantine Empire

The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantine Empire as the Western-recognized Roman Empire in the east, with a Catholic emperor enthroned in place of the Eastern Orthodox Roman emperors. The main objective of the Latin Empire was planned by Venice, which promoted the creation of this state for their self-benefit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire of Nicaea</span> 1204–61 post-Byzantine Empire rump state

The Empire of Nicaea or the Nicene Empire was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek rump states founded by the aristocracy of the Byzantine Empire that fled when Constantinople was occupied by Western European and Venetian armed forces during the Fourth Crusade, a military event known as the Sack of Constantinople. Like the other Byzantine rump states that formed due to the 1204 fracturing of the empire, such as the Empire of Trebizond and the Despotate of Epirus, it was a continuation of the eastern half of the Roman Empire that survived well into the medieval period. A fourth state, known in historiography as the Latin Empire, was established by an army of Crusaders and the Republic of Venice after the capture of Constantinople and the surrounding environs.

This is an alphabetical index of people, places, things, and concepts related to or originating from the Byzantine Empire. Feel free to add more, and create missing pages. You can track changes to the articles included in this list from here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Despotate of Epirus</span> Byzantine successor state (1204–1479)

The Despotate of Epirus was one of the Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire established in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 by a branch of the Angelos dynasty. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea and the Empire of Trebizond, its rulers briefly proclaiming themselves as Emperors in 1227–1242. The term "Despotate of Epirus" is, like "Byzantine Empire" itself, a modern historiographic convention and not a name in use at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire of Trebizond</span> Byzantine Greek state on Black Sea coast

The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century. The empire consisted of the Pontus, or far northeastern corner of Anatolia, and portions of southern Crimea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Komnenos</span> Noble family

The House of Komnenos, Latinized as Comnenus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family who ruled the Byzantine Empire in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first reigning member, Isaac I Komnenos, ruled from 1057 to 1059. The family returned to power under Alexios I Komnenos in 1081 who established their rule for the following 104 years until it ended with Andronikos I Komnenos in 1185. In the 13th century, they founded and ruled the Empire of Trebizond, a Byzantine rump state from 1204 to 1461. At that time, they were commonly referred to as Grand Komnenoi, a style that was officially adopted and used by George Komnenos and his successors. Through intermarriages with other noble families, notably the Doukas, Angelos, and Palaiologos, the Komnenos name appears among most of the major noble houses of the late Byzantine world.

Alexios I Megas Komnenos or Alexius I Megas Comnenus with his brother David, the founder of the Empire of Trebizond and its ruler from 1204 until his death in 1222. The two brothers were the only male descendants of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos I, who had been dethroned and killed in 1185, and thus claimed to represent the legitimate government of the Empire following the conquest of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. Although his rivals governing the Nicaean Empire succeeded in becoming the de facto successors, and rendered his dynastic claims to the imperial throne moot, Alexios' descendants continued to emphasize both their heritage and connection to the Komnenian dynasty by later referring to themselves as Megas Komnenos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John II of Trebizond</span> Emperor and Autocrat of all the East, of the Iberians and of Perateia

John II Megas Komnenos was Emperor of Trebizond from June 1280 to his death in 1297. He was the youngest son of Emperor Manuel I and his third wife, Irene Syrikaina, a Trapezuntine noblewoman. John succeeded to the throne after his full-brother George was betrayed by his archons on the mountain of Taurezion. It was during his reign that the style of the rulers of Trebizond changed; until then, they claimed the traditional title of the Byzantine emperors, "Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans", but from John II on they changed it to "Emperor and Autocrat of all the East, the Iberians, and the Transmarine Provinces", although Iberia had been lost in the reign of Andronikos I Gidos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerva–Antonine dynasty</span> Dynasty of 7 Roman Emperors from AD 96 to 192

The Nerva–Antonine dynasty comprised seven Roman emperors who ruled from AD 96 to 192: Nerva (96–98), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138), Antoninus Pius (138–161), Marcus Aurelius (161–180), Lucius Verus (161–169), and Commodus (177–192). The first five of these are commonly known as the "Five Good Emperors".

Anna Anachoutlou ruled the Empire of Trebizond from 1341 to 1342. She was the eldest daughter of the Trapezuntine emperor Alexios II Megas Komnenos and had joined a convent as a nun during her father's reign. After the death of her father, Anna's brother Andronikos III, her nephew Manuel II and her other brother Basil reigned in rapid succession. After Basil's death, his widow Irene Palaiologina, genealogically unconnected to the ruling Grand Komnenos dynasty of Trebizond, seized power as empress regnant. In June/July 1341, Anna escaped from her convent and rapidly began rallying support to fight against Irene. Despite being a woman and up until recently a nun, and there being several possible male heirs of her dynasty, Anna attracted considerable support from the provincials of the empire, from ethnic minorities such as the Laz and Zan peoples, and from Georgian soldiers, either mercenaries or forces sent by King George V of Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laskaris</span> Byzantine Greek noble family; ruling dynasty of the Empire of Nicaea (1204-61)

The House of Laskaris, Latinized as Lascaris, was a Byzantine Greek noble family which rose to prominence during the late Byzantine period. The members of the family formed the ruling dynasty of the Empire of Nicaea, a Byzantine rump state that existed from the 1204 sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade until the restoration of the Empire under the Palaeologan dynasty in 1261.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angelos</span> Byzantine Greek noble family

The House of Angelos, Latinised as Angelus, was a Byzantine Greek noble family that produced several Emperors and other prominent nobles during the middle and late Byzantine Empire. The family rose to prominence through the marriage of its founder, Constantine Angelos, with Theodora Komnene, the youngest daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. As imperial relatives, the Angeloi held various high titles and military commands under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. In 1185, following a revolt against Andronikos I Komnenos, Isaac II Angelos rose to the throne establishing the Angeloi as the new imperial family that ruled until 1204. The period was marked by the decline and fragmentation of the Byzantine Empire, culminating in its dissolution by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 under Alexios IV Angelos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Byzantine Empire</span>

The Byzantine Empire's history is generally periodised from late antiquity until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. From the 3rd to 6th centuries, the Greek East and Latin West of the Roman Empire gradually diverged, marked by Diocletian's formal partition of its administration in 285, the establishment of an eastern capital in Constantinople by Constantine I in 330, and the adoption of Christianity as the state religion under Theodosius I, with others such as Roman polytheism being proscribed. Under the reign of Heraclius, the Empire's military and administration were restructured and adopted Greek for official use instead of Latin. While there was an unbroken continuity in administration and other features of Roman society, historians have often distinguished the Byzantine epoch from earlier eras in Roman history for reasons including the imperial seat moving from Rome to Constantinople and the predominance of Greek instead of Latin.

This is a family tree of all the Eastern Roman Emperors who ruled in Constantinople. Most of the Eastern emperors were related in some form to their predecessors, sometimes by direct descent or by marriage. From the Doukid dynasty (1059) onwards all emperors are related to the same family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire of Thessalonica</span> Byzantine successor state under warlord Theodore Komnenos

The Empire of Thessalonica is a historiographic term used by some modern scholars to refer to the short-lived Byzantine Greek state centred on the city of Thessalonica between 1224 and 1246 and ruled by the Komnenodoukas dynasty of Epirus. At the time of its establishment, the Empire of Thessalonica, under the capable Theodore Komnenos Doukas, rivaled the Empire of Nicaea and the Second Bulgarian Empire as the strongest state in the region, and aspired to capturing Constantinople, putting an end to the Latin Empire, and restoring the Byzantine Empire that had been extinguished in 1204.

The Treaty of 1282 was an agreement between Empire of Trebizond and the Byzantine Empire. It was signed by emperors John II of Trebizond and Michael VIII Palaiologos.

Since its fall, the issue of succession to the Byzantine Empire has been a major point of contention both geopolitically, with different states laying claim to its legacy and inheritance, and among the surviving members of the Byzantine nobility and their descendants. Historically, the most prominent claims have been those of the Ottoman Empire, which conquered Byzantium in 1453 and ruled from its former capital, Constantinople; the Russian Empire, as the most powerful state practising Eastern Orthodox Christianity; and various nobles and figures in Western Europe of increasingly spurious and questionable imperial descent.

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  17. ↑ Kanev, Nikolay (2018). Reflections of the Imperial Ideology on the Seals of the Latin Emperor Baldwin II of Courtenay. pp. 56–64.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  18. 1 2 Woodfin, Warren (2012). The Embodied Icon: Liturgical Vestments and Sacramental Power in Byzantium. OUP Oxford. p. xxv. ISBN   9780199592098.
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