Imperator Romanorum

[Longasc]

It is true that he did not accomplish everything he wanted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I

He was also not on the side of his wife in religious questions, but the Codex Justinianus and the rebuilding of the Hagia Sophia and such things are not shabby.

You can also admire his relation to Theodora - she actually ruled when he was ill for some time alone, normally both ruled together, this is basically a perfect example of a modern partnership and emancipation.

Theodora also made an interesting career, from a lowly dancer (not much more than a whore in that time) to the empress of the eastern rome.

Sometimes just sounds too good to be true!!

There was probably no Byzantine Emperor up to Xen's standards, you even despise Constantine...

 

[Xen]

emperor Heraclius in one of the few the do.

 

[Longasc]

He had impressive military success against the Sassanids. He probably only lacked the bells and whistles for historical greatness, like say a partner like Theodora.

But hey, I just googled Wikipedia and this guy invented the title "Basileus"/"Basileos", and he ruled for a long time.

I got to agree with you on this one, he was really successful. Even if he was somehow an unknown nobody.

 

[Xen]

by modern standards, valerian is an unkown nobady as well; I was tlakign baotu the sunject with a good friend of mine, he handt a clue who Valerian was int he first place... just goes to show, sometimes, if not many times, being the best dose not mean your are the most famous...

 

[Provolution]

You cannot beat Augustus 60 years rule founding the very Empire, no one beats nr 1. and 60 years is a long time for such an achiever.

 

[Pangur Bán]

@Calgacus; For me, the empire died when Diocletian abdicated, anythign else was an extension fo the Roman state; mabey that snot the technical definition, but it smy definition, and that in which I used to create the poll.

Funnily enough, I'd actually agree with you. You're not correct (as you know ) that the Empire died after Diocletian's abdication. Rather, Constantine initiated so many transformations, that he left what might be called a "new civilization". Constantine, in many ways, has more in common with Constantine XIII/XI (1449-1453) than he has with, say, Nero or Marcus Aurelius.

 

[Pangur Bán]

emperor Heraclius in one of the few the do.

Heraclius is probably the most underatted of all medieval sovereigns. He genuinely, through his own individual achievements, saved the Roman (or Byzantine if you prefer) Empire from destruction. He conquered the Sassanians when it looked like they would conquer him. He did this, mostly by his own strategic and battlefield military genius, by hellenizing the vocabulary of the Empire and by inventing the idea that Rome/Byzantium was a permanent Crusading state (hence his common epithet, the "First Crusader".) Some people may see this as promotion of bigotry, but it made the inhabitants of the Empire interested in the Empire's fate. And unless one is a Medievalist or Byzantinist, it is unlikely to be known that Heraclius inspired a whole genre of heroic literature, unheard of for any meditteranean ruler since Alexander the Great.

 

[Vasileius]

But hey, I just googled Wikipedia and this guy invented the title "Basileus"/"Basileos", and he ruled for a long time.

He didn't ivented the title , he adopted it ...
Vasileus = King (ancient greek)

He achieved much more than that ... Some of them are in the above calgacus's post .

 

[Pangur Bán]

He didn't ivented the title , he adopted it ...
Vasileus = King (ancient greek)

He achieved much more than that ... Some of them are in the above calgacus's post .

Ancient Greek is Basileus. Amazingly, the word occurs in Mycenaean Linear B (as QA-SI-RE-U or quasileus) meaning some kind of local official or village chief. When Mycenaean culture broke down in the Dark Ages, it evolved to mean king. The Mycenaean term for king was wanax or WA-NA-KA, whence Homeric anax.

 

[Cashie]

I picked Augustus, purely for his work in constructing the Principate and bring Rome out of civil wars. Vespasian was a very good emporer, especially since he rose from 'humble' origins to restore order & become emporer.

Elagabulus personally would've been my choice for joke emporer - although I do have soft spot for Nero. Probably because he won an Olympic gold medal in the 10-Horse Chariot race when he fell off and didn't finish. If anyone votes for Domitian, I will slap them.

 

[Adso de Fimnu]

Constantine XIII/XI (1449-1453)

Since when is there any controversy about which Constantine the last one was? I always knew him as XI - were there two more Constantines I've never heard about?

Vasileus = King (ancient greek)

Are you one of those Greeks who maintains that Ancient Greek is the same as modern Greek?

 

[Red Threat]

Ancient Greek is Basileus. Amazingly, the word occurs in Mycenaean Linear B (as QA-SI-RE-U or quasileus) meaning some kind of local official or village chief. When Mycenaean culture broke down in the Dark Ages, it evolved to mean king. The Mycenaean term for king was wanax or WA-NA-KA, whence Homeric anax.

In modern Greek B (beta/vita) is read "V", so they translitterate this letter in V in the Latin/western alphabet.

*Returning on topic*

I voted for Trajan, although there is a hard struggel between him, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius. However, I think that the greatest King/Emperor of Italy of all the times is Teodorich. The worst... Justinian!

 

[Pangur Bán]

In modern Greek B (beta/vita) is read "V", so they translitterate this letter in V in the Latin/western alphabet.

Yeah...I know; but Vasileus said "Vasileus = King (ancient greek)", which is not a correct transliteration.

 

[Xen]

@calgacus; I'm curious, just who did you vote for out of my options anyway? (i didnt catch if you had said earlyer)

@Red Threat- why woudl you list Teodorich(Theodoric?) as the best that the Roman state had seen? A sin my opinion, he was one of the biggest problems!

 

[Pangur Bán]

Since when is there any controversy about which Constantine the last one was? I always knew him as XI - were there two more Constantines I've never heard about?

As far as I understand it, there are a couple of usurpers.

 

[Pangur Bán]

@calgacus; I'm curious, just who did you vote for out of my options anyway? (i didnt catch if you had said earlyer)

No I didn't. As it happens, I haven't voted yet. All those listed, except Nerva and Domitian, were great emperors. Augustus was probably the greatest from the period, while Nero is probably my favorite. But, in general, Constantine, IMO, was the greatest, and Heraclius is my favorite.

So, unless a mod changes the poll to "Pre-Constantinian Emperors", I'll not really be able to vote. If they were to, I'd be inclined to vote for Severus or Diocletian...because no one else is likely to do so.

 

[Red Threat]

@Red Threat- why woudl you list Teodorich(Theodoric?) as the best that the Roman state had seen? A sin my opinion, he was one of the biggest problems!

I said Italy not Rome.

During the reign of Teodorich Italy was finally in peace and was the strongest romano-barbaric kingdoms of all. Trades and sciences started a new development. After centuries of parassitary exploitation of other countries, the Italian economy flowered again. Italy, not Greece or Turkey, was REALLY the centre of the Mediterranean. In the Italian society, the Romans controlled the administration in a smaller territory (so in the Vth century the administration was more efficient than in the times of Diocletianus) and the Goths controlled the military organization: they developed the strongest European army of those centuries with the first European heavy Cavalry in a time where the roman military organization was definitively overcome. The Teodorich's diplomacy was the best: the alliance with the Visigoths, the Teodorich's vassals (Lombards, Rugians, Burgundians) and the peace with the Vandals made the kingdom of Ravenna the strongest of the West. I'm sure that, without those damned Belisarius and Justinian, the Middle Ages history would have been completely different, maybe the Italian/Ostrogoth kingdom would have become the New Holy Roman Empire and Italy wouldn't ever seen 1000 years of divisions that made us weak.

This is a suggestion for an alternate history scenario: how would the modern world be if Sarmatians, Bulgars, Sassanids and Arabs had destroyed the Byzantine empire and the Italian/Ostrogoth kingdom had survived building the federation of "Gothia" in western Europe? I'd like to play a similar scenario.

And this is also a suggestion of playing as Teodorich when my Dark Ages scenario will be finally released, I hope the next week.

 

[Longasc]

Hm, we could expand the vote to include the Holy Roman Empire, but I fear it was not quite what the first two attributes suggest.

 

[Vasileius]

Βασιλεύς τών Ρωμαίων ... You like it better that way ? I hope you have greek fonts . Translitterated : Vasileus ton Romaion , Translated : King of the Romans ... What exactly you misunderstood ?

Υ.Γ. The modern Greek B (beta/vita) is spelled just like the ancient one as all of the other letters...
You spell B mpeta and we spell it vita ...

 

[Sir Bugsy]

I voted for Vespasian, because of what he did during his short reign and because of his rise from a low birth to be a great emperor.