Roman Emperors Trivia Word Search

Mutilated and deposed in 695, Justinian II's gruesome nickname described his facial injury: '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.'

Hadrian's adopted heir, known as '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Pius,' enjoyed one of Rome's most peaceful 22-year reigns.

Considered the last effective western emperor, this ruler was murdered after a civil war with Ricimer.

This centurion seized the throne through a bloody coup and was later beheaded on Heraclius's orders.

Son of Valerian, this emperor ruled 15 years through constant revolts before being murdered by his officers.

Anastasius I earned the nickname '_ _ _ _ _ _ _,' meaning 'two different colored eyes,' and reigned 27 years.

Before taking his famous imperial name, this reforming emperor was born with the name _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Philip I, nicknamed 'Philip the _ _ _ _,' was the first Roman emperor born outside Europe.

Julius '_ _ _ _ _,' installed by the eastern court, fled to Dalmatia and ruled in exile until his murder.

This adopted heir of Julius Caesar became Rome's first emperor in 27 BC, ruling for over 40 years.

Proclaimed by his eastern legions in AD 69, this emperor began building the Colosseum.

This great-grandson of Augustus, notorious for cruelty, was murdered by his own Praetorian Guard in AD 41.

This first eastern emperor was crowned by the Patriarch of Constantinople and nicknamed 'the Thracian.'

This general reconquered Gaul, Hispania, and Dalmatia before being deposed and executed by Ricimer in 461.

Son of Marcus Aurelius, this emperor fought as a gladiator and was strangled in a palace conspiracy.

This son of Carus died mysteriously while marching back to Europe, possibly from disease.

Leo VI, nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _' for his prolific legal writings, ruled Byzantium for over 25 years.

This commander was proclaimed emperor after Julian's death but died mysteriously before reaching the capital.

This emperor was captured and executed by troops loyal to the usurper Phocas in 602.

This uncle of Caligula began Rome's conquest of Britain and was allegedly poisoned by his wife Agrippina.

Magnus '_ _ _ _ _ _ _,' a British-based usurper, was defeated by Theodosius I and executed in 388.

This son of Valentinian I was killed by an officer of the usurper Magnus Maximus in AD 383.

Michael III, mockingly nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,' was Byzantium's youngest emperor before his murder in 867.

Leo V, nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _' for his homeland in the Caucasus, was murdered while attending church.

This soldier-emperor reunified the fractured Roman Empire before being murdered by the Praetorian Guard.

This emperor's 3-month reign in AD 69 ended in suicide after losing the Battle of Bedriacum.

Proclaimed by the Visigoths, this emperor was deposed after little over a year and became a bishop.

This son of Constantine I ruled the western empire before being overthrown and killed by the usurper Magnentius.

Leo III, nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _' after his home region, halted Muslim expansion into Anatolia.

The last western Roman emperor, deposed by Odoacer in 476, shared his first name with Rome's legendary founder.

This soldier-emperor married into the Theodosian dynasty and ruled the east from 450 to 457.

Constantius I, nicknamed '_ _ _ _ _ _ _' for his pale complexion, was father of Constantine the Great.

This governor of Spain briefly ruled during AD 69's chaos before being killed by Otho's coup.

'_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Severus,' Rome's first African-born emperor, founded a new imperial dynasty in AD 193.

This eastern emperor was defeated, deposed, and executed by Constantine I in AD 324.

Lucius '_ _ _ _ _,' adopted brother of Marcus Aurelius, ruled as his co-emperor until his death by stroke.

This civil servant seized power in Rome in 423 but was captured and executed by Theodosius II's forces.

This son of Septimius Severus granted Roman citizenship to nearly all free men in the empire.

This emperor was killed fighting the Goths at the Battle of Abrittus in AD 251.

Proclaimed by Rhine legions in AD 69, this glutton emperor was killed by Vespasian's troops.

This son of Constantine VII reconquered Crete in 961 but died of sudden exhaustion while chasing game outdoors.

This 13-year-old grandson of a short-lived African usurper ruled six years before dying during a Persian campaign.

Rome's first non-Italian-born emperor pushed the empire to its greatest territorial extent.

'_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _' Maximus, who murdered Valentinian III to seize power, was killed by a mob just months later.

This brother of Titus ruled 15 years before being assassinated in a court conspiracy in AD 96.

Under this son of Theodosius I, regent Stilicho governed as Rome was sacked for the first time in 800 years.

Proclaimed by Gundobad, this emperor was deposed by Julius Nepos and made a bishop instead of being killed.

This cousin of Trajan ended Roman expansion and built a famous wall across northern Britain.

Before ruling as the teenage priest-emperor Elagabalus, this boy bore the birth name Varius Avitus _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

This emperor's murder by his own troops in AD 282 elevated the Praetorian prefect Carus to the throne.

This general founded the Macedonian dynasty after being proclaimed co-emperor by Michael III in 866.

Claudius II earned the nickname '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _' after a major victory over invading Germanic tribes.

Augustus's stepson and successor ruled Rome for 22 years and later retired to the island of Capri.

This teacher-turned-usurper was defeated by Theodosius I at the Battle of the Frigidus in 394.

This general briefly ruled Illyricum before peacefully abdicating in Constantius II's favor and retiring.

Theodosius II built a massive ring of defensive _ _ _ _ _ around Constantinople that stood for centuries.

The Senate chose this elderly senator to replace Domitian, starting the era of the 'Five Good Emperors.'

Nikephoros II '_ _ _ _ _ _,' who reconquered Cilicia and Antioch, was murdered in a plot involving his own wife.

Vespasian's son ruled peacefully for just two years, one of few sons to succeed a father without bloodshed.

Son of Theodosius I, this eastern emperor ruled for 13 years and died of natural causes in 408.

This emperor ended decades of war with Persia but lost the Levant to the new Muslim armies.

Elagabalus's cousin and successor, Severus '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,' was lynched by mutinous troops alongside his mother.

Michael II, nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _ _ _' after his hometown, saw Sicily's conquest by Muslim forces begin.

Trebonianus '_ _ _ _ _ _,' proclaimed after Decius's death, was murdered by his own troops two years later.

Nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _,' Maximinus was Rome's first emperor to rise from the common soldier ranks.

This eastern Tetrarch launched the last great Roman persecution of Christians before dying naturally.

Son of Maximian, this emperor died fighting Constantine at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312.

In 313, Constantine I issued a famous edict from this northern Italian city, legalizing Christianity empire-wide.

This general reconquered Eastern Thrace from Bulgaria and was possibly poisoned by a rival named Basil.

Husband of Placidia, this short-lived emperor of 472 reportedly died of dropsy.

This nephew of Justin I temporarily reconquered much of Italy and North Africa from Rome's old territory.

Basil II earned the grim nickname 'Bulgar-_ _ _ _ _ _' after his crushing 1014 victory over the Bulgarian Empire.

Constans II, nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _ _ _,' was murdered while bathing in Sicily in 668.

Overthrown by his own mother Irene in 797 and left sightless, this emperor is remembered by a grim epithet: '_ _ _ _ _.'

Known to history as 'the Apostate,' this emperor was the last non-Christian to rule Rome.

Nikephoros I, a court official nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,' was killed fighting the Bulgars at Pliska.

'_ _ _ _ _ _ Julianus' infamously won the Roman throne by outbidding rivals at a Praetorian Guard auction.

Alexios I '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,' whose call for help against the Turks helped spark the First Crusade, ruled 37 years.

This soldier-emperor, first of a new dynasty, rose from humble origins to rule Byzantium from 518.

Romanos I '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,' who sidelined the young Constantine VII, died in exile as a monk.

Maximinus '_ _ _ _,' nephew of Galerius, was defeated by Licinius in a civil war and died soon after.

This last Julio-Claudian emperor blamed Christians for Rome's Great Fire and died by suicide in AD 68.

Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule a united Rome, was born in this region of the Iberian Peninsula.

This elderly senator briefly became emperor in AD 275, ruling only seven months before dying of illness.

This general deposed Justinian II in 695 but was himself deposed by Tiberius III just three years later.

This former city prefect ruled only 87 days in AD 193 before being murdered by the Praetorian Guard.

This praetorian prefect became emperor in 282 and died in Persia under mysterious circumstances.

Constantine VII's title 'Porphyrogenitus' referred to being born in a chamber lined with this royal color.

The philosopher-emperor Marcus '_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,' who wrote 'Meditations,' died of plague in AD 180.

This emperor's reign saw the final collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476.

Michael I '_ _ _ _ _ _ _,' who married into Nikephoros I's family, abdicated in 813 to become a monk.

This Praetorian prefect became the first non-senator emperor after arranging Caracalla's murder.

Leo IV, nicknamed 'the _ _ _ _ _ _' for his mother's ethnic homeland, ruled for nearly five years.

This eastern emperor was killed fighting the Goths at the disastrous Battle of Adrianople in AD 378.

Son of Carus, this co-emperor probably died in battle against Diocletian's forces in AD 285.