Timeline
Roman Empire Timeline
A chronology of the Roman Empire — from Augustus and the Principate through the high empire and the third-century crisis to Constantine and the late empire.
The empire founded by Augustus gave the Mediterranean world two centuries of peace, reached its height under the Antonines, survived a near-fatal crisis, and was refounded by Diocletian and Constantine.
27 BCE
Augustus founds the Principate.
14 CE
Death of Augustus; the succession of Tiberius.
69 CE
The Year of the Four Emperors; the Flavian dynasty follows.
96–180 CE
The Five Good Emperors — Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius.
117 CE
The empire reaches its greatest extent under Trajan.
122 CE
Hadrian fixes the frontiers; Hadrian's Wall begun.
161–180 CE
Marcus Aurelius; the Meditations.
235–284 CE
The Crisis of the Third Century — civil war, invasion, near-collapse.
284–305 CE
Diocletian reorganizes the empire; the Tetrarchy.
312 CE
Constantine's victory at the Milvian Bridge.
313 CE
The Edict of Milan tolerates Christianity.
330 CE
Constantine founds Constantinople.
395 CE
Permanent division into Eastern and Western empires.
476 CE
Deposition of the last western emperor; the western empire ends.
The empire transformed itself repeatedly — from Principate to militarized late empire, from pagan to Christian — and the eastern half, centred on Constantinople, endured for another thousand years.