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On this day in AD 31 the Praetorian Prefect Sejanus was executed.

Sejanus rose to power and great influence as the prefect of the Praetorians, the imperial bodyguard, under the emperor Tiberius.

On this day in AD 54, the Roman emperor Claudius died at Rome

Tradition holds the Praetorian guard made him emperor when they found him quivering behind a curtain, reasoning that he wouldn’t be too ruthless in power.

On this day in AD 117, the Roman emperor Trajan died

Trajan was proverbially so well-liked that in the later empire, new emperors would be enjoined to “be more fortunate than Augustus and better than Trajan”.

On this day in AD 4 Augustus organised the imperial succession

Tiberius was very much Augustus’ reserve choice for the succession…

On this day in AD284 Diocletian became emperor

Before becoming emperor, Diocles (for this seems to have been his birth name) had been a successful leader in the military field.

On this day in AD 30, the Roman emperor Nerva was born in Narnia.

That’s the the Italian town of Narnia, in Umbria, of course.

On this day in AD 12, Caligula was born

Text by Annabel Rock-Clarke Image © Mint Imperials Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born in Antium on the 31st August AD 12. He is more commonly known as Caligula. He was the son of the extremely popular general, Germanicus, a nephew of Augustus who was adopted by the emperor Tiberius but died young at age 34, …

On this day in AD306 the emperor Constantius I died in York

His troops, rather than await a new leader to be appointed for them, hailed the emperor’s son Constantine as Augustus but it was not until 324 that he would gain control over the entire empire.