I Killed A Roman Emperor

At first glance, this list of people thought to have killed a Roman emperor might seem somewhat short. Indeed, there are plenty of other people who killed or ordered the death of a Roman emperor, but this list is reserved for individuals who supposedly carried out the deed themselves. For example, we know that someone strangled the emperor Alexios IV Angelus to death while he was in prison on the order of Alexios V Doukas, but there is no record of who carried out the deed, so that imperial murder does not appear on this list. Similarly, someone in the Ottoman army that forced its way in Constantinople in 1453 must have delivered the killing blow to Constantine XI, but no name is recorded, so it cannot be listed here.

In the course of tallying up this list, it is perhaps rather surprising just how many Roman emperors, a position surrounded by war and political intrigue, actually died of natural causes. Indeed, the aforementioned Constantine XI was seemingly the first emperor to die of non-natural causes in almost 250 years since Alexios V was thrown from the top of the Column of Theodosius in 1204 or Constantine Laskaris (if he is to be considered to be an emperor) died in battle against the Latins in 1205.

Perpetrator	Target	Relation to Target	Means (Possible)
Livia	Augustus	Wife	Poisoned figs
Macro Caligula	Tiberius	Praetorian commander Heir	Smothered with pillow/bedclothes
Cassius Chaerea	Caligula	Praetorian guard	Stabbed (along with others)
Agrippina the Younger Halotus Xenophon Jocasta	Claudius	Wife and niece Chief taster Doctor ‘Professional’ poisoner	Poisoned (mushrooms and/or feather)
Epaphroditus	Nero	Private secretary	Stabbed on orders of Nero
Otho	Otho	Same person	Suicide by stabbing
Stephanus Clodianus Maximus Satur	Domitian	Steward of niece Subaltern Freedman of Parthenius Chamberlain	Stabbed
Narcissus	Commodus	Wrestling partner	Strangled
Julius Martilis	Caracalla	Soldier	Stabbed
Gordian I	Gordian I	Same person	Suicide by hanging
Cecropius	Gallienus	Cavalry commander	Stabbed with a spear
Quintillus	Quintillus	Same person	Suicide by opening veins
Mucapor	Aurelian	Secretary	Unrecorded
Aper	Numerian	Praetorian Prefect	Uncertain, had concealed the death; executed as murderer by Diocletian
Diocletian	Diocletian	Same person	Possible suicide
Maximian	Maximian	Same person	Suicide by hanging (forced)
Severus II	Severus II	Same person	Suicide by hanging (forced)
Maximin Daia	Maximin Daia	Same person	Suicide by poison
Magnentius	Magnentius	Same person	Suicide by sword
Decentius	Decentius	Same person	Suicide by hanging
(St.) Mercurius	Julian	Lakhmid Arab in Persian service	Spear to the abdomen
Valentinian I	Valentinian I	Same person	Rage-induced stroke
Andragathius	Gratian	Magister equitum of Magnus Maximus	Unrecorded
Valentinian II Arbogast	Valentinian II	Same person Magister militum	Suicide by hanging Strangled/hanging?
Optila	Valentinian III	Retainer of Aetius	Blows to the head and eye
Ursus	Petronius Maximus	Soldier	Whilst fleeing the Vandal sack of Rome
Ricimer	Libius Severus	Magister militum	Poisoned
Ricimer Gundobad	Anthemius	Magister militum Magister militum per Gallias	Beheading
Ovida Viator	Julius Nepos	Comes Comes	Unrecorded
Andrew, son of Troilus	Constans II	Chamberlain	Bludgeoned with a bucket
Helias	Justinian II	Spatharios and governor of Cherson	Beheaded
John of Chaldia	Michael III	Supporter of Basil I	Cut off hands and head
Theophano	Romanos II	Wife	Poison
John I Tzimiskes	Nikephoros II	General and wife’s lover	Unspecified
Basil Lekapenos	John I Tzimiskes	Imperial chamberlain	Poison
Zoe Porphyrogenita	Romanos III Argyros	Sister-in-law	Poison
John II Komnenos	John II Komnenus	Same person	Self-inflicted, but accident wound