During the Roman Empire, Emperor Octavian, after defeating Cleopatra and Antony of Egypt, changed his name to Augustus and started a republican form of government, while his successor, Tiberius, established the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The Julio-Claudian dynasty pertains to the first five emperors that ruled the Roman Empire including Nero, Claudius, Tiberius, Caligula, and Augustus. The dynasty lasted until Emperor Nero’s death, and during the reign of the five emperors, the Roman Empire reached its cultural, economic, and territorial achievement. Also, the empire was secured from both external and internal threats, and during the Pax Romana (or the Roman Peace), the entire empire prospered. Soon, the empire’s territorial expansion reached its peak up to 6.5 million km² (2.5 million mi²).
Between the years 193 and 235 A.D., the Severan Dynasty began. During this time, the reign of incompetent rulers, such as Alexander Severus and Elagabalus, led to the empire’s collapse and soon, external invasions began. This event is known as the Crisis of the Third Century; however, the crisis was ended by the competent ruler, Emperor Diocletian. In 293 A.D., Diocletian temporarily divided the empire into two; the Western Empire and the Eastern Empire. These two empires fought against the external invaders for over half a century.
During the reign of Emperor Constantine I in 330 A.D., he permanently established Byzantine as the Empire’s capital, which he later renamed Constantinople. In 395 A.D., he firmly divided the Empire into two; the Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire (also called the Byzantine Empire).
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