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Didius Julianus

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Monarch

The Resume

    (January 30, 133-June 1, 193)
    Born in Milan, Italy
    Birth name was Marcus Didius Severus Julianus
    Emperor of Rome (March 28-June 1, 193)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was described by Edward Gibbon as 'a vain old man.'
    After the assassination of the emperor Pertinax, the Praetorian Guard decided to auction off the throne.
    He won with a bid of 25,000 sesterces (equivalent to about $1,000) for each soldier in the Guard.
    He was so unpopular, the Guard had to protect him from stone-throwing mobs whenever he appeared in public.
    As soon as word of how he attained the throne went out, three generals in the provinces refused to recognize his authority and declared themselves emperor.
    He unsuccessfully tried to bribe the nearest (and thus most dangerous) of the generals, Septimus Severus by offering him half the empire.
    After Severus rejected the offer and it became clear that the people of Italy were not going to offer any resistance, he turned to sacrifices and magical rites in an attempt to stop his rival.

Why he might not be annoying:

    As commander of the XXII Legion, he distinguished himself in military campaigns in Germany.
    Ironically, Severus offered his soldiers a bounty of $2,000 each to leave their posts and march on Rome, twice the size of Julianus' payoff to gain the throne.
    He was beheaded by Severus' soldiers.
    His last words were, 'What harm have I done? Have I put anybody to death?'
    Given that his reign lasted only 66 days, he probably overpaid.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 27 Votes: 51.85% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 72.73% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 27 Votes: 92.59% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 83 Votes: 49.40% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 24 Votes: 91.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 78 Votes: 65.38% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 136 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 228 Votes: 66.23% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 17 Votes: 76.47% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 16 Votes: 75.00% Annoying