Many Roman Emperors secured their reputations on the battlefield, but not all of them came away unscathed. Discover which emperors lived and died by the sword.
- Maximinus Thrax at the Siege of Aquileia
- The Emperors Philip and Decius
- Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge
- Roman Emperor Valens and the Battle of Adrianople
Then you have Augustus who was always mysteriously ill before a big fight. Interestingly Napoleon also played sick whenever his superiors tried to make him fight a fight he didn’t want. He was also very interested in Roman and Greek history.
Augustus was also not the kind of person you would want to lead a battle. A lot of his success was dependent on trusting competent generals and being an effective politician.
You’re right, I’ve just always found it funny that he was able to get away with playing sick every time something dangerous came up.