The problem of succession: How Roman emperors were selected | Gregory Aldrete and Lex Fridman
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: • Gregory Aldrete: The R...
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: lexfridman.com...
See below for guest bio, links, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
GUEST BIO:
Gregory Aldrete is a historian specializing in ancient Rome and military history.
CONTACT LEX:
Feedback - give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com...
AMA - submit questions, videos or call-in: lexfridman.com...
Hiring - join our team: lexfridman.com...
Other - other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com...
EPISODE LINKS:
Gregory's Website: gregorysaldret...
Gregory's Books: amzn.to/3z6NiKC
Gregory's Great Courses Plus: www.thegreatco...
Gregory's Audible: adbl.co/4e72oP0
SPONSORS:
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to lexfridman.com...
Shopify: Sell stuff online.
Go to lexfridman.com...
AG1: All-in-one daily nutrition drinks.
Go to lexfridman.com...
BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling.
Go to lexfridman.com...
ExpressVPN: Fast & secure VPN.
Go to lexfridman.com...
PODCAST LINKS:
Podcast Website: lexfridman.com...
Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2lwqZIr
Spotify: spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
RSS: lexfridman.com...
Podcast Playlist: • Lex Fridman Podcast
Clips Channel: / lexclips
SOCIAL LINKS:
X: x.com/lexfridman
Instagram: / lexfridman
TikTok: / lexfridman
LinkedIn: / lexfridman
Facebook: / lexfridman
Patreon: / lexfridman
Telegram: t.me/lexfridman
Reddit: / lexfridman
Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: ua-cam.com/video/DyoVVSggPjY/v-deo.html
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: lexfridman.com/sponsors/cv7925-sa
See below for guest bio, links, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
*GUEST BIO:*
Gregory Aldrete is a historian specializing in ancient Rome and military history.
*CONTACT LEX:*
*Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com/survey
*AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: lexfridman.com/ama
*Hiring* - join our team: lexfridman.com/hiring
*Other* - other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com/contact
*EPISODE LINKS:*
Gregory's Website: gregorysaldrete.com/
Gregory's Books: amzn.to/3z6NiKC
Gregory's Great Courses Plus: www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/gregory-s-aldrete
Gregory's Audible: adbl.co/4e72oP0
*SPONSORS:*
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
*LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-cv7925-sa
*Shopify:* Sell stuff online.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/shopify-cv7925-sa
*AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drinks.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/ag1-cv7925-sa
*BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-cv7925-sa
*ExpressVPN:* Fast & secure VPN.
Go to lexfridman.com/s/expressvpn-cv7925-sa
*PODCAST LINKS:*
- Podcast Website: lexfridman.com/podcast
- Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2lwqZIr
- Spotify: spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
- RSS: lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
- Podcast Playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4.html
- Clips Channel: ua-cam.com/users/lexclips
*SOCIAL LINKS:*
- X: x.com/lexfridman
- Instagram: instagram.com/lexfridman
- TikTok: tiktok.com/@lexfridman
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
- Facebook: facebook.com/lexfridman
- Patreon: patreon.com/lexfridman
- Telegram: t.me/lexfridma
- Reddit: reddit.com/r/lexfridman
I could listen to Gregory Aldrete all day!
I think Gregory underestimates Domitian (perhaps for the sake of brevity) by dismissing him as "nuts." Domitian handled the empire very well: he actually INCREASED the purity of the denarius; endeared himself to the army w/ his campaigns against the Germans and Dacians (the latter of which was completed by one of his trusted generals and eventual successor Trajan); and he was generally liked by the people, having improved the economy and sponsoring games. That said, Domitian's autocratic personality put him directly at odds w/ the Senate, which (no surprise) were the men who recorded his story...
Regarding Augustus' character: I think anybody who climbs to that level of power has a bit of psychopathy in him; they have to be psychopathic, to be able to outwit, undermine, or even terminate their most cunning rivals... at the end of the civil wars of the Republic, Octavian was the last man standing.
good take
Domitian was a good emperor :-)
One might say, he had Agrippa on himself. I’ll show myself out
I like it
Me too 😂😂
Always appreciate a good pun 😂
Love it
Gotta appreciate someone who appreciates Agrippa.
I think the reason Octavian managed to claim and maintain power while remaining moderate and relatively stable, was because he grew up in the Republic, and held on to the inherent distrust of monarchs, even after becoming one himself.
The issue is that Commodus could have been great but due to issues involving teaching it failed. The whole “elect the best guy” only works if you are lucky and uncorrupt. It’s not a very good idea for the long term.
What??????
Seems to me there's no perfect way of choosing a leader. Choosing the best guy does seem to be a step up from heredity.
@@shauns.6231 I have to disagree. Hereditary means you can train a heir and it guarantees stability through a single candidate. With a more meritocratic method it all but guarantees civil war in case of a system failure.
@@ZjayJD That is where I must respectfully disagree. This system means that most presidents do not feel responsible about the nation. Short term gain to get a good election cry while in the long term sabotaging the nation.
Caesar is another character who rises to power at a young age. He's famously kidnapped in his teen years, negotiates his own release, raises an army and comes back and completely wipes out the army that kidnapped him. There's also the famous lamentation of how he wept in his mid 20's, because he hadn't accomplished at his age what Alexander the Great had.
I had no idea who Agrippa was until I heard this podcast. Now he’s one of my top historical figures, literally the unsung hero of Rome.
It was written in the Sybiline Books and the Mos Maiorum that Rome would never have a king. This is why Augustus could not "solve" the problem of succession. Rome was still Rome, even with the Princeps.
This guy is an amazing storyteller.
Good answer on Agrippa on the greatest Roman
In Italy Augustus is clearly more famous than Marcus Aurelius
What I have never understood is why at no point the Senate was not able to regain some measure of larger power, and gain the ability to elect the next Emperor. I understand, the emperors had enormous power, but only by consent, and the senators in aggregate also had enormous wealth, political influence, and public support.
I love this guy but I don’t think he’s correct about the 5 good emperors. They all picked the next emperor based on merit, yes, but none of them had any male relatives to begin with. And the first one who did (Marcus Aurelius) gave the throne to his son. I don’t think there was any conscious change in hereditary policy on apart of these “old men”, just that there were no male heirs for the throne to be given to
Exactly! Then he proceeded to trivialise the choice of Commodus by Marcus Aurelius. I mean, dude, do you really think he had a choice? If he had chosen anyone else, there would have been civil war as Commodus was not going to stay put and not claim what was his.
Great pod
The Flavian line was a better attempt to establish an anointed line of priest-kings, having the blood of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio and the major Hellenistic bloodlines. But it wasn't successful in marrying Titus to Herod The Great's granddaughter, Berenice. And it wasn't time for a real Messiah yet.
nah
The progeny of a Roman that destroyed the Temple and an Edomite woman was never going to be the Messiah. What sort of nonsense is this lol.
my biggest problem with rome is that it treated conquered territories as colonies to exploit instead of a space to settle your veterans and poors to on top of shaping it into a copy of itself by delegating the governing to a new local roman senate instead of giving absolute power to one governor delegated from Rome
It's an endeavor driven solely by ambition and power. There's not much morally sound about it, so dictatorial governors are no surprise.
The west used it lopsided power better perhaps than any conquering force in history
Domitian was just fine, he just hated the senatorial class, which in turn hated him.
I think if you were to go on the streets, I’ve an average American city nowadays and ask them to name an emperor. They would all just say Augustus or something like that I don’t think anybody knows.
May be a college campus if you go to the right side of buildings
Germany never was into the Roman Empire, they were all along the History the Barbarians on the other side of the Rhin River and Danubio River
The first of the 4 good emperors did NOT have sons of their own. So they adopted a qualified younger general. Marcus Aurelius nr. 5 did have a son Commodus. And he became the next emperor - and shite hit the fan. Aurelius knew if he instead of his son adopted a younger general, his son had to be killed (Commodus would be a constant threat to any other candidate). So it is not because they did'ent want their own sons to inherit, they simply did not have one.
For all his philosophy, Aurelius didn´t learn the lesson of succesion by blood. Ruined a great run of emperors.
This thumbnail is really something
I'm sorry to have to do dis but Trajan was the greatest of all time!!!
Please explain
“May you be as lucky as Augustus and as good as Trajan.” I am shocked he was not mentioned. The guy was a complete stud and his list of military and civil achievements are off the charts.
The real power was the praetorian guard.
This is badass
Maybe there is something abt not having a strong or active father figure.
The confidence of this guy - as if he witnessed everything .
He did I saw him witness everything
I also watched him watch everything happen
When I think of Augustus and Agrippa I think of pinky and the brain 😂
what about Basil the second ?
This professor is dumbing this down to the point of being incorrect.
Marcus Aurelius did not think Commodus was the best person for the job.
He realized that he would either have to have his son killed or that Commodus would be Emperor and he chose not to have his son killed
17 of them were from Serbia, Sirmium
Rome sounds like the kardasians
Without a doubt most famous Cesar
Best emperor possibly Hadrian
The most intellectual Marcus Aurelius
And Mr. Steal your Girl Marc Anthony lol
In fact Marcus Aurelius could have meditate on choosing his successor rather on writing a book..
So how come Augustus was forced to make Tiberius his successor when he wanted Germanicus to rule? Augustus could only sell the idea of having Tiberius on the throne if Tiberius had formally adopted Germanicus as his son and heir. Why not just skip Tiberius and proclaim Germanicus as Augustus’ successor
How could a message take months, if they had horses who could cross the entire roman empire in few weeks?
If you asked most people who the most famous roman emperor is, they would say “i dont know” or just “caesar” without specification. Youre giving people wayyy to much credit lol
Yeah I'd say Julius Caesar would be the popular answer. Marcus Aurelius in 2nd because of gladiator 😄
@@Vakator-29 Or because he invented a popular philosophy.
@@PinkFZeppelinZeno founded Stoicism. And there were several Stoics before Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus is just the most well known, and his journal survived.
Caesar wasn't an emperor but I've definitely heard it from many people thinking he was the Emperor. Happens too often😂
I wonder of that Agrippa this guest likes is related to the Cornelius Agrippa whos a famous occultist
No, just a commonish name.
@@heinrichagrippa1259 funny someone with Agrippa in their username replied to me xD
Who says Domitian was nuts? How can he put Domitian in the same leave as Caligula?? Im baffled. A modern historian should know better and not blindly believe whatever historians from the senatorial class wrote
Nice
Nero wasnt crazy, he was a teenage boy whos mother killed his father, he became emperor when he only wanted to be an actor. Wanted to be loved by the people, the ruling class turned on him and killed him with his reputation.
Nero was crazy, Bro.
He had a rotating dining room on ball bearings. 😊
@@jeboccuzzi10 i don’t know if he did or did not. I know there are new contemporary sources stating Romes power elite buried him and planted fake stories bc he wouldn’t give them reverence, play the game, he instead took what would be their land in rome, raised taxes on wealthy. His adoptive father claudius was the senates puppet, the emperor before that was actually crazy, caligula. So they said neros crazy too.
@@SgtSnausages Well problem with accounts about Nero is that they were unreliable. The more famous authors writing about him dates to later era and were hostile to the Julio-Claudian line. I'm not going to claim that Nero was completely sane or competent but we have to be dubious about just how "crazy" he was portrayed to be. Imagine growing up in a household gripped daily by conspiracies, a constantly plotting power mad mother and having near unlimited power given to you as a teenager.
@@syjiang Nero was cray-cray, Bruh.
dude acts like he was there
😮
In his mind he kinda is.
He is a 5000 year old demigod
It’s called academics. Reading etc…. Try it
@@muttfist thank you, i was about to say something similar
The Real problem with Afghanistan is and has always been that it's more trouble than it's worth. And nations go there to invade thinking that because it is of little value it will require little effort. It's the same reason why no one has colonized Antarctica because after the investment to do so one question will be asked. Was it worth it ? And the answer will be "No!! Absolutely Not"
Thw only reason why they didn't pick their own sons is because they didn't have them.
Wonder who fed him these lines
Marcus Aurelius was the goat
Denzel
Domitian gets a bad rap.
Why do y'all keep acting like the Roman empire ended it's still here it's the Catholic Church
Trajano, Adriano...
i thought Julius Cesar was the most famous but i guess he was Dictator and no Emperor
They lost track of the anointed bloodline of the gens Cornelii. Julius Caesar was not the rightful pontifex maximus. Agrippa's heirs should have succeeded, not Tiberius. Livia was a Lilithian demon, just as Robert Graves mostly deduced in I, Claudius.
Move to Utah, they need a third line right winger.
qz
What a horrible interview. Dude was way too uninformed.
who are you talking about?
This guy is so cringe