In Rome, why did the death of an emperor often result in a power struggle?

astryd

As I understand it, there was no concept of the title passing to the eldest son. You just need to look at what happened following the death of Julius Caesar and during the reign of the following emperors. Any direct descendants were disposed of by anyone who felt they also had a claim to the title. Military juntas are not a new phenomenon. If you had the army behind you had a good shot at becoming the new emperor. If didn't just happen in ancient Rome. England had the same problem following the death of a king. Just consider 1066 when England was conquered by the Normans. If there were rival claimants then the crown went to wohever managed to grab it first and hold off the others with a good army. Stephen and Matilda, who both felt they had equal claim after the death of Henry I plunged the country into a 20 year civil war. I'm sure there are plenty of examples from other countries as well. May 26 07, 6:04 PM