Please post your coins that depict Emperors/ Kings/ Usurpers that where murdered/ executed/ fell in battle AV Solidus ND Constantinople Mint Struck 665-68AD Constans III 641-68AD/ Byzantine Emperor. The shaggy/ unkept Constans ended up bludgeoned to death while in the bath tub, by his chamber maid!
Getting stabbed repeatedly and dying, as a result, would almost certainly qualify as a "violent death." Domitian AE20 of Amphipolis, Macedonia 81-96 A.D. Obverse: AYT KAIΣARho; ΔOMITIANOΣ, laureate head right Reverse: AMΦIΠOΛITΩN, Artemis standing left, holding long torch and branch, shield at her feet. Weight: 8.5g RPC 339, Sear GIC 801
Still a more pleasant death than that of Fausta, who supposedly was boiled to death in a bathtub! I don't believe the method of execution of Crispus, her stepson and alleged lover, was recorded: @Valentinian's point is a good one, though: in the couple of centuries after, say, the death of Septimius Severus -- or even going back a little and drawing the line after Marcus Aurelius -- how many emperors died in bed of natural causes? How often, if at all, did at least two emperors in a row die naturally?
I think I've never posted this one: Valens and most of his army were killed fighting the Goths at the Battle of Adrianople.
Also died in bathtub strangled by a slave/wrestler! Commodus Nero, by slitting his own throat. Caracalla, while taking a doodoo. Elagabalus, killed then beheaded, his naked body was then dragged along the streets of Rome before being thrown in the Tiber. And Valerian, captured by Shapur I, enslaved and used as a foot stool by the Shahanshah, and finally skinned alive.
One could easily group them into distinct categories, like the bathtub deaths above, or these four, all supposedly hacked to pieces by the Praetorian Guard and then, depending on the source, thrown to the mob:
Aemilian Ar Antoninianus 253 AD Rome Murdered by his own troops who were trying to curry favor with his successor. I guess you could call that a natural death for a Roman Emperor. Obv Bust right radiate draped and cuirassed seen from back. Rv. Virtus standing left with olive branch in his right hand and spear in left.4.06 grms 22 mm Photo by W. Hansen This coin is thought to be part of his first issue and thus is rather instructive about his thinking. Here we see the personification Virtus in effect offering an olive branch of peace to his rivals Unfortunately for him this was rejected and he was killed Eutropius the Roman historian leaves a brief though unkind epitaph "Aemilianus came from an extremely insignificant family (you can almost feel the burn) his reign was even more insignificant, and he was slain in the third month."
I'm pretty sure the story goes that he was urinating by the side of the road when a soldier stabbed him. So at least he died standing up. I assume.
The story of his rise to power and demise is one of my favorite coin stories. - Victorinus, Emperor of Gallic Empire 269 – 271. The Gallic Empire broke away from the Roman Empire from 260 – 274. Victorinus was a successful military commander. He was tribune in 266/267 and co-consul of Rome with Postumus in 268. He succeeded Postumus (Imp of G E 260 – 269) who was killed when he refused to let his army sack a city his army had just defeated, Mogontiacum. Postumus was succeeded by Marius, who probably let the troops sack, Mogontiacum. Marius was killed two or three months later and Victorinus was declared Imperor. Victorinus was killed by one of his commanders whose wife he had seduced.
Maxentius, defeated in battle and drowned in the Tiber. @DonnaML Most of the two in a row natural death sequences after Marcus Aurelius that I can think of involve nasty diseases. So still not what you would call stability in succession. Diocletian and Galerius for instance. Or Theodosius I and his sons.
All right, how about a nice string of patricide, rebellion, and incest, Parthian-style? Let's start with Phraates III (c.70-57 BC). He was murdered by a conspiracy of his two sons Mithradates IV and Orodes II. Mithradates IV (57-54 BC) at first ruled in harmony with his brother, but the two had a falling-out and went to war with each other, and Mithradates was killed. Orodes II (57-38 BC), after killing his brother, went on to defend Parthia against Roman incursion under the triumvir Crassus. Though Orodes was not present at the battle where Crassus died, he was later personally introduced to Crassus' severed head . Orodes was killed by his son Phraates IV. Phraates IV (38-2 BC) had a rather long reign. Eventually he was killed by his wife Musa and son Phraatakes. Phraatakes and his mother (and wife ) Musa (2 BC- AD 4) had a fairly short co-regency, as the Parthian nobility did not like them. They were killed by a conspiracy of nobles. There was a brief reign by Orodes III (c. AD 6-8), who was killed by the nobles for "excessive cruelty." (Considering the other Parthian kings, I shudder to think how bad he must have been to be considered "excessively" cruel.) His coins are very rare, and I don't have any. He was succeeded by Vonones I (c.AD 8-12), who had spent much time at Rome as a hostage. Vonones would be overthrown by Artabanos IV, but managed to escape alive to Roman territory, eventually being killed while trying to flee to Armenia. Artabanos IV (AD 10- 38) may have died of natural causes, though details are lacking. So, that's seven rulers in a row who were killed. You could probably beat that in the late-third-century AD Roman emperors, but I think that's still an impressive showing.
Surprised nobody's posted the dumbest death of a Roman emperor. Valentinian I was so pissed off by the attitude of the Quadi envoys that he went into a yelling rage and literally burst a blood vessel and died of a stroke. Some guys just can't keep their cool.