The Great Roman Empire was
no stranger to rebellions, but who were the rebels behind these lost causes,
and what fueled their brazen plights?
Despite their many differences, the rebels of the
Roman Empire had one thing in common: all were Romans, or onetime Roman allies,
who attempted to overthrow Roman rule within the bounds of the Roman Empire. Many
of these rebels succeeded in humbling Rome, for a time. But in the end, Rome
always prevailed, occasionally through the ineptitude of the rebels, but more
often through the skills of Roman generals who rose to the occasion after
others had failed.
Rome’s greatest rebels took on many
forms—including royalty, enslaved people, foreigners serving in the Roman army, over-ambitious
Roman governors, a handful of genuine freedom fight
