Augustus Caesar set up a military autocracy in which he, and he alone, would be supreme leader. He then wrapped that autocracy in the tattered remains of Rome’s shredded Republican constitution. Emperors came and went, many of them claiming to secure and uphold the republican system; in reality, the new autocratic system became permanent. As we learned last time, the year AD 81 would mark the beginning of a new and infamous regime—that of the hated emperor Domitian. Ancient writers universally condemn Domitian as one of if not the worst Roman emperor. But was Domitian Rome’s worst emperor? Primary Sources Referenced: Suetonius, Life of Domitian 3. Pliny, Letters 1.12. Suetonius, Life of Domitian 23.