[lou1306]

By today's standards, it is. However, we should not use today's worldview to judge another era's way of thinking. Also, a citizen was not just a "subject". A citizen from a conquered province could rather easily become senator [1], and some even became emperors (e.g., Septimius Severus was born in Leptis Magna, in modern-day Lybia, from a Punic family). Also:

> "they are now your subjects"

Nope, they were always the subjects of the emperor. That's the point of calling yourself an emperor. And it's not limited to Rome: the Persian and Chinese emperors also claimed their power to be universal.

[1] That was also true in Republican era. There's even a running joke in the Asterix comics series, where the chief of the Gallic village recurringly says that Caesar offered him a seat in the Senate if he surrendered.

[maxerickson]

The whole point of my comment is that it isn't just up to the emperor, claiming your power is universal has always been a douchebag move. Claiming much power at all for that matter.