The Age of the Five Good Emperors
Tiepolo Giovanni. "Virtue Crowning Honor"
"Happy Century" of the Roman Empire
В stories Ancient Rome has 84 years (from 96 to 180), which is often called the "happy century", "golden age" or "the era of five good (good) emperors." It was at this time that the Roman Empire reached its highest power, the internal situation was stable, the welfare of citizens grew, reaching a maximum, and the external borders were well protected.
It is believed that this period got its name with the light hand of the English historian E. Gibbon, who in his work “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (1776) wrote:
“If anyone were asked during what period of world history the state of the human race was the happiest and most prosperous, he would have to name without any hesitation the period that elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession to the throne of Commodus.”
However, the same can be read in Machiavelli, who also mentions the five "good emperors", but in a different context - illustrating the thesis about the perniciousness of hereditary power:
“The emperors who received power by inheritance, with the exception of Titus, were bad; those of them who received power by adoption turned out to be good; an example of this is the five emperors from Nerva to Mark (Aurelius); when the imperial power became hereditary, it fell into decay.
Let us name the names of the five emperors that Gibbon and Machiavelli speak of: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius (that is, the Pious) and Marcus Aurelius. All of them were representatives of the third from the beginning of the principate of the Roman imperial dynasty, which ruled from 96 to 192, according to the agnomen of the fourth of them - Antoninus Pius, they are called
Antonina (Antonini).
The founder of this dynasty was Marcus Cocceus Nerva, who received power in 96: he was elected by the Senate after the assassination of Emperor Domitian. Dio Cassius says:
"Nerva ... was firmly convinced that a person should be judged by his abilities, and not by origin."
Sculpture of the head of Emperor Nerva, Roman National Museum
This emperor and his successors did transfer power through adoption. In a small series of articles we will talk about them.
Founder of the dynasty
So, the first "good" emperor of the Antonin dynasty is considered to be Marcus Cocceius Nerva, who was born in a city with a suspiciously familiar name - Narnia. The date of his birth is known - November 8, but the year is called both the 30th and the 35th. The Cocci family was not very noble, but ancient and respected, Dion Cassius called him "the most noble." The father, grandfather and great-grandfather of the future emperor were chosen by the consuls, and one of his relatives was married to the great-granddaughter of the emperor Tiberius.
Nerva throughout his life "did not have enough stars from the sky", was elected a quaestor in different years, was a member of the priestly colleges of augurs and Augustals, served as a military tribune, and was appointed prefect responsible for organizing the games.
At the same time, he was also a poet, whose poems Nero appreciated, and Martial called Nerva "Tibull of our time." Poems, unfortunately, have not been preserved, so we cannot assess the objectivity of these reviews.
And in 65, Nerva, apparently, also rendered some valuable service to Nero, playing a large role in exposing the conspiracy of Piso. After the execution of many high-ranking conspirators, Nero unusually generously rewarded three of his associates - Gaius Zephanius Tigellinus, Publius Petronius Turpilian and Marcus Cocceus Nerva. The future emperor received triumphal insignia, one of his statues was installed in the forum, the other - in the Palatine Palace of Nero.
Nerva also had good relations with the commander Titus Flavius Vespasian, the future emperor. According to some sources, in 67, Vespasian, who went to Judea, even asked Nerva to be the guardian of his youngest son Domitian. Suetonius writes that this tutelage went too far: there were persistent rumors of a homosexual affair between Domitian and Nerva.
After the suicide of Nero in 68, Servius Sulpicius Galba was first proclaimed emperor, but already in January 69 he was killed by the Praetorians, who brought to power Mark Salvius Otho, whose brother was married to the sister of Nerva. Already in April of the same year, Otho was defeated by the governor of Upper Germany, Aulus Vitellius, and committed suicide. And Vitellius in December 69 was defeated in a battle with Vespasian, who eventually became emperor. Nerva retained his high position and in 71 was elected consul at the same time as Vespasian himself.
Unlike the eldest son of Vespasian - Titus, Domitian turned out to be a bad ruler and very soon restored all of Rome against him. In addition, he was very superstitious and sought to eliminate those to whom the soothsayers predicted imperial power. He suspected conspiracies everywhere and said:
"Rulers have the worst life: when they discover plots, they are not believed until they are killed."
What is called, as he looked into the water.
Bust of Domitian, Capitoline Museums
One of the owners of a prophecy that was dangerous for him turned out to be Nerva, but he survived, because, according to the concepts of that time, he was already an old man, and also sick. Domitian decided that he would definitely outlive him.
Nerva had nothing to do with the plot during which Domitian was killed on September 18, 96, but his candidacy for the role of emperor unexpectedly suited everyone. Firstly, he was quite experienced in public affairs, secondly, he was not ambitious, and thirdly, everyone knew about his illnesses and did not think that he would live very long.
In general, Nerva was "appointed" by the emperor as a temporary and transitional figure. Now they began to call him Nerva Caesar Augustus (Imperator Nerva Caesar Augustus).
Denarius with a portrait of Emperor Nerva
Nerva promised senators immunity, and also pledged not to make important decisions without discussion in the Senate. They even began to mint coins with the inscription Providencia senatus (“by the will of the senate”).
The new emperor paid great attention to the construction of roads and aqueducts, as well as assistance to the poor, land plots were allocated to the poor, and benefits were paid to orphans. In addition, each citizen received 75 denarii.
The processes of “insulting the majesty of the emperor” were stopped, many convicts were rehabilitated, they were even returned their confiscated property. It was forbidden to make statues of the emperor from precious metals, and the former ones were melted down: coins were minted from the resulting material with the image of the goddess of freedom and the inscription Libertas publica (“Freedom to all”). The memory of Domitian was destroyed, his name was scraped off service tablets and papyrus scrolls.
If we evaluate Nerva objectively, we will have to admit that the first “good emperor” of the Antonin dynasty turned out to be a rather colorless and ordinary person, his influence on state affairs was minimal, and his power was fragile and weak. Nerva himself understood this and said:
“I have done nothing that would prevent me at any moment from resigning my position and living as a private person.”
And he ruled for only a year and a half.
The reason for the precarious position of the new emperor was the fact that he came to power without the help of the army, which as a whole turned out to be hostile to him - especially the Praetorians. Even a one-time payment of a bonus of 5 thousand denarii to each soldier did not help. In the autumn of 97, the Praetorians broke into the imperial palace and demanded that the murderers of Domitian be handed over to them - and Nerva was forced to yield.
After that, he seriously thought about his successor, realizing that only a very strong and authoritative person in the troops could, in such circumstances, retain power after his death. It was Nerva who became the author of the idea of co-rulership: the senior co-ruler, Augustus, appointed a successor who bore the title of Caesar.
Nerva made his choice in October 97, and this decision turned out to be extremely successful. The governor of Germany, Mark Ulpius Trajan, an experienced and respected commander, whom he had to adopt, became his chosen one. Pliny, in his panegeric, later called this decision of Nerva divinely inspired.
In this case, Nerva showed uncharacteristic firmness, since a group of influential senators advocated the candidacy of the governor of Syria, Nigrin Cornelius. Three months later, Nerva died, and Trajan, who did not even dream of such an elevation, became emperor. His full name was now as follows: Markus Ulpius Nerva Traianus (Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus).
Trajan. Portrait statue, Copenhagen Glyptothek
The most surprising thing is that the new emperor did not immediately rush to Rome, but for about a year he was engaged in work to strengthen the borders between the upper reaches of the Rhine and the Danube. The famous Trajan's Wall was later built along the Danube border, the remains of which can be seen on the territory of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine.
Origin and military career of Mark Ulpius Trajan
Trajan was second in the line of "good emperors" of the Antonines, but he was also called "second after Augustus", as well as "the best emperor" (Optimus Princeps).
He was born on September 18, 53 in the province of Betica in the city of Italica of Spain, located about 9 km from modern Seville, and became the first emperor who was born outside the metropolis. His plebeian ancestor was from Umbria and came to Spain during the Second Punic War - was settled in the new city by Scipio Africanus - along with other soldiers.
But Mark Ulpius Trajan the Elder, the father of the future emperor, became a senator during the reign of Nero. In 67, he fought in Parthia, in 68 - at the head of the X legion, and took an active part in suppressing the uprising in Judea, where he met and became friends with Vespasian. In 70, Mark Ulpius Trajan the Elder became suffect consul, in 70–73. with the powers of the proconsul was the governor of the province of Baetica.
In the future, his service took place in the east: he was successively twice proconsul of Syria and Asia. His wife, Marcia, was the sister of Emperor Titus, son of Vespasian. In her honor, her son, Emperor Trajan, later named a city in North Africa - Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi (the modern city of Timgad in Algeria). And the elder sister of Trajan the Younger, Ulpia Marciana, became the grandmother of Emperor Hadrian.
Trajan began his military service in Syria, from where he was transferred to Germany. In January 81 he received his first magistracy - he became a quaestor, by 86 he had risen to the rank of praetor. In the year 87, we see him as the commander of the VII Double Legion, stationed in Tarraconian Spain. In January 89, he took part in the suppression of the uprising of the proconsul of Upper Germany Saturninus and the Hutts allied to him.
In 91 he was elected consul. After the expiration of his term of office, he was sent as governor to Lower Moesia and Upper Germany. Here in the Colony of Agrippina (modern Cologne) he learned that he had been elected co-ruler and heir to the Emperor Nerva. At this time he was 44 years old.
"Second good emperor" of the Antonine dynasty
Trajan, armored statue, Copenhagen Glyptothek
Trajan is described as a tall and strong man who greyed early, whose expression was always concentrated and serious. Dio Cassius writes about him:
“Among all the rest, he stood out for his courage and thirst for justice, his habits were unassuming. The emperor never showed envy towards others, never killed anyone. Any worthy person could find nothing in him but admiration.
Trajan did not feel hatred or fear of the worthy, and therefore tried to elevate them as much as possible.
He knew how to manage money - he spent huge amounts both on the training of soldiers and their weapons, and on peaceful purposes. The emperor restored roads, harbors and completely destroyed buildings...
Trajan was next to the people both in feasts and hunting, and in difficult times. He loved to be a guest of ordinary people, entered their homes without bringing guards with him.
Trajan did not feel hatred or fear of the worthy, and therefore tried to elevate them as much as possible.
He knew how to manage money - he spent huge amounts both on the training of soldiers and their weapons, and on peaceful purposes. The emperor restored roads, harbors and completely destroyed buildings...
Trajan was next to the people both in feasts and hunting, and in difficult times. He loved to be a guest of ordinary people, entered their homes without bringing guards with him.
Trajan, by the way, was even reproached for dropping his imperial dignity by behaving like an ordinary citizen.
Let's continue to quote Dio Cassius:
"Although he (Trajan) did not receive a serious education, the emperor knew a lot and was able to do a lot."
The same author reports:
"It is known that he drank as much as he wanted, but at the same time retained clarity of mind."
It is Trajan who is credited with the authorship of this famous aphorism:
“It is better to leave a criminal unpunished than to convict an innocent.”
He also said:
"I want to be the kind of emperor I would wish for myself if I were a subject."
Trajan increased the number of legions by two (in 105, II the Fearless Trajan and XXX Victorious Ulpiev were added): now there are 30 of them. Physicians appeared in the legions and cohorts. New auxiliaries were created, including such exotic units as the dromedarii (camel riders, Ala I Ulpia dromedariorum).
It was under Trajan that the Roman Empire reached its maximum size.
The largest conquest of this emperor was Dacia (two Dacian wars lasted from 101 to 106, 14 legions took part in them - almost half of the entire army of the empire). Many Romans and Italians were resettled in this province, mindful of this, the rulers of the state created in the XNUMXth century by uniting the Wallachian and Moldavian principalities that gained independence from Turkey, called the new country Romania. Although by that time there was nothing left of the Roman influence in it, except for the language belonging to the Romance group.
The booty obtained as a result of the Dacian wars was unusually large: about 165 tons of gold and up to 331 tons of silver were delivered to Rome. As a result, in 106, all taxes were abolished, and every Roman citizen received an amount twice the annual salary of a legionnaire. The distribution of wine and butter was added to the free distribution of bread.
Aureus with a portrait of Trajan
At the insistence of Trajan's wife, Pompeii Plotina, a fund was formed to help orphans and abandoned children, which operated throughout Italy. Pliny the Younger wrote about this woman:
“Your wife, Caesar, is well suited to your glory and serves as an adornment to you. Is it possible to be purer and more chaste than her?
They say that, having crossed the threshold of the imperial palace for the first time, Plotina said, turning to the crowd:
“I wish I could leave these walls the same as I enter here.”
Sculpture of the head of Pompeii Plotina. Roman National Museum
In honor of the victory over the Dacians under the leadership of Apollodorus of Damascus, the famous column was erected in Rome (construction was completed in 113). At first, it was crowned with a Roman eagle, then with a statue of Trajan, and in 1588, by order of Pope Sixtus V, a bronze statue of St. Peter was placed on its top.
Postcard depicting Trajan's Column
Scene of the battle between the Romans and the Dacians on Trajan's Column
Other large projects implemented under Trajan were the harbor at Centumcellae (now the port of Civitavecchia), the Danube road and the road from the Black Sea to the Euphrates, a canal that connected the Nile with the Red Sea.
During the wars with Parthia, it was possible to capture Great Armenia and Mesopotamia, but it was not possible to keep these lands - they were lost shortly after the death of Trajan.
Emperor Trajan and the Parthians. Ivory carving. Ephesus Archaeological Museum
In 117, Trajan, returning to Rome, died in Cilicia - in the city of Selinus (Selinunte), the ruins of which are located 45 km from Turkish Alanya. He was 64 years old, he ruled Rome for 19 years, and at that time his full title was as follows:
"Emperor Caesar, Son of the Divine Nerva, Nerva Trajan Best August Germanic Dacian Parthian, Great Pontifex, endowed with the power of the people's tribune 21 times, Emperor 13 times, Consul 6 times, Father of the Fatherland."
Trajan had no sons, and his only male relative was his cousin Adrian. He was adopted by Trajan and ascended the throne, becoming the "third good emperor" of the Antonine dynasty.
Bust of Hadrian, Prado Museum, Madrid
"Boldness" of Pope Gregory I Dialog and "posthumous baptism" of Emperor Trajan
In the oldest "Life of St. Gregory the Great", kept in the English monastery of Whitby and dated 700, it is stated:
“Some of our people tell the story, told by the Romans, about how the soul of Emperor Trajan was renewed and even baptized with the tears of Saint Gregory...
For they say that when he (Trajan), at the head of an army, hastily marched against the enemy, he was moved to pity by the words of a widow, and the emperor of the whole world stopped ... standing in all his weapons, he forced the defendants immediately in his presence to pay the compensation that they were must.
When Gregory heard about this story, he knew that this is what we read in Scripture: “Defend the orphan, intercede for the widow. Come, then, and let us reason together, says the Lord.”
Gregory went to St. Peter's and shed torrents of tears, as was his custom, until at last he received, by divine revelation, the assurance that his prayers were heard, provided that he would never again undertake to ask for such a thing for anyone. still from the Gentiles."
For they say that when he (Trajan), at the head of an army, hastily marched against the enemy, he was moved to pity by the words of a widow, and the emperor of the whole world stopped ... standing in all his weapons, he forced the defendants immediately in his presence to pay the compensation that they were must.
When Gregory heard about this story, he knew that this is what we read in Scripture: “Defend the orphan, intercede for the widow. Come, then, and let us reason together, says the Lord.”
Gregory went to St. Peter's and shed torrents of tears, as was his custom, until at last he received, by divine revelation, the assurance that his prayers were heard, provided that he would never again undertake to ask for such a thing for anyone. still from the Gentiles."
Paul the Deacon (VIII century) and John the Deacon (IX century) wrote about this in their Lives.
This is where we will finish the story about Trajan, and in the next article we will talk about his successor, Emperor Hadrian.
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