Antonine dynasty

The Antonines (Latin: Antonini, after the agnomen Antoninus Pius) were the third Roman imperial dynasty from the beginning of the principate, which ruled from 96 to 192. The first representative was Mark Cocceius Nerva, all the other representatives, with the exception of him, came from the provincial nobility. The Antonines' distinctive features were very good relations with the Senate under hereditary power (usually by adoption; only Commodus was the natural son of his predecessor, and his reign was disastrous), with frequent co-rulers. The first five representatives of the dynasty in this regard began to be unofficially called "good emperors". - Nerva - Trajan - Hadrian - Antoninus Pius - Marcus Aurelius, co-ruler of Lucius Verus - Commodus Even under Flavius, the principate ceased to be a contradictory, republican-monarchical system, so the autocratic nature of the Antonine power was not questioned. The old Roman aristocracy, which once forced Octavian Augustus to establish a partnership with it, has long since disappeared from the historical scene. The Roman Senate now consisted of nobles from various parts of the Mediterranean, both western and eastern. This Senate had already completely lost all Republican illusions, and all its demands were reduced to one thing: not to execute senators without the permission of the Senate itself. The oath taken by the Emperor Nerva to observe this condition was broken only by Commodus.

Nerva

After coming to power, Marcus Cocceius was officially called Emperor Nerva Caesar Augustus (Imperator Nerva Caesar Augustus); less often — Emperor Caesar Nerva Augustus (Imperator Nerva Caesar Augustus). In 97, he adopted the honorary nickname Germanicus and was proclaimed emperor in the original sense of the term, so that his full name became Imp. Nerva Caesar Aug., Germanicus, pontifex maximus, tribuniciae potestatis II, imp. II, cos. IV, pater patriae. One inscription calls it the original praenomen and nomen (Mark Cocceius), but this is clearly an anomaly. Another inscription calls Nerva proconsul, but this is also a mistake: the emperor did not confer this position, since during his reign he never needed to leave Italy. Ancient authors usually call it simply Nerva, sometimes-Cocceia Nerva or divine Nerva. The proclamation of Nerva by the Senate could have had a direct consequence of the growth of the authority of this body of power. The new emperor had solemnly sworn that no senator would be put to death during his reign, and he had kept his word; nor did he make important decisions without first discussing them in the Senate. Minting of coins with the inscription Providencia senatus ("by the will of the Senate") began. Nerva announced the termination of trials for insulting the Emperor's majesty and treason, which were very common under Domitian, released all those suspected of this crime from prison and granted amnesty to those convicted. All property unlawfully confiscated under his predecessor was returned to its owners. Despite Nerva's populist policies, his regime was still fragile. The main reason for this was the lack of support for the army and the Praetorian Guard, which preserved a good memory of Domitian. Immediately after the change of power, unrest began in the provincial armies. Thus, Pliny the Younger mentions the preparation for a mutiny of some commander of a "large and illustrious army" in the East (this could be the governor of Syria or Cappadocia). This threat was dealt with, but it is not known how exactly. An open revolt broke out in the Danubian legions; presumably, it was Dion Chrysostomus who was able to put an end to it with his intervention. Rome, too, was uneasy. Gaius Calpurnius Piso Crassus Frugi Licinianus (brother of Galba's adopted son) plotted in early 97 and began to incite the soldiers to revolt, promising them generous distributions if he came to power. This plot was promptly discovered, and sources report a very mild reaction from Nerva: in keeping with the oath taken at the beginning of his reign, he only sent Crassus and his wife, Agedia Quintina, to Tarentum, although "the senators reproached him for leniency."

Emperor of Nerva,1st century AD

Trajan came from a senatorial family and began his career within the Roman elite, not as an ordinary legionary. Military service and administrative appointments secured army support. Nerva adopted him in 97; he became emperor after Nerva died in 98. Lucius Licinius Sura was an important associate, but his alleged governorship of Lower Germany should not be treated as established.

Marcus Ulpius Trajan

Emperor Marcus Ulpius Trajan (98-117) was a native of Spain. The Senate under him, as under the subsequent princeps of the second century, consisted largely of provincial nobility and expressed the interests of the slave-owning class throughout the empire. This was the social basis for the agreement between the emperors of the Antonine dynasty and the Senate, which was broken only under the most recent representative of this dynasty, Commodus, at the end of the second century. Under Trajan, Rome made its last major conquest: Dacia was conquered in 101-106. This fertile country, rich in various natural resources, was a very valuable province for Rome. Many Roman citizens from Italy moved here, and many veteran colonies were founded. The influx of a permanent Roman population to Dacia contributed to the intensive Romanization of this province. Even today, the inhabitants of this country, modern Romania, speak Romanian, a descendant of folk Latin. Trajan was also at war with Parthia, Rome's powerful eastern neighbor. He managed to capture for a while all of Mesopotamia, where Roman provinces were created. But due to the resistance of the local population and the opposition of Parthia, the Romans were unable to maintain these conquests. Soon after Trajan's death, Rome had to give up Mesopotamia.

Emperor Trajan,2nd century AD

Publius Aelius Hadrian

Hadrian (117–138) travelled extensively through the provinces, inspected troops and supported construction. Imperial services and equestrian administration developed under him, but he invented neither the state courier service nor provincial recruitment into legions.

He relinquished most of Trajan’s recent eastern conquests and consolidated existing frontiers. Construction of Hadrian’s Wall in Britain began in 122. The Bar Kokhba revolt in Judaea in 132–135 was suppressed after severe warfare; ancient casualty estimates require caution. His policy towards Jerusalem must be considered alongside the foundation of Aelia Capitolina and suppression of the revolt, whose chronology remains debated.

Emperor Hadrian,2nd century AD

Antoninus Pius

The slave-owning elite of the empire considered Antoninus (138-161) an ideal monarch and gave him the nickname Pius ("the pious"). Under Antoninus, complete harmony was established between the emperor and the Senate; the government of Italy was restored to the Senate. Antonin paid great attention to protecting borders and maintaining peace with his neighbors. On the borders, defensive structures were hastily built, the so-called Antonine ramparts.

Emperor Antoninus Pius,2nd century AD

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus became co-emperors in 161. Adoption by Antoninus Pius linked them to the preceding reign. Lucius Verus died in 169. Marcus is also known as a Stoic philosopher and author of the Meditations.

War with Parthia, epidemic disease and Danubian conflicts demanded substantial resources. The Marcomannic Wars involved Marcomanni, Quadi and Sarmatian groups. Foreign settlement and military service had earlier precedents and did not begin under Marcus Aurelius.

Commodus became Augustus and co-emperor in 177. After his father died in 180 CE he ruled alone and made peace along the Danube. This did not bypass a mandatory senatorial election: no permanent succession rule of that kind existed. Conflict among court, army and elite culminated in Commodus’s assassination at the end of 192 and renewed struggles for power.

Emperor Aurelius,2nd century AD

Results

Later writers represented the age of Nerva and the Antonines as a model of government. Gibbon’s celebrated praise belongs to eighteenth-century historiography, not an impartial verdict by contemporaries.

The period included Trajan’s conquests, the Judaean revolt, Marcus Aurelius’s wars and the epidemic known as the Antonine Plague. Some provinces prospered, but there were not 84 years of uninterrupted universal peace. Adoption worked alongside kinship and marriage; Commodus became Marcus Aurelius’s co-emperor already in 177.