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Between 96 and 192, the Roman Empire was ruled by the Antonine dynasty. The first five emperors of the dynasty are known as the good emperors. Marco Coceyo Nerva was the first emperor of the Antonine dynasty , ruling the Roman Empire between 96 and 98, after the assassination of Emperor Domitian. Marco Nerva inaugurated what would be a distinctive feature of the Antonine dynasty: the choice of the successor by the emperor even if it was not from his family, that is, the one he considered the best man to govern Rome regardless of his family origin. . He built aqueducts, improved the transportation system, and built granaries to improve the food supply.
Marco Nerva was born on November 8, 30 in Narnia, Umbria, north of Rome. He came from a family of Roman aristocrats. His eponymous great-grandfather, Marco Coceyo Nerva, was consul in AD 36, his grandfather was a well-known consul and friend of Emperor Tiberius, his mother’s aunt was a great-granddaughter of Tiberius, and his great-uncle was a negotiator for Emperor Octavian. Although little is known about Marco Nerva’s upbringing and childhood, it is known that he was not a professional military man. Instead, he was known for his poems. Following the usual family tradition in the patricians, Marco Nerva followed a political career. He was chosen as praetor in the year 65 and became an adviser to the Emperor Nero. He participated in the dismantling of a plot against Nero, the Piso conspiracy, which took the name of one of the main conspirators,
The ascension of Marco Nerva to the rule of the Roman Empire
In the year 68 there was a coup that, with the participation of several governors, caused the suicide of Nero, which was followed by a period of civil war known as the year of the four emperors . This period of instability ended with the Flavian dynasty, made up of the emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. In the year 69 Marcus Nerva became consul of the emperor Vespasian and, although there are no records of this, it is believed that he continued as consul during the reign of Vespasian’s sons, Titus and Domitian, until the year 89.
Emperor Domitian was assassinated on September 18, 96 in a palace plot. Some historians speculate that Marco Nerva may have been involved in the conspiracy; at least it does seem likely that he was aware of the situation, since the same day Domitian was assassinated, the Senate of Rome proclaimed Marco Nerva as the new emperor. Marco Nerva was already sixty years old when he was appointed, and he was suffering from health problems, so it was unlikely that he would rule for long. He had no children, so doubts were raised about his succession. It may be that he was made emperor more than because of his administrative skills, so that he wisely chose the next emperor of Rome.
In the first months of government, Marco Nerva concentrated on ordering the chaotic situation that remained after the reign of Domitian. The statues of the former emperor were destroyed and Marco Nerva amnestied many politicians and soldiers who had been exiled by Domitian. Following tradition, he did not execute any senator but, according to Cassius Dio, he did “kill all the slaves and freedwomen who conspired against his masters” (sic).
The government of Marco Nerva
Although Marco Nerva’s rise to power was widely supported, the military remained loyal to Domitian. Members of the Praetorian Guard rebelled against the new emperor, kidnapping him in the palace and demanding the execution of Petronius and Parthenius, two of Domitian’s assassins, whom Nerva had pardoned. Marco Nerva was forced to accept the conditions of the military and Domitian’s assassins were captured and executed, while the precarious emperor was released. Although Marco Nerva remained in power, his authority was severely impaired by the event. The period that he measured until his succession, which was 16 months, he used to stabilize the empire and ensure the succession. Among his achievements are the construction of a new forum, the repair of roads, aqueducts and the Colosseum,
There is no record that Marco Nerva married, nor that he had children. He resolved the succession by choosing as his successor Marco Ulpius Traianus, Trajan, born in the Iberian Peninsula and at that time governor of Upper Germany. The adoption of Trajan as the son of Marcus Nerva, and therefore as the emperor’s successor, took place in October 97, and allowed Nerva to agree with the army, selecting a brilliant and respected military commander as the heir to Trajan. he. At the same time, that decision allowed him to consolidate his leadership and take control of the northern provinces. Trajan was the first of a series of emperors chosen by adoption of the regent emperor, without family ties, a method that was held in the Antonine dynasty until Marcus Aurelius designated his son Commodus as his heir; however, he continued afterwards, which allowed a better choice of the ruling Roman Empire than through family succession. In fact, during the reign of Trajan, which lasted from the year 98 to 117, the greatest expansion in the history of the Roman Empire took place, being also a period of great development of the architecture of Rome and its artistic expressions, as well as as of great economic splendor.
Marco Nerva suffered a stroke in January 1998 and died three weeks later. His ashes were deposited in the mausoleum of Augustus and the Senate of Rome deified him. In this way, with his short reign, Marco Nerva inaugurated the Antonine dynasty, which would continue with the emperors Trajan, from the year 98 to 117, Hadrian, between the years 117 and 138, Antonino Pío, who gave the dynasty its name and ruled between the years 138 and 161, Marcus Aurelius, between the years 161 and 180, closing with Commodus, who reigned between the years 180 and 192 and is considered one of the worst emperors of Rome, while almost all the previous ones were magnificent in many ways. Marco Nerva, together with the four emperors who succeeded him, are considered “the five good emperors”, ruling the period of splendor of the Roman Empire, expanding its borders together with its culture. At the same time, the government became increasingly concentrated in Rome, a power structure that helped the empire’s development but left it vulnerable in the long run.
Sources
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Nerva . Encyclopædia Britannica .
Wend, David. Nerva . An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors, 1997.
Posteguillo, Santiago. Trajan’s Trilogy (novels). Editorial Planeta (several editions).
