Hadrian (Publius Aclius Hadrianus)

Lived : 76AD - 138AD

Title: Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus

Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, Consul II, Imperator
III, Tribuniciae Potestatis XXII, Pater Patriae
Wives: Vibia
SabinHadrian
(Publius Aclius
Hadrianus): The son of
Publius Aclius
Hadrianus Afer and
Domitia Paulina of
Gadee, Hadrian did not
descend directly from the
sort of family that would
have been expected to
achieve emperor status.
His grandfather had
been a member of the
Roman senate and had
married Emperor
Trajan's aunt, Ulpia.
When Hadrian's father
died in 85AD, he came
under the control of
Trajan and Publius Acilius Attianus, who brought
him up to manhood.
After joining the army, he was appointed a military
tribune in upper Eastern Europe where he stayed
until Trajan became emperor. Trajan promptly had
him transferred to Rome to serve in the
administration. As with so many career minded
men, Hadrian saw an opportunity to further his
standing by marring Vibia Sabina in 100AD. She
was related to Trajan, being his niece's daughter.
From there he took on a variety of posts, staff officer,
legionary commander and praetor, before he became
governor of Lower Pannonia. In 108AD he became
consul to the province and stayed there until he
moved to Syria where he was the governor during
the Parthian War, where he again took the role of
consul in 117AD.
A Surprise Begining

Then a remarkable series of events happened. On

8th August, Trajan died, but for some reason, the
news of his death was kept secret for three days.
Then along with the announcement of Trajan's
death came another stunning piece of news. It was
claimed that, on his deathbed, Trajan had adopted
Hadrian as his son. Trajan's widow, Pompeia Plotina
endorsed the adoption. Almost immediately, coins
were issued to mark the event, which proclaimed
Hadrian as a Caesar. (Hadriano Traiano Caesari)
The Roman world had no option, other than to accept
Hadrian as the new emperor, which they did with
some reluctance, given the circumstances.
At his inauguration, Hadrian declared that Trajan
be deificated (given the status of a god) and he would
follow his principles and methods of government. He
further decreed that no senator would be executed
while he was emperor. Almost instantly he went
back on his word, for one of his first acts was to
instigate a military policy that was completely
different to Trajan's. In the east, he withdrew his
forces, but left them under control of Rome
appointed client kings and duly set taxes and levies
accordingly.
Because of the manner of his accession to the throne
and his sudden reversal of policy, Hadrian made
many enemies in the senate and the army. Hadrian
countered this by gathering information on all those
around him so he could draw up a list of those who
were either pro or anti Hadrian. He then sorted
these list into a manner that would show who were
the most dangerous opponents to his rule. He now
had three names that he could see were the ones he
had to watch. One of them Gaius Calpurnius Crasus,
met a sudden and violent death, and the other two
came under permanent scrutiny. Hadrian had them
followed wherever they went and received regular
reports on their movements, where they went and
who they associated with.
In 118AD, Hadrian's spies told him of a sinister plot
that was being hatched in Rome to topple him as
leader. At the time he was in Bithynia from where
he made haste to Rome. On arrival, he discovered
that four ex-consuls had been executed. Two of them
Lusius Quietius and Gaius Avidius Nigrinus, were
suspected of being the two that Hadrian was
watching from afar, All the same, despite his claims
that he had nothing to do with these deaths, the
senate believed he had given the order for their
murders. An act that was in direct contrast to the
statement he made when first becoming emperor.
He had killed members of the senate. Something he
said he would never do.
 Military Favours

Hadrian knew he had to gain the

support of the army and those
with influence if he as to hold on
to power, so between 121 and
132AD, he toured the empire
meeting military commanders and the rulers of the
provinces. While travelling, he settled disputes and
satisfied the needs of the people of each province, in
order to win their support. As befits a master
tactician, he had coins minted for each province
glorifying their achievements. The coins generally
depicted a woman dressed in native costume,
displaying the country's attributes.
Hadrian saw the empire, not as a collection of
countries ruled from Rome, but as something that
was a whole being, with each province contributing
something to the make up of the empire. Although
they were ruled by the Romans, each country was
took keep it's own identity and traditions. The
natives were to be pacified, rather than suppressed.
The army took on new roles.
Rather than invading other
territories, they were now
concentrating on
consolidation of the Roman
Empire, which meant a
strengthening of all the
frontiers. Perhaps the most
significant and well known landmark he instigated
was Hadrian's Wall, which separated Britannia
(Britain) from the Scottish Caledonian and Pict
tribes in the north.
Where there were no actual boundaries, rivers, hills
etc., he had fortifications built so that the whole
empire was bordered and separate from the, as yet,
unconquered lands. As such, the empire gained a
period of stability, with the people of each country
seeing the benefits of peace in their economies. The
army too changed from being a mainly fighting force
to one that was of help to the community. Whether
by accident or design, the soldiers were either
defending the frontiers or carrying out civilian
duties, moving supplies, farming, quarrying. A far
cry from the duties for which they had originally
trained.
 Hadrian's rule was noted for it's
lack of military conflict. Of course
there were raids and minor
skirmishes, but within the
empire an atmosphere of peace
prevailed. The only real war took
place in Judea, where the Jews took a section of
Roman land which they held for three years before
they were overcome by the superior Roman forces.
Reforms

In the empire, he brought in many reforms to help

the less privileged of society understand the law and
their rights. Up until now, they had lived in
ignorance of their rights and so knew little of the
workings of government and how it could help them.
Hadrian appointed Lucius Salvius Julianus, a black
African, to review the edicts issued each year by the
Praetors when they took office. The reforms of the
legal system brought both praise and scorn. The
people welcomed the changes because they brought
about a fairer, more balanced way of administering
the complexities of law. The upper classes saw it as
a destruction of their old system whereby most
appointments were based on the personal
relationships of those involved, rather than their
skills.
The End was Near
But the system was not his only pressing concern.
When his wife Vibia Sabina died in 128, he had no
son to carry on the family name, and eventually take
the throne. So he chose to adopt Lucius Ceionius
Commodus, who took the name of Lucius Aelius
Caesar and gave him the governorship of Pannonia.
Until now, Hadrian has appeared to be something of
a saint to the Romans, but he had the ruthless
streak so well displayed in Roman emperors. To
remove any possible challenge to the planned
accession of Commodus, he ordered the main
contenders to the throne, Julius Ursus Servianus
and his grandson to be murdered. Then suddenly in
January 138 Aelius died, and Hadrian adopted
another son Antonine Pius. To ensure there would
be no further problems for choosing a successor, he
told Pius to adopt two sons of his own. He did this
and took Marcus Aerelius and Lucius Verus, son of
Aelius Caesar as his sons and heirs. All three of
these did become emperors in later years.
Hadrian must have realised he did not have long to
live, as all this was arranged somewhat hurriedly
before he died on 10th July in Baiae. His adopted
son, Antonine Pius, became emperor and declared
that Hadrian be made a god, much against the
opinion of the senate.