Nerva–Antonine dynasty

The Nerva–Antonine dynasty was a dynasty of 7 Roman Emperors who ruled over the Roman Empire from AD 96 to 192. These Emperors are Nerva, Trajan,
Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Lucius Verus, Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus. The first of these before Commodus (and excluding the co-emperor Lucius Verus) are
commonly known as the "Five Good Emperors".

The first five of the six successions within this dynasty were notable in that the reigning Emperor did not have a male son, and had to adopt the candidate of his
choice to be his successor. Under Roman law, an adoption established a bond legally as strong as that of kinship. Because of this, all but the first and last of the
Nerva–Antonine emperors are called Adoptive Emperors.

The importance of official adoption in Roman society has often been considered[1] as a conscious repudiation of the principle of dynastic inheritance and has been
deemed one of the factors of the period's prosperity. However, this was not a new practice. It was common for patrician families to adopt, and Roman emperors had
adopted heirs in the past: the Emperor Augustus had adopted Tiberius and the Emperor Claudius had adopted Nero. Julius Caesar, dictator perpetuo and considered to
be instrumental in the transition from Republic to Empire, adopted Gaius Octavius, who would become Augustus, Rome's first emperor. Moreover, there was a family
connection as Trajan adopted his first cousin once removed and great-nephew by marriage Hadrian, and Hadrian made his half-nephew by marriage and heir
Antoninus Pius adopt both Hadrian's second cousin three times removed and half-great-nephew by marriage Marcus Aurelius, also Antoninus' nephew by marriage,
and the son of his original planned successor, Lucius Verus. The naming of his son Commodus as heir by Marcus Aurelius was considered to be an unfortunate
choice and the beginning of the Empire's decline.[2]

With Commodus' murder in 192, the Nerva–Antonine dynasty came to an end; it was followed by a period of turbulence known as the Year of the Five Emperors.

Contents
History
Nerva–Trajan dynasty
Antonine dynasty
Five Good Emperors
Alternative hypothesis
Nerva–Antonine family tree
References

History

Nerva–Trajan dynasty

Nerva was the first of the dynasty.[3] Though his reign was short, it saw a partial reconciliation between the army, the senate and the commoners. Nerva adopted as
his son the popular military leader Trajan. In turn, Hadrian succeeded Trajan; he had been the latter's heir presumptive and averred that he had been adopted by him
on Trajan's deathbed.

Nerva Trajan Hadrian

Antonine dynasty

The Antonines are four Roman Emperors who ruled between 138 and 192: Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus and Commodus.

In 138, after a long reign dedicated to the cultural unification and consolidation of the empire, the Emperor Hadrian named Antoninus Pius his son and heir, under the
condition that he adopt both Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. Hadrian died that same year, and Antoninus began a peaceful, benevolent reign. He adhered strictly
to Roman traditions and institutions and shared his power with the Roman Senate.

Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus succeeded Antoninus Pius in 161 upon that emperor's death, and co-ruled until Verus' death in 169. Marcus continued the
Antonine legacy after Verus' death as an unpretentious and gifted administrator and leader. He died in 180 and was followed by his biological son, Commodus.
 Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius Lucius Verus Commodus

Five Good Emperors

The rulers commonly known as the "Five Good Emperors" were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius.[4] The term was coined by Niccolò
Machiavelli in his posthumously published book The Discourses on Livy from 1531:

From the study of this history we may also learn how a good government is to be established; for while all the emperors who succeeded to the throne by
birth, except Titus, were bad, all were good who succeeded by adoption, as in the case of the five from Nerva to Marcus. But as soon as the empire fell
once more to the heirs by birth, its ruin recommenced.[5]

Machiavelli argued that these adopted emperors earned the respect of those around them through good governing:

Titus, Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, and Marcus had no need of praetorian cohorts, or of countless legions to guard them, but were defended by
their own good lives, the good-will of their subjects, and the attachment of the senate.[5]

Edward Gibbon wrote in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that their rule was a time when "the Roman Empire was governed by absolute
power, under the guidance of wisdom and virtue".[6] Gibbon believed that these benevolent monarchs and their moderate policies were unusual and contrasted with
their more tyrannical and oppressive successors.

Alternative hypothesis

One hypothesis posits that adoptive succession is thought to have arisen because of a lack of biological heirs. All but the last of the adoptive emperors had no
legitimate biological sons to succeed them. They were therefore obliged to pick a successor somewhere else; as soon as the Emperor could look towards a biological
son to succeed him, adoptive succession was set aside.

The dynasty may be broken up into the Nerva–Trajan dynasty (also called the Ulpian dynasty after Trajan's gentile name 'Ulpius') and Antonine dynasty (after their
common name Antoninus).

Nerva–Antonine family tree

Nerva–Antonine family tree

Q. Marcius
Q. Marcius Antonia M. Cocceius Sergia P. Aelius
Barea
Barea Sura Furnilla Nerva Plautilla Hadrianus
Soranus

Aelius
TITUS Marcia TRAJANUS NERVA
Marcia Ulpia[i] Hadrianus
(r. 79–81) Furnilla PATER (r. 96–98)
Marullinus

C. Salonius TRAJAN P. Acilius P. Aelius Paulina

JULIA FLAVIA[ii] MARCIANA[iii] PLOTINA
Matidius[iv] (r. 98–117) Attianus Afer[v] Major[vi]

Lucius Libo Rupilius L. Vibius

Mindius Frugi MATIDIA[vii] Sabinus
(2) (3) (1)[viii]

Pau
Min

Matidia HADRIAN[v][xi][vi]
Suetonius?[x] SABINA[iii] ANTINOUS[xii]
Minor[vii] (r. 117–138)

Julia C. Fuscus
Balbilla?[xiii] Salinator I

M. Annius Rupilia Boionia Cn. Arrius

Verus[xiv] Faustina[xv] Procilla Antoninus
L. Ceionius Appia
Commodus Severa
L. Caesennius Arria Arria T. Aurelius
 Paetus Antonina Fadilla[xvi] Fulvus
L. Caesennius
L. Commodus Plautia
Antoninus

ANTONINUS
M. Annius Domitia M. Annius PIUS L. Aelius
Fundania[xix] FAUSTINA[xvi]
Verus[xv] Calvilla[xviii] Libo[xv] (r. 138– Caesar[xvii]
161)[xvi]

LUCIUS
MARCUS
VERUS
AURELIUS FAUSTINA C. Avidius Aurelia Ceionia Plautius
Cornificia[xv] (r. 161–
(r. 161– Minor[xx] Cassius[xxi] Fadilla[xvi] Fabia[xvii] Quintillus[xxii]
169)[xvii]
180)[xx]
(1)

COMMODUS M. Annius Ti. Claudius

Cornificia M. Petronius M. Plautius
(r. 177– Fadilla[xxiii] Verus Pompeianus Lucilla[xx]
Minor[xxiii] Sura Quintillus[xvii]
192)[xx] Caesar[xx] (2)

L. Aurelius Aurelia L. Antistius C. Furius

Petronius Plautius Plautia Antonia
Agaclytus Burrus Sabinus
Antoninus Sabina[xxiii] Quintillus Servilla Gordiana
(2) (1) Timesitheus

G
Furia Sabina
Tranquillina

(1) = 1st spouse

(2) = 2nd spouse
(3) = 3rd spouse
Reddish purple indicates emperor of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty

lighter purple indicates designated imperial heir of said dynasty who never reigned

grey indicates unsuccessful imperial aspirants

bluish purple indicates emperors of other dynasties

dashed lines indicate adoption; dotted lines indicate love affairs/unmarried relationships
SMALL CAPS = posthumously deified (Augusti, Augustae, or other)

Notes:

Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree.

i. Sister of Trajan's father: Giacosa (1977), p. 7. xiii. Julia Balbilla a possible lover of Sabina: A. R. Birley (1997), H
ii. Giacosa (1977), p. 8. 251, cited in Levick (2014), p. 30, who is sceptical of this sugg
iii. Levick (2014), p. 161. xiv. Husband of Rupilia Faustina: Levick (2014), p. 163.
iv. Husband of Ulpia Marciana: Levick (2014), p. 161. xv. Levick (2014), p. 163.
v. Giacosa (1977), p. 7. xvi. Levick (2014), p. 162.
vi. DIR contributor (Herbert W. Benario, 2000), "Hadrian" (http://www.roman-emperors.org/hadria xvii. Levick (2014), p. 164.
n.htm). xviii. Wife of M. Annius Verus: Giacosa (1977), p. 10.
vii. Giacosa (1977), p. 9. xix. Wife of M. Annius Libo: Levick (2014), p. 163.
viii. Husband of Salonia Matidia: Levick (2014), p. 161. xx. Giacosa (1977), p. 10.
ix. Smith (1870), "Julius Servianus" (http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3125.html). xxi. The epitomator of Cassius Dio (72.22 (http://penelope.uchicag
x. Suetonius a possible lover of Sabina: One interpretation of HA Hadrianus 11:3 (http://penelop assius_Dio/72*.html)) gives the story that Faustina the Elder p
e.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Hadrian/1*.html#11) Cassius. This is also echoed in HA "Marcus Aurelius" 24 (http
r/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Marcus_Aurelius/2*.html).
xi. Smith (1870), "Hadrian" (http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/1427.html), pp. 319–322.
xxii. Husband of Ceionia Fabia: Levick (2014), p. 164.
xii. Lover of Hadrian: Lambert (1984), p. 99 and passim; deification: Lamber (1984), pp. 2–5, etc.
xxiii. Levick (2014), p. 117.

References:
DIR contributors (2000). "De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families" (http://www.roman-emperors.org/). Retrieved
Giacosa, Giorgio (1977). Women of the Caesars: Their Lives and Portraits on Coins. Translated by R. Ross Holloway. Milan: Edizioni Arte e Moneta. ISBN 0-8390
Lambert, Royston (1984). Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-15708-2.
Levick, Barbara (2014). Faustina I and II: Imperial Women of the Golden Age. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-537941-9.
William Smith, ed. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.

Note: Marcus Aurelius co-reigned with Lucius Verus from 161 until Verus' death in 169.
References
1. E.g. by Machiavelli and Gibbon
2. "Decline of the Roman Empire" (http://www.unrv.com/decline-of-empire/decline-of-empire.php). Retrieved 2007-09-18.
3. "Adoptive Succession" (http://www.unrv.com/five-good-emperors/adoptive-succession.php). Retrieved 2007-09-18.
4. McKay, John P.; Hill, Bennett D.; Buckler, John; Ebrey, Patricia B.; & Beck, Roger B. (2007). A History of World Societies (7th ed.). Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, v–vi. ISBN 978-0-618-61093-8.
5. Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy, Book I, Chapter 10.
6. Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, I.78.

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