The Five Good Emperors is a term that refers to five consecutive emperors of the Roman Empire— Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Marcus Cocceius Nerva was also the name of a Roman emperor NERVA is an acronym for Nuclear Engine for Rocket Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan ( September 18 53 &ndash August 9 117) was a Roman Emperor who Publius Aelius Hadrianus (January 24 76 &ndash July 10 138 as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus ( September 19, 86 &ndash March 7 161) generally known in English as Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (often referred to as "the wise" ( April 26, 121 – March 17, 180) was Roman Emperor The term is first coined by the political philosopher, Niccolò Machiavelli, in 1503:

From the study 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 so soon as the empire fell once more to the heirs by birth, its ruin recommenced. ^[1]

Machiavelli claimed that these adopted emperors, through "good" rule, earned the respect of those around them:

Titus, Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, and Marcus had no need of prætorian 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. ^[1]

The rule of these five emperors was also analyzed by the 18th century historian, Edward Gibbon, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Edward Gibbon ( April 27, 1737 January 16, 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (known popularly as The History) was written by English Historian According to Gibbon, their rule was a time when "the Roman Empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of wisdom and virtue. "^[2] Gibbon believed these benevolent dictators and their moderate policies were unusual and contrast their more tyrannical and oppressive successors (their predecessors are not covered by Gibbon).

As noted by Machiavelli, the period of the five good emperors was particularly notable for the peaceful method of succession. Each emperor chose his successor by adopting a hand-picked heir, which established a bond legally as strong as that of kinship and thus technically respected the customary — not constitutional — dynastic principle, thus preventing the political turmoil associated with the succession both before and after this period. In Ancient Rome, Adoption of boys was a fairly common procedure particularly in the upper senatorial class ^[3] The naming by Marcus Aurelius of his son Commodus as heir proved to be an unfortunate choice, and is considered by some historians (notably Gibbon) to mark the start of the Empire's decline ^[4]. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (often referred to as "the wise" ( April 26, 121 – March 17, 180) was Roman Emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus ( August 31, 161 – December 31, 192) was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 180 to 192 (also with Edward Gibbon ( April 27, 1737 January 16, 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament.

Historical evaluation

From Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:

If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus. Edward Gibbon ( April 27, 1737 January 16, 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (known popularly as The History) was written by English Historian Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 &ndash 18 September 96 commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus ( August 31, 161 – December 31, 192) was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 180 to 192 (also with The vast extent of the Roman Empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom. The armies were restrained by the firm but gentle hand of four successive emperors, whose characters and authority commanded respect. The forms of the civil administration were carefully preserved by Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian and the Antonines, who delighted in the image of liberty, and were pleased with considering themselves as the accountable ministers of the laws. Such princes deserved the honour of restoring the republic had the Romans of their days been capable of enjoying a rational freedom.

However, more recent historians, while agreeing with many of the details of this analysis, would not entirely agree with Machiavelli and Gibbon's praise of this period. Edward Gibbon ( April 27, 1737 January 16, 1794) was an English historian and Member of Parliament. There were more people under the rule of these emperors than the few affluent individuals whose lives are mentioned or recorded in the historical record. A large fraction of the rest were farmers or their dependents, who lived their lives always at the whim of avaricious government officials, or unrestrained bandits, no less during the reign of these "Good Emperors" than before or after. A farmer is a person who raises living organisms for food or raw materials This is about the television program Bandit as a general term refers to Outlaw. The extent to which these people suffered or were happy continues to be a subject of historical debate. At any rate, not only people under Roman rule were romanized, many 'barbarian' (e. g. Germanic) tribes either volunteered to become Romans (e. g. as foederati) or, after conquering part of the crumbling empire, promptly became Romanized, proving the attraction of the Roman way of life by contemporary standards. Foederatus (pl foederati) is a Latin term whose definition and usage drifted in the time between the early Roman Republic and the

Additionally, Machiavelli's theory that adoption, rather than birth, led to moderate rule is also questionable. A number of Roman Emperors that Machiavelli did not feel were good rulers were adopted including Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Nerva. Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (or Tiberius I) born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16 42 BC – March 16 AD 37) was the second Roman Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31 AD 12 &ndash January 24 AD 41 more commonly known by his nickname Caligula (kəˈlɪɡjʊlə was a Roman Emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva was also the name of a Roman emperor NERVA is an acronym for Nuclear Engine for Rocket

Timeline

References

Roman Emperors by Epoch
see also: List of Roman Emperors · Concise list of Roman Emperors · Roman Empire
Principate Crisis of the 3rd century Dominate Division Successors Julio-Claudian dynasty Four Emperors (68–69) Flavian dynasty Nervan-Antonian dynasty Five Emperors (192–193) Severan dynasty Barracks Emperors Illyrian Emperors Gallic Emperors Britannic Emperors Tetrarchies Constantinian dynasty Valentinian dynasty Theodosian dynasty Western Roman Emperors Eastern Roman Emperors Barbarian kings of Italy Holy Roman Emperors Byzantine Emperors

The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC For a simplified list see Concise list of Roman Emperors. For more information see History of the Roman Empire. This is the short overview of Roman Emperors: for more detail and explanation see List of Roman Emperors and Roman Emperor. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The office of Roman Emperor went through a complex convolution over the centuries of its existence The Crisis of the Third Century (also known as the Anarchy of the 3rd Century marked the end of the Principate, the early phase of Imperial Roman government The accession to the purple on November 20, 284, of Diocletian, the lower-class Greek-speaking Dalmatian commander of Carus's and Numerian's household cavalry The office of Roman Emperor underwent significant turbulence in the fourth and fifth centuries after assuming the trappings of Eastern despotism during the Dominate The office of Roman Emperor underwent significant turbulence in the fourth and fifth centuries after assuming the trappings of Eastern despotism during the Dominate The Julio-Claudian Dynasty refers to the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus (Octavian Tiberius, Caligula (Gaius Claudius, and The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69 in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable succession The Flavian dynasty was a Roman imperial Dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69&ndash79 Nervan-Antonian dynasty is a Dynasty of six loosely connected Roman Emperors who ruled over the Roman Empire for almost the whole 2nd century The Year of the Five Emperors refers to 193, in which there were five claimants for the title of Roman Emperor. The Severan dynasty was a Roman imperial Dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 193 and 235. A Barracks emperor was a Roman Emperor who seized power by virtue of his command of the army "Illyrian emperors" is the name generally given to those emperors who governed the Roman Empire between 268 and 282 between the so-called Barracks emperors and the The Gallic Empire (in Latin Imperium Galliarum) is the modern name for the independent realm that existed from 260 to 273, during the For a simplified list see Concise list of Roman Emperors. For more information see History of the Roman Empire. Tetrarchy ( Greek: "leadership of four " can be applied to any system of government where power is divided between four individuals The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus († 305) to the death of Julian The Valentinian Dynasty, consisting of four emperors ruled the Western Roman Empire from 364 to 392 and the Eastern Roman Empire from 364 to 378 The Theodosian dynasty was a Roman family that rose to eminence in the waning days of the Roman Empire. The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285 the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians The Holy Roman Emperor (Römischer Kaiser or Römisch-Deutscher Kaiser Romanorum Imperator was the elected monarch ruling over the many varying numbers of states This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians

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