5 GOOD EMPERORSPax Romana

Pax Romana Roman Peace A long period of

peace in Rome. Not entirely

peaceful: Rome went to war with other countries during this time period. No Civil Wars

Rome during the “Pax Romana”

Power Void After the death of Julius

Caesar there was a great position of power that needed to be filled.

Rome went through a series of rulers known as the “12 Caesars”. After each Caesar died

Rome would plunge into a civil war between two people struggling to become Emperor of Rome

5 “Good” Emperors The power struggle in Rome continued till

the 5 “Good” Emperors. Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus, and

Marcus Aurelius. During the reign of the 5 “Good”

Emperors power was handed from one Emperor to the next peacefully.

Passing Power On… Inherited Power: Before power was

passed on to an Emperor’s son, regardless

Adoptive Succession: each emperor adopted a person that they thought would be a good ruler.

Adopted were chosen based on merit. This allowed for qualified individuals to run Rome during this time period.

Nerva 1st of the 5 “Good” Emperors. Started adoptive succession. Gave a lot of power to the Senate:

Promised never to execute Senators No military experience = no Roman

expansion Instituted Social Welfare programs

Gave food and money to the poor to help them.

These programs continued through the 5 Emperors.

Very well liked by the Senate

Nerva Adopted into the

Imperial Cult. Deified:

celebrated with the Roman Gods

Trajan Strong military background; Served as a

great General for Nerva. Was Adopted by Nerva to become the next

Emperor. Ran the gov’t similar to the way a military

is run. Delegated smaller responsibilities to officials Only made the big important decisions Favored by the Senate

Considered the model Emperor: expansion and ruled justly.

Hadrian Gave up a lot of Trajan’s conquered

territory. Made him very unpopular Felt that it would be too expensive to keep.

Wanderlust: felt a great need to travel the empire. Inspected borders and used natural

geographic defenses to maintain Roman territory

Hadrian’s Wall in Britain. Patron of the arts and architecture.

Mausoleum: a tomb

Parks

Antoninus Pius Time of economic prosperity and military

strength Unlike Hadrian, focused most of his work

in the City of Rome. Rebuilt the city finishing most of the works the

previous Emperors had started. This made him very popular. Gave out of his own pocket in times of

crisis to help the poor.

Marcus Aurelius Philosopher- King Stoic: dedication to logic; believed

that emotion clouded judgment. Faced many challenges during his

reign Plague, famine, wars, and usurpations:

uprisings against him. Was very popular