Life of Emperor Nerva #12 First of the Best Emperors
Summary
TLDREmperor Nerva, the first of the 'Five Good Emperors,' was a respected senator but faced challenges as a ruler due to his lack of military experience and health issues. Despite his efforts to win public favor with financial handouts and tax cancellations, his reign was marked by tension with the Roman legions. His refusal to execute Domitian's assassins led to a crisis, forcing him to adopt Trajan as his successor. Nerva's reign is seen as a transitional period between the Flavians and the prosperous rule of Trajan.
Takeaways
- 👴 Nerva was the first of the 'Five Good Emperors' of Rome, known for his senatorial background and respect within the political sphere.
- 🏛️ Despite his family's close ties to imperial power and his own significant contributions, such as uncovering the Pisonian conspiracy, Nerva never gained the respect of the army.
- 👶 Born in 30 AD, Nerva came from a respected family with a history of senators and close connections to emperors like Tiberius and Nero.
- 🤝 Nerva's political survival was remarkable, navigating through various emperors and political turmoil, including the 'Year of the Four Emperors'.
- 👑 His ascension to the throne was met with public ambivalence due to his old age, poor health, and lack of military experience.
- 💰 To win public favor, Nerva introduced measures such as cash handouts to citizens, donations to the Praetorian Guard, and the cancellation of additional taxes on Jews.
- ⚔️ The Roman legions disapproved of Nerva due to his lack of military background, leading to immediate anger and tension after Domitian's assassination.
- 🏰 A crisis in October 97 AD saw Nerva besieged in the Imperial Palace by the Praetorian Guard, who forced him to execute conspirators against him, damaging his authority.
- 🔄 In response to the crisis, Nerva adopted Trajan as his son and successor, a move that may have been influenced by the Praetorians' actions.
- 🌟 Nerva's reign, though marked by challenges and a transitional nature, laid the groundwork for the prosperous rule of Trajan and the subsequent 'Century of Good Rule' in the Roman Empire.
Q & A
Who was Nerva known as in Roman history?
-Nerva was known as the first of the five 'Good Emperors' in Roman history.
What was Nerva's relationship with the Roman army?
-Nerva was a well-respected senator but never managed to win the respect of the Roman army, which was a significant factor in his rule.
What significant event did Nerva play a role in during Emperor Nero's reign?
-Nerva was instrumental in uncovering the Pisonian conspiracy against Emperor Nero in 65 AD, which earned him Nero's gratitude.
How did Nerva's family background influence his political career?
-Nerva came from a respected family with close ties to imperial power, which provided him with connections to several emperors and a consulship.
Why was Nerva's ascension to the throne met with ambivalence by the public?
-Nerva's ascension was met with ambivalence because he was an old man in his 60s, in poor health, and had no military experience or children.
What measures did Nerva introduce to win over the public after becoming emperor?
-Nerva granted citizens a cash handout, made a traditional donation to the Praetorian Guard, canceled the additional taxation of the Jews, and ended the treason trials of Domitian's reign.
How did the Roman armies react to the news of Domitian's assassination and Nerva's ascension?
-The Roman armies on the Danube and Rhine frontiers reacted with anger and tension to the news, as they had liked Domitian, leading to a crisis of legitimacy for Nerva.
What event in October of 97 escalated tensions during Nerva's reign?
-Tensions escalated into a crisis in October of 97 due to Nerva's reluctance to deal with conspirators and the absence of a clear successor, leading to a siege of the Imperial Palace by the Praetorian Guard.
Who did Nerva adopt as his son and successor, and why was he an excellent candidate?
-Nerva adopted Trajan as his son and successor. Trajan was an excellent candidate due to his military merit, having been an ex consul, and was granted the consulship with Nerva the following year.
What was the ultimate fate of Nerva, and how was he remembered in the Roman Empire?
-Nerva suffered a stroke and died in January 98. He was deified by the Senate, and his reign is remembered as a transitional period between the Flavians and the rule of Trajan, leading to a century of good rule in the Roman Empire.
Outlines
🏛️ Nerva's Reign: A Transition to Good Emperors
Nerva, born in Narnia in 30 AD, was a respected senator from a family with close ties to imperial power. Despite his family's connections to past emperors and his role in uncovering a conspiracy against Nero, Nerva was not well-liked by the army and was considered an ineffectual ruler. His ascension to the throne was met with ambivalence due to his old age, poor health, and lack of military experience. To win public favor, Nerva granted financial handouts and canceled certain taxes, including those imposed on Jews after a rebellion. However, his lack of military support led to tension, especially after Domitian's assassination. The legions, who played a crucial role in choosing the emperor, disapproved of Nerva. A crisis in 97 AD, involving the Praetorian Guard taking Nerva hostage and forcing him to execute conspirators, further damaged his authority. To secure his rule, Nerva adopted Trajan, a capable and well-respected candidate, as his successor. Nerva's reign, marked by his eventual deification and interment in Augustus' mausoleum, is seen as a transitional period between the Flavian dynasty and the prosperous rule of Trajan.
🤔 The Adoption of Trajan: A Strategic Move or Coup?
This paragraph poses a question regarding the circumstances that led to Nerva's adoption of Trajan as his heir. It suggests that there might be a connection between Trajan and the Praetorian Guard's actions that forced Nerva to adopt him. The video invites viewers to consider whether Trajan played a role in the coup that ultimately led to his ascension. The paragraph ends with an invitation for viewers to find more information in the video description and a teaser for the next video, which will focus on the reign of Emperor Trajan, known as one of Rome's best emperors.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Nerva
💡Five Good Emperors
💡Year of the Four Emperors
💡Praetorian Guard
💡Trajan
💡Piso Conspiracy
💡Domitian
💡Treason Trials
💡Flavian Dynasty
💡Deification
💡Transitional Forum
Highlights
Nerva was the first of the five good emperors, but his reputation as an ineffectual ruler is debated.
Despite being a respected senator, Nerva failed to win the army's respect.
Nerva was born in Narnia in 30 AD and came from a family with a history of senators.
His family had close ties to imperial power, including a connection to Emperor Tiberius.
Nerva played a key role in uncovering the Pisonian conspiracy against Emperor Nero in 65 AD.
Nerva's sister married Titianus, Emperor Otho's brother, showing the family's continued political connections.
Nerva survived the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors and was honored with the consulship in 71 AD.
Nerva was a close friend and advisor to Emperor Domitian, receiving another consulship in 98 AD.
Nerva became emperor after Domitian's assassination in 96 AD, an unexpected choice due to his age and lack of military experience.
Nerva's ascension was met with public ambivalence, leading him to introduce measures to win favor, such as cash handouts and tax cancellations.
The Roman armies on the Danube and Rhine frontiers were angered by Domitian's death, reflecting the tension in the Empire.
Nerva's lack of military experience led to the legions' disapproval, and they called for Domitian's deification, which did not occur.
The Senate's decision to condemn Domitian's memory was a significant move in Roman politics.
A crisis in October 97 saw Nerva besieged by the Praetorian Guard, who forced him to execute conspirators.
Nerva's authority was damaged when he was forced to thank the Praetorian Guard for their actions.
Trajan was adopted as Nerva's son and successor, a move that may have been influenced by the Praetorians' coup.
Nerva's reign is considered a transitional period between the Flavians and Trajan's era of good rule.
Transcripts
nervo was known to history as the first
of the five good emperors but does he
deserve this reputation he was a well
respected senator but was never able to
win the respect of the army oh and in
the end proved to be a rather
ineffectual ruler nerville was born in
Narnia in 30 ad he came from a respected
family many of whom were senators his
family had been close to imperial power
for decades his father had been a close
friend to emperor Tiberius and one of
his aunts on his mother's side was the
great-granddaughter of Tiberias and
Nerva himself had been instrumental in
uncovering the piso conspiracy against
Emperor Nero in 65 ad earning him Nero's
gratitude he was rewarded with a statue
in the Imperial Palace and other
significant honors nervous sister
Xia married Tatiana's who was Emperor
orthos brother
despite nervous connections to Tiberius
Nero and Otto he survived the year of
the Four Emperors and emerged as one of
very few men honored by the station with
the consulship in 71 AD nervo was a
close friend and counselor to his
patient's son emperor Domitian and he
was rewarded with a consulship again in
98 II and omission trusted him as a
friend to the very end Trust which was
evidently misplaced Roman politics were
very perilous business Nerva it seemed
managed to navigate that minefield very
effectively he had been aligned to
virtually every Emperor since Tiberius
and yet he had survived when Domitian
was murdered in 96 ad Nerva emerged as
the new emperor of Rome however he was
an odd choice he was an old man in his
60s by then in poor health and lacking
military experience in fact he had never
seen a province or an army in his life
and he didn't have any children - an
aired the throne nervous ascension was
met with ambivalence by the general
public of Rome so he introduced a number
of measures to win them over granting
citizens a handout of cash and the
traditional donation to the Praetorian
Guard and soldiers Nerva even canceled
the additional taxation of the Jews a
punishment for the rebellion in 66 AD
and he canceled the treason trials that
had blackened the last year's of
Domitian's reign when news of Domitian's
assassination reached the Roman armies
on the Danube and rind frontiers there
was immediate anger and tension they had
liked to mission and there was tension
growing in the Empire that perhaps
another year of civil strife would
follow the collapse of the Flavian
dynasty just as it had done with the
fault of the Giulio Claudian dynasty in
68 AD at that time it was the armies of
the Empire who ultimately decided the
new emperor and Nerva had no military
experience so the legions disproved of
the new princeps the armies called for
Domitian's deification immediately which
never happened
the Praetorian prefect advised Nerva to
give up the assassins for execution
nervo refused in a tactless move the
Senate decided instead to condemn
Domitian's memory his face would be
removed from statues his name would be
removed from buildings and inscriptions
all efforts were made to effectively
remove the memories of him from history
the tensions erupted into a crisis in
October of 97
fueled by nervous reluctance to deal
with the conspirators and the absence of
a clear successor to the elderly Emperor
so members of the Praetorian Guard
besieged Nerva in the Imperial Palace
and took him hostage and they forced him
to give up the conspirators for
execution Nerva had little choice but to
give in to their demands
adding to the humiliation nerville was
made to give a speech thanking the
rebellious Praetorians this of course
caused irreparable damage to his
authority shortly thereafter he
announced the adoption of Trajan as his
son and successor Trajan was an
excellent candidate without standing
military merit and an ex consul he was
given the title of seize
and granted the consulship with Nerva
the following year in 98 in the letter
brought to Trajan who was governing
Germania inferior announcing nervous
choice Nerva asked him to take revenge
on the Praetorian guards who had
humiliated him on the 1st of January
Nerva suffered a stroke and by the end
of the month he had died he was deified
by the Senate and his ashes were placed
in Augustus mausoleum the last emperor
to be interred there and just as the
only public building named after him the
forum of nerva would ultimately become
known as forum transitorium or
transitional forum so too would his
reign be remembered as a transition
between the Flavians and Trajan to the
following century of good rule in the
Roman Empire thanks for watching this
video our question for you today is do
you think Trajan had anything to do with
the COO of the Praetorians which
ultimately forced Nerva to adopt him or
not
as usual sources and suggestions are in
the description below our next video
will be on the best emperor trajan
see you
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