Roman Empire Under Hadrian

Roman Empire Under Hadrian

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Subjects History & The Arts All content Hadrian, Rome and the Roman Empire

Updated Wednesday, 13th August 2014
Reveal the stories of Hadrian's Wall and take a look at the legacy the Ancient Romans have left behind.

Publication details Originally published: Wednesday, 13th August 2014 Copyright information Body text - Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 : The Open University Image 'Introducing the Classical world' - Copyright: Used with permission Image 'Discovering Ancient Greek and Latin' - Copyright free Image 'Getting started on classical Latin' - Copyright: The Art Archive/Alamy Image 'Hadrian's Wall' - Copyright: Production team Image 'Life on the wall: Vindolanda' - Bert Kaufmann under Creative Commons BY 4.0 license Image 'The City: The Roman and Greek Cities' - Image by CharChen via Flickr under Creative Commons licence under Creative-Commons license Image 'Hadrian: The Roamin' Emperor' - The Open University under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
Publication details Originally published: Wednesday, 13th August 2014 Copyright information Body text - Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 : The Open University Image 'Introducing the Classical world' - Copyright: Used with permission Image 'Discovering Ancient Greek and Latin' - Copyright free Image 'Getting started on classical Latin' - Copyright: The Art Archive/Alamy Image 'Hadrian's Wall' - Copyright: Production team Image 'Life on the wall: Vindolanda' - Bert Kaufmann under Creative Commons BY 4.0 license Image 'The City: The Roman and Greek Cities' - Image by CharChen via Flickr under Creative Commons licence under Creative-Commons license Image 'Hadrian: The Roamin' Emperor' - The Open University under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

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Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born on 24 January AD 76, probably at Rome, though his family lived in Italica in Baetica. Having originally come from Picenum in north-eastern when this part of Spain was opened up to Roman settlement, Hadrian’s family had lived in Italica for some three centuries. With Trajan also coming from Italica, and Hadrian’s father, Publius Aelius Hadrianus Afer, being his cousin, Hadrian’s obscure provincial family now found itself possessing impressive connections.
In AD 86 Hadrian’s father died in AD 86 and he, at the age of 10, became joint ward of Acilius Attianus, a Roman equestrian, and of Trajan.
Trajan’s initial attempt to create a military career for the 15 year old Hadrian was frustrated by Hadrian’s liking the easy life. He preferred going hunting and enjoying other civilian luxuries.
And so Hadrian’s service as a military tribune stationed in Upper Germany ended with little distinction as Trajan angrily called him to Rome in order to keep a close eye on him.
Next the so far disappointing young Hadrian was set on a new career path. This time – though still very young – as a judge in an inheritance court in Rome.
And alas he shortly afterwards succeeded as a military officer in the Second Legion ‘Adiutrix’ and then in the Fifth Legion ‘Macedonia’ on the Danube.
In Ad 97 when Trajan, based in Upper Germany was adopted by Nerva, it was Hadrian who was sent form his base to carry the congratulations of his legion to the new imperial heir.
But in AD 98 Hadrian seized the great opportunity of Nerva’s to carry the news to Tajan. Uttely determined to be the first to carry this news to the new emepror he raced to Germany. With otehr also seeking to be the bearers of the good news to a no doubt grateful emperor it was quite a race, with many an obstacle being purposely placed in Hadrian’s way. But he succeeded, even travelling the last stages of his journey on foot. Trajan’s gratitude was assured and Hadrian indeed became a very close friend of the new emperor.
In AD 100 Hadrian married Vibia Sabina, the daughter of Trajan’s niece Matidia Augusta, after having accompied the new emperor to Rome.
Soon after followed the first Dacian war, during which time Hadrian served as quaestor and staff officer.
With the second Dacian war following soon after the first, Hadrian was given command of the First Legion ‘Minervia’, and once he returned to Rome he made praetor in AD 106. A year thereafter he was governor of Lower Pannonia and then consul in AD 108.
When Trajan embarked on his Parthian campaign in AD 114, Hadrian once more held a key position, this time as governor of the important military province of Syria.
There is no doubt that Hadrian was of high status during Trajan’s reign, and yet there were no immediate signs that he was intended as the imperial heir.
The details of Hadrian’s succession are indeed mysterious. Trajan might well have decided on his deathbed to make Hadrian his heir.
But the sequence of events does indeed seem suspicious. Trajan died the 8 August AD 117, on the 9th it was announced at Antioch that he had adopted Hadrian. But only by the 11th was it made public that Trajan was dead.
According to the historian Dio Cassius, Hadrian’s accession was solely due to the actions of empress Plotina, kept Trajan’s death a secret for several days. In this time she sent letters to the senate declaring Hadrian’s the new heir. These letter however carried her own signature, not that of emperor Trajan, porabalbly using the excuse that the emperor’s illness made him to feeble to write.
Yet another rumour asserted that someone had been sneeked into Trajan’s chamber by the empress, in order to impersonate his voice.
Once Hadrian’s accession was secure, and only then, did empress Plotina announce Trajan’s death.
Hadrian, already in the east as governor of Syria at the time, was present at Trajan’s cremation at Seleucia (the ashes were therafter shipped back to Rome). Though now he was there as emperor.
Right from the start Hadrian made it clear that he was his own man. One of his very first decisions was the abandonment of the eastern territories which Trajan had just conquered during his last campaign. Had Augustus a century before spelled out that his successors should keep the empire within the natural boundaries of the rivers Rhine, Danube and Euphrates, then Trajan had broken that rule and had crossed the Euphrates. On Hadrian’s order once pulled back to behind the Euphrates again.
Such withdrawal, the surrender territory for which teh Roman army had just paid in blood, will hardly have been popular.
Hadrian did not travel directly back to Rome, but first set out for the Lower Danube to deal with trouble with the Sarmatians at the border. While he was there he also confirmed Trajan’s annexation of Dacia.
The memory of Trajan, the Dacian gold mines and the army’s misgivings about withdrawing from conquered lands clearly convinced Hadrian that it might not be wise always to withdraw behind the natural boundaries advised by Augustus.
If Hadrian set out to rule as honourably as his beloved predecessor, then he got off to a bad start. He had not arrived in Rome yet and four respected senators, all ex-consuls, were dead. Men of the highest standing in Roman society, all had been killed for plotting against Hadrian. Many however saw these executions as a way by which Hadrian was removing any possible pretenders to his throne. All four had been friends of Trajan. Lusius Quietus had been a military commander and Gaius Nigrinus ha dbeen a very wealthy and influential politician; in fact so influential he had been thought a possible successor to Trajan.
But what makes the ‘affair of the four consulars’ especially unsavoury is that Hadrian refused to take any responsibility for this matter. Might other emperors have gritted their teeth and announced that a ruler needed to act ruthlessly in order to grant the empire a stable, unshakable government, then Hadrian denied everything.
He even went as far as swearing a public oath that he was not responsible. More so he said that it had been the senate who had ordered the executions (which is technically true), before placing the blame firmly on Attianus, the praetorian prefect (and his former join-guardian with Trajan).
However, if Attianus had done anything wrong in the eyes of Hadrian, it is hard to understand why the emperor would have made him consul thereafter.
Despite such an odious start to his reign, Hadrian quickly proved to be a highly capable ruler. Army discipline was tightened and the border defences were strengthened.
Trajan’s wellfare programme for the poor, the alimenta, was further expanded.
most of all though, Hadrian should beome known for his efforts to visit the imperial territories per
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Roman Empire Under Hadrian

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