NervaAntonine

The Nerva–Antonine dynasty, also known as the Antonine dynasty, was a sequence of Roman emperors that governed the empire from 96 CE to 192 CE. It began with Nerva, who succeeded Domitian and established adoptive succession as a method for selecting capable rulers. The line includes Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, and the co-emperor Lucius Verus; Commodus, Marcus Aurelius’s son, was the final ruler of the dynasty. The era is often described as the period of the Five Good Emperors, a label referring to Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius, though Lucius Verus ruled jointly with Marcus and Commodus ended the dynasty.

Nerva initiated reforms aimed at stabilizing the empire after the turmoil of the previous decades. Trajan expanded Roman territory to its greatest extent and undertook ambitious public works. Hadrian focused on consolidating and organizing the frontiers, most famously building Hadrian’s Wall and undertaking extensive architectural projects, including a rebuilt Pantheon. Antoninus Pius presided over a long period of relative peace and pragmatic governance, while Marcus Aurelius defended the empire on multiple frontiers and faced the Antonine plague; his reign featured both military conflict and philosophical writings. Lucius Verus ruled jointly with Marcus Aurelius for part of this period, sharing command of eastern campaigns. Commodus, Marcus Aurelius’s son, concluded the dynasty with a more autocratic style that contributed to the later instability of the empire.

Legacy of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty includes administrative consolidation, a tradition of adoptive succession, and a high level of imperial building and legal development. The end of Commodus’s reign precipitated a dynastic crisis and the transition to a new era of imperial politics.