XV. Antoninus Pius (Nerva-Antonine Dynasty IV)
Emperor: 138 to 161 AD
Born: September 19th 86 AD Died: March 7th 161 AD
Antoninus Pius was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161 and was the fourth member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. He acquired the name Pius (dutiful, loyal) after his accession, either because he compelled the Senate to deify his adoptive father Hadrian, or because he had saved senators sentenced to death by Hadrian. Some time between 110 and 115, he married Faustina the Elder. They are believed to have enjoyed a happy marriage. Faustina was a beautiful woman, well known for her wisdom. She spent her whole life caring for the poor and assisting the most disadvantaged. Faustina bore four children, but only one daughter, Faustina the Younger, survived to adulthood and even became a future Empress by marrying the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. When Faustina died in 141, Antoninus was greatly distressed. In honor of her memory, he asked the Senate to deify her as a goddess, and authorised the construction of a temple to be built in the Roman Forum, with priestesses serving in her temple.
Having filled the offices of quaestor and praetor with more than usual success, he obtained the consulship in 120. He was next appointed as one of the proconsuls for Italy, then greatly increased his reputation as proconsul of Asia. Hadrian adopted him after the death of his first adopted son Lucius Aelius, on the condition that he would in turn adopt Marcus Aurelius and Lucius, son of Aelius Verus.
Antoninus built temples, theaters, and mausoleums, promoted the arts and sciences, and bestowed honors and financial rewards upon the teachers of rhetoric and philosophy. He made few changes when he became emperor. His reign was the most peaceful in the entire history of the Empire. Antoninus was virtually unique among emperors in that he did not leave Italy once during his reign, but instead dealt with provincial matters of war and peace through his governors. Antoninus passed measures to facilitate the enfranchisement of slaves. In criminal law, Antoninus introduced the important principle that accused persons are not to be treated as guilty before trial. He also asserted the principle that the trial was to be held, and the punishment inflicted, in the place where the crime had been committed.
One highlight during his reign occurred in 148, with the 900th anniversary of Rome’s foundation being celebrated by the hosting of magnificent games. It lasted many days, and many exotic animals were killed, including elephants, giraffes, tigers, rhinoceroses, crocodiles, and hippopotami. While this increased Antoninus’s popularity, the emperor had to debase the Roman currency in order to pay for it.
In 156, Antoninus Pius turned 70. He found it difficult to keep himself upright without support. He started nibbling on dry bread to give him the strength to stay awake through his morning receptions. As Antoninus aged, Marcus took on more administrative duties. In 160, Marcus and Lucius were made joint consuls to gain experience for their own rule, but Antoninus died before the year was out.
Two days before his death, Antoninus was at his ancestral estate. He ate cheese at dinner quite greedily. In the night he vomited and had a fever the next day. He summoned the imperial council, and passed the state and his daughter to Marcus. The emperor gave the keynote to his life in the last word that he uttered when the tribune of the night-watch came to ask the password: equanimity. He then turned over, as if going to sleep, and died. His death closed out the longest reign since Augustus. Although only one of his four children survived to adulthood, Antoninus came to be ancestor to generations of prominent Roman statesmen and socialites, including at least one empress consort and as the maternal grandfather of the Emperor Commodus.