Nerva–Antonine dynasty
| Roman imperial dynasties | |||
| Nerva–Antonine dynasty | |||
| Chronology | |||
| Nerva | 96 AD – 98 AD | ||
| Trajan | 98 AD – 117 AD | ||
| Hadrian | 117 AD – 138 AD | ||
| Antoninus Pius | 138 AD – 161 AD | ||
| Lucius Verus | 161 AD – 169 AD | ||
| Marcus Aurelius | 161 AD – 180 AD | ||
| Commodus | 177 AD – 192 AD | ||
| Family | |||
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Category:Nerva–Antonine dynasty |
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| Succession | |||
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Preceded by Flavian dynasty |
Followed by Year of the Five Emperors |
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The Nerva–Antonine dynasty was a dynasty of seven Roman Emperors who ruled over the Roman Empire from 96 AD to 192 AD. These Emperors are Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Lucius Verus, Marcus Aurelius, and Commodus.
The first five of the six successions within this dynasty were notable in that the reigning Emperor adopted the candidate of his choice to be his successor. Under Roman law, an adoption established a bond legally as strong as that of kinship. Because of this, all but the first and last of the Nerva-Antonine emperors are called Adoptive Emperors.
The importance of official adoption in Roman society has often been considered as a conscious repudiation of the principle of dynastic inheritance and has been deemed as one of the factors of the period's prosperity. However, this was not a new practice. It was common for patrician families to adopt, and Roman emperors had adopted heirs in the past: The Emperor Augustus had adopted Tiberius and the Emperor Claudius had adopted Nero. Julius Caesar, dictator perpetuo and considered to be instrumental in the transition from Republic to Empire, adopted Gaius Octavius, who would become Augustus, Rome's first emperor. Moreover, there was a family connection as Trajan adopted his first cousin once removed and great-nephew by marriage Hadrian and Hadrian made his half-nephew by marriage and heir Antoninus Pius adopt both Hadrian's second cousin three times removed and half-great-nephew by marriage Marcus Aurelius, also Antoninus' nephew by marriage, and the son of his original planned successor, Lucius Verus. The naming by Marcus Aurelius of his son Commodus was considered to be an unfortunate choice and the beginning of the Empire's decline.
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