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 ANTONINUS PIUS A.D. 138-161
Caesar: a.d. 138
(under Hadrian)
Augustus: a.d. 138-161
Adopted son and successor of Hadrian
Husband of Faustina Senior
Father of Faustina Junior and Galerius
Antoninus
Grandfather of Commodus, Annius Verus,
Lucilla and
aurelius antoninus
Adoptive Father of Marcus Aurelius and
Lucius Verus
Titus Aelius Caesar Antoninus (earlier Titus Aurelius
Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus), A.D. 86-161. When Aelius died unexpectedly on
New Year's Day of 138, it came as unwelcomed news to Hadrian, who was only too
aware that his own days were numbered. The ailing emperor announced on January
24 that Antoninus Pius, a respectable senator whom he had relied upon as a close
advisor, was his new successor. On February 25 Antoninus was invested with the
rank of Caesar, which he held until Hadrian died on July 10.
The new emperor — age 52 when he took office in August — was
uncommonly tall and hailed from a good family that originally came from Nemausus
but had settled in Lanuvium. Not only had his grandfathers and his father been
consuls in Rome, but Antoninus himself had served in that capacity in 130, and
sometime between 133 and 136 was proconsul of Asia. Though he largely owed his
succession to his marriage to Faustina Senior (an aunt of Marcus Aurelius), he
proved to be an excellent choice. Antoninus earned his title "Pius" from the
senate, who admired the tenacity with which he lobbied for the deification of
Hadrian, whom the senate had grown to despise before his death.
Antoninus' reign was similar to Hadrian's in that the Empire
enjoyed great prosperity, no effort was made to expand territories, and military
conflicts were limited. Revolts of some consequence broke out twice in the north
of Britain (where he built the Antonine Wall some 80 miles north of Hadrian's
Wall), and once in Mauretania, each of which took considerable time and effort
to quell. Lesser disturbances occurred along the Rhine and Danube as well as in
Egypt and Judaea. Diplomacy at the end of Antoninus' reign prevented a conflict
with Parthia, which otherwise had been silent since the reign of Trajan.
Antoninus was frugal in his expenditures, and we find his
building programs are less extravagant than those of Trajan and Hadrian; indeed,
when he died there were some 675 million denarii in the treasury. His
personality was more balanced than that of his predecessor, as he was not prone
to cruelty or arrogant dictatorship. He also differed from Hadrian in that his
personal habits and preferences were more in line with traditional Roman
culture, and he is not known to have left Italy in his more than two decades as
emperor.
His solitary weakness, it seems, was women, and even in that he
was not ostentatious. Thanks to his tact and diplomacy, relations with the
senate improved greatly during his reign despite his opposition to sharing power
with that institution. Indeed, Antoninus reserved the right to make all serious
decisions after consulting with his own council. His beloved wife, Faustina
Senior, died a young woman during the third year of his reign, and he honored
her memory extensively.
In accordance with the wishes of Hadrian, Antoninus had adopted
both Lucius Verus and Marcus Aurelius, whom he groomed as his successors. While
the former was given few responsibilities, the latter was made Caesar in 139 and
held that title for more than two decades before he became emperor. Antoninus
Pius' principate was the height of the Pax Romana, during which the
fruits of many centuries of Roman labor were enjoyed. Hardly a more ideal reign
existed than his in which the 900th anniversary of Rome's foundation should be
celebrated. This was the most important event of his reign, and was commemorated
with a series of coins.
After a productive (if not extraordinary) reign of 22 years, the
74-year-old Antoninus died of natural causes at his palace in Etruria on March
7, 161. In accordance with the wishes of Hadrian, he was succeeded in an orderly
manner by Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. |
