Antoninus Pius
| Antoninus Pius was a Roman emperor who ruled from 138 to 161. He is the fourth Emperor from what is referred to as the Five Good Emperors and he was a part of Aurelii. The title "Pius" was not added to his name until he had become the Emperor. |  |
Many historians believe that the reason he was given the title "Pius" is because he asked the Senate to deify Hadrian, the previous emperor. He was born the son of a consul, and once his father had died, he was raised by his grandfather and who was known by many to be very cultured and loyal. As a adult Antoninus Pius gained a number of important office positions. He would become both praetor and quaestor, and he would even become consul in the year 120. He gained the favour of Hadrian, and he was chosen to serve as one of the four proconsuls that would govern Italia. He gained a powerful reputation by his actions once he became a proconsul of Asia. Hadrian eventually decided to adopt him as a soon, and he was soon named the successor to the Roman throne. One of the reasons Hadrian adopted him was because of the death of his own adopted son. However, the condition for Hadrian adopting Antoninus Pius was that he had to adopt Marcus Annius Verus in return. Antoninus
Pius carried out a number of tasks once he became emperor. One of the first things he did was to ask the Senate to give divine honours to Hadrian. At first, the Senate refused to do this, but his persistent efforts for them to carry out this task allowed him to gain the title "Pious".
Antoninus Pius was a great emperor who engaged in a number of public works projects. He constructed temples, mausoleums, and other advanced structures. Unlike many Roman emperors before him, he placed a high emphasis on education. He was known for giving teachers are large number of accolations. For the most part, his reign was marked with peace. There were a few disturbances, but none of these were considered to be detrimental to the security of the kingdom.
Another thing that separates Antoninus Pius from other Roman emperors is that he would often deal with problems without having to leave Roman. He would deal with many of these issues through the governors that administered various regions. Many historians believe he had the Antonine Wall built in order to protect the region.
Original Authors: Stephen Palmer
Edit Update Authors: Ryan Norfolk
Updated On: 01/12/2006
