Nerva (Latin: IMPERATOR•NERVA•CAESAR•AVGVSTVS•GERMANICVS) (November 8th 30 - January 25th 98) was Roman Emperor September 18th 96 with the January 25th 98. Although its reign was extremely short, it had the merit to what is called found commonly the dynasty of the Antonins, by choosing like successor the excellent general, Trajan.

Its beginnings

Nerva is born in 30 with Narnia in Ombrie. Its family enters to the Roman Sénat under Auguste. His/her father is a famous lawyer, and its fortune is large.

Nerva follows a traditional Cursus honorum: it is Questeur, then Préteur under Néron, then Consul into 71 with Titus as colleague. In 90, it shares this time the consulate with Domitien. The historians do not report that he exerted any government in a Roman Province.

In year 65, according to what Tacite ( Annales , XV) reports, it takes part in the repression of the Conjuration of Rammer warped against Néron and receives in reward the ornaments of the Triomphe, voted on order by the Sénat. Its triumphal images are then placed on the forum and its statue with the Palatin, jointly with those of the prefect of the court Tigellin.

In 93, he knows a short disgrace and exiles himself with Tarente. He succeeds in nevertheless crossing without problem the despotic reign of Domitien; it is a man cultivated and moderated, deprived of military experiment and fragile health - thus, he frequently vomits what he eats.

Its accession with the Empire

Nerva was informed of the plot against Domitien assembled by senators and the Préfet of the court Petronius Secundus. This explains the speed with which the Senate proclaims it on September 18th, 96, at the evening even of the assassination of Domitien. In the tread the Senate issues the Damnatio memoriae of Domitien, launching a movement of reaction followed with enthusiasm by the political community and the Roman population. The name of Domitien is hammered on all the public inscriptions. Begin a purging of the collaborators of Domitien, and a wave of lawsuit against the denouncers who caused and benefitted from the judgments exerted by Domitien.

The accession of Nerva causes however some sporadic oppositions in the army: XXIe legion mutine on the Rhine; VIIe legion is agitated in Pannonia, before being brought back to calm by the Dion philosopher of Prussia, which was exiled in this province. More threatening is the hostility of the Praetorian guards, which did not appreciate the assassination of Domitien, which had filled them favors.

Its work

Senator by his row, and moderated by character, Nerva puts an end to the absolutism of Domitien, and makes the oath that under his reign, no senator will be condemned to death. This oath will be repeated by its successors. He points out the personalities exiled by Domitien, while making soon cease the lawsuits against the partisans of Domitien, before they degenerate into uncontrolled repression.

The emperor succeeds in calming the Praetorian troops which would have liked that one decrees divine honors with the late emperor. A Donativum, distribution of money to the soldiers become traditional, their is granted.

The monetary emissions of Nerva greet the regime change: the reverses of the currencies praise LIBERTAS PVBLICA (public freedom), AEQVITAS AVGVSTI (the equity of Auguste), PROVIDENTIA SENATVS (Providence of the senate), and also CONCORDIA EXERCITVVM (harmony of the armies), apparently a call necessary.

Nerva managed to cleanse the imperial finances put at evil by and the war construction costs of Domitien, while promulgating some catégoriels tax reductions:

  • it forms a commission of five senators in charge of the economies on the public expenditure, and charges a praetor with arbitrating the litigations between the tax department and the taxpayers.
  • it reduces the loads of the Italian cities by putting at the account of the State the maintenance of the relays of the public post office (Cursus publicus).
  • it exempts to death duty direct the new citizens who have just acquired the Roman citizenship.
  • it abolishes the application of the fiscus judaïcus to the Prosélyte S which Domitien had promulgated. This individual tax poured by each Jew for the maintenance of the Temple of Jerusalem was collected with the profit of Rome since the destruction of the Temple. Domitien had generalized it towards 92 with the proselytes who followed Jewish manners without observing all the rites of them. That had given place to abuses humiliating on behalf of certain tax collectors, wanting to check judaïté of potential taxpayers.

Nerva supports the failing Italian agricultural activity: great fields are divided and distributed to the poor. It considers a system of loans to the modest farmers, whose interests would finance poor wire of family. Trajan will take again this abortive project.

In Rome, Nerva is restricted to complete the construction of the Forum transitorium started under Domitien, and constituting a passage of access (as its name indicates it) to different drilled: tightened between on the one hand the forum of César and the forum of Auguste, on the other hand the Forum of Peace, it opens on the old man Forum romanum. This forum transitorium will be also called forum of Nerva.

Its succession

At the end of 97, Nerva replaces Petronius Secundus at the post of prefect of the court by Casperius Aelianus, which already exerted this function under Domitien. It is an adventurous choice: Casperius Aelianus claims with its soldiers the head of the assassins of Domitien. Nerva yields and lets massacre Petronius Secundus and Parthenius. The emperor is then forced to make a public speech of thanks of this initiative. This takeover by force lets fear a crisis similar to that of 69, which saw the assassination of the emperor Galba by the Praetorian ones (see the Année of the four emperors).

But Nerva takes a judicious initiative: October 28th, 97, it adopts solemnly Trajan, legate of the higher Germanie, general of powerful Armée of the Rhine and soldier to tested competence. The Senate ratifies by granting to Trajan the title César, the power tribunician and the imperium majus. The Praetorian ones as remember the events of 69, and know as they will not make the weight vis-a-vis the legions. Taken of short, they must be inclined.

A victory of Trajan over the German ones still raises its prestige. It receives the title of Germanicus, which it divides with Nerva.

January 1st, 98, Nerva inaugurates the consulate with Trajan and dies a little later on January 25th, 98, after sixteen months of a short reign, but rich in happy initiatives: the succession is organized perfectly, the access to the imperial title opens with the provincial ones, and a long period of government in collaboration with the senators starts. Its economic support measures will be continued by its successors.

See too

Related bond

  • Dynasty of Antonins

Sources

  • the Roman Emperors , of François Zosso and Christian Zingg, 1995
  • general History of the Roman Empire , Paul Small, Editions of the Threshold, 1974

Names and titles

Successive names

  • 30, is born MARCVS•COCCEIVS•NERVA
  • 96, reaches the Empire: IMPERATOR•NERVA•CAESAR•AVGVSTVS
  • 97, it takes the title of Germanicus : IMPERATOR•NERVA•CAESAR•AVGVSTVS•GERMANICVS

Titles and magistratures

Titulature with its death

With its death in 98 its titulature was:
IMPERATOR•NERVA•CAESAR•AVGVSTVS•GERMANICVS, PONTIFEX•MAXIMVS, TRIBVNICIAE•POTESTATIS•II, IMPERATOR•II, CONSVL•IV, LORD'S PRAYER•PATRIAE
Note : Nerva was divinized by the Sénat.

Random links:List airline companies by country | Josiane Mathon | Commission agent | Jan Wong | Live the class

© 2007-2008 speedlook.com; article text available under the terms of GFDL, from fr.wikipedia.org