Antoninus Pius: Definition and Much More from Answers.com
- ️Wed Jul 01 2015
| Antoninus Pius | |
|---|---|
| Emperor of the Roman Empire | |
| Reign | 11 July 138 – July 10 161 |
| Full name | (Caesar) Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pontifex Maximus |
| Born | 19 September 86 |
| near Lanuvium | |
| Died | 7 March 161 |
| Lorium | |
| Buried | Hadrian's Mausoleum |
| Predecessor | Hadrian |
| Successor | Lucius Verus & Marcus Aurelius, then Marcus Aurelius alone |
| Wife/wives | Faustina |
| Issue | Faustina, one other daughter and two sons, all died before 138
(natural); Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus (adoptive) |
| Dynasty | Antonine |
| Father | Titus Aurelius Fulvus (natural); Hadrian (adoptive, from 25 February 138) |
| Mother | Daughter of Arrius Antoninus |
|
Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus Pius (September 19, 86–March 7 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors and a member of the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne. Almost certainly, he earned the name "Pius" because he compelled the Senate to deify Hadrian.
Marriage and issue
Antoninus' wife, Faustina the Elder, was criticised by the Historia Augusta, but she seems to have kept her hold on his affections to the last. On her death in the third year of his reign, he honoured her memory by the foundation of a charity for orphan girls, who bore the name of Alimentariae Faustinianae, following the practice of prior emperors in endowing an alimentaria to promote the welfare of children and an increased population. He had by her two sons and two daughters; but they all died before his elevation to the throne, except Faustina the Younger, who became the wife of Marcus Aurelius. The names of his children that didn't survive to adulthood were Marcus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus, Marcus Galerius Aurelius Antoninus and Aurelia Fadilla.
Sources
The only account of his life handed down to us is that of the Historia Augusta, an unreliable and mostly fabricated work. Antoninus is unique among Roman emperors in that he has no other biographies. Historians have therefore turned to public records for what details we know.
In later scholarship
Antoninus in many ways was the ideal of the landed gentleman praised not only by ancient Romans, but also by later scholars of classical history, such as Edward Gibbon or the author of the article on Antoninus Pius in the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica:
| “ | A few months afterwards, on Hadrian's death, he was enthusiastically welcomed to the throne by the Roman people, who, for once, were not disappointed in their anticipation of a happy reign. For Antoninus came to his new office with simple tastes, kindly disposition, extensive experience, a well-trained intelligence and the sincerest desire for the welfare of his subjects. Instead of plundering to support his prodigality, he emptied his private treasury to assist distressed provinces and cities, and everywhere exercised rigid economy (hence the nickname κυμινοπριστης "cummin-splitter"). Instead of exaggerating into treason whatever was susceptible of unfavorable interpretation, he spurned the very conspiracies that were formed against him into opportunities for demonstrating his clemency. Instead of stirring up persecution against the Christians, he extended to them the strong hand of his protection throughout the empire. Rather than give occasion to that oppression which he regarded as inseparable from an emperor's progress through his dominions, he was content to spend all the years of his reign in Rome, or its neighbourhood. | ” |
References
- Bossart-Mueller, Zur Geschichte des Kaisers A. (1868)
- Lacour-Gayet, A. le Pieux et son Temps (1888)
- Bryant, The Reign of Antonine (Cambridge Historical Essays, 1895)
- P. B. Watson, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (London, 1884), chap. ii.
- W. Hüttl, Antoninus Pius vol. I & II, Prag 1933 & 1936.
| Preceded by Hadrian and Publius Dasumius Rusticus |
Consul
of the Roman Empire with Lucius Catilius Severus Iulianus Claudius
Reginus 120 |
Succeeded by Marcus Annius Verus and Cnaeus Arrius Augur |
| Preceded by: Hadrian |
Roman Emperor 138–161 |
Succeeded by: Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus |
| Five Good Emperors 96 –180 |
||
| Antonine dynasty 138 –192 |
||
| Nervan-Antonian Dynasty 96 –192 |
||
| Preceded by Kanus Iunius Niger and Gaius Pomponius Camerinus |
Consul
of the Roman Empire 139-140 |
Succeeded by Titus Hoenius Severus and Marcus Peducaeus Stloga Priscinus |
| Preceded by Lollianus and Titus Statilius Maximus |
Consul
of the Roman Empire with Marcus Aurelius 145 |
Succeeded by Sextus Erucius Clarus and Cnaeus Claudius Severus Arabianus |
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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