Nerva (30 AD to 98 AD)

The future Roman emperor Nerva was born on the 8th of November during the year 30 AD.He was born in Navia which was located in Umbria.His family was of senatorial origin and had had a history with the previous emperors.Nerva's great grandfather was consol in the year 36 AD as well his grandfather accompanied Tiberius to Capri in 26 AD.Nerva also had directblood connections to the Julio-Claudian line being that his mother was the great granddaughter of Tiberius.

In his early career Nerva did not seek to hold any millitary or public speaking career but he did manage to hold various priesthoods and the position of Praetor-desiginate.Nerva's career under the emperors took off when he uncovered a plot against the emperor Nero who ,as a result, rewarded him by giving him triumphural honours and placing his statues and busts throughout the imperial palace.Nerva's favour with the emperors continued into the Flavian dynasty and he had served as consol with Vespasian, in the year 71 AD, as well as with Domitan ,in 90 AD.Nerva,however,like all ranking men near the end of Domitans reign was looked at with much distrust with the unpopular and fearful emperor.It is around this time that it is said that Nerva withdrew from public life for reasons that are unknown.

Upon the assination of Domitan in 96 AD,Nerva was made emperor by the senate and immediately set out to accomplish much in his brief reign.Upon his ascention,Nerva reputed many of Domitan's acts and descisions.He renamed Domitan's extravagant new palace in honour of the Roman people and lived in a more modest setting.Nerva also took an oath stating that he would not ever kill ,or harm, any member of the Senate.The new emperor also released prisioners and recalled any exiles of Domitan who were not guilty of any serious crimes.

In the area of civil works, Nerva made a few accomplishments during his brief reign.He dedicated the forum built by Domitan to connect the forum of Augstus to the Forum of Peace and it would be known as the Forum Nerva.Nerva also repaired the Colosseum ,which was damaged by a flood of the Tiber.Nerva also built many granaries and continued the policy of road building and repair which was started under the Flavians.

Nerva did not accomplish much by ways of millitary matters during his brief reign and the only known frontier action he is known to have taken is the establishment of veterans colonies in Africa.Financially,Nerva did not spend lavishly and he wanted a balanced budget for the empire.To accomplish this he cut down on a number of areas by cutting out many games and festivals to forbidding any gold or silver statues of himself to be constructed.Even with all this careful spending,Nerva still managed to help the lower class Roman people.He granted land allotments that were worth 60 million sestercies as well as exempting parents and their children from a 5 % tax.Also, he did alot to help the needy children and their families and he helped to put poor Roman children through school.

Since the assination of Domitan things did not go well between Nerva and the Praetorian Guard because they had been very loyal to the dead emperor and wantd Nerva to give up Domitan's assasins,which he refused to do.What followed was a total humiliation for Nerva, in which officers of the guard broke into the imperial residence , killed Nerva's closest advisors and friends and forced him to watch and thank them for their mutiny.This left Nerva concerned about the state of his authority and he immediately adopted Trajan as his sucessor who served with him as consol in 98 AD.

Nerva suffered a stroke suffered while hearing a private audience in 98 AD and died three weeks later.Upon his death,Nerva was immediately diefied by the senate and his ashes were put in the Mausoleum of Augstus.The sucession was quick and undisputed for Trajan and he became the next emperor of Rome.

Though he did not reign very long,Nerva's emperorship is important to history because he is consitered the first of "the five good emperors" under whom the empire would reach the peak of it's power and also the beginnings of it's long downfall.