Who were the Five Good Emperors?

The Five Good Emperors were a group of five Roman rulers—Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius—who governed the Roman Empire consecutively from 96 AD to 180 AD. Their era is particularly notable because each reigning emperor lacked a direct male heir and instead chose a successor through adoption, a practice that ended when Marcus Aurelius named his son Commodus to succeed him.

What we know

• The Five Good Emperors comprised Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius. [2, 3]
• The first five successions within the Nerva-Antonine dynasty were notable because reigning emperors adopted their chosen successors rather than passing power to a biological male heir. [2]
• Marcus Aurelius naming his son Commodus as his heir marked a turning point that was viewed by contemporary observers and later historians as the beginning of the Roman Empire's decline. [2, 3]

Where to go next

• what caused itWhat caused the Year of the Five Emperors?
• what followedHow did Commodus's reign change Rome?
• how it workedHow did Roman adoption law secure succession?
• how we knowWhat did Cassius Dio write about the Nerva-Antonine dynasty?
• the bigger pictureWhat was the Nerva-Antonine dynasty?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a murder lead to the Year of the Five Emperors?The assassination of Commodus brought the Nerva-Antonine dynasty to a sudden end, triggering a turbulent succession crisis known as the Year of the Five Emperors.

Sources

• [1]Nerva–Antonine dynasty (Wikidata Q3202662) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Nerva–Antonine dynasty · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]History of the Roman Empire · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]List of Roman emperors · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Five Emperors · CC BY-SA 4.0