Under Trajan, who ruled from 98-117, the Roman Empire reached its peak. This emperor conducted several successful wars with neighbors, was engaged in the construction of cities and the colonization of new lands. He managed to find a common language with all sectors of Roman society, thanks to which the empire for two decades enjoyed stability and prosperity.
Origin
The future emperor Traian was born on September 18, 53 in the city of Italica, in the province of Betica. Today it is the territory of Spain. In the ancient era, it attracted all kinds of colonists. The homeland of Emperor Trajan was the subject of a heated debate between Rome and Carthage. The boy's family came from soldiers who, during the Second Punic War , moved the famous Scipio to Italy. Initially, the ancestors of Trajan were from the Umbrian city of Tuder. Thus, it was the first Roman emperor who came from a colonial clan who had achieved notable success in a distant province.
Trajan's father was the governor in Syria. It is known that in 76, the future Caesar served there. When the empire was stirred up by the rebellion of Saturnin, he was already the commander of the legion and took an active part in suppressing the rebellion. In 91, Trayan became consul for his contribution to the victory over the troublemaker. In 97 he was made commander of troops in Upper Germany, where there was a constant war with the barbarians.
Heir of the Nerves
Trajan’s predecessor on the throne, Emperor Nerva, trained as a lawyer, came up with a political system that ensured the prosperity of the Roman state for the next century. Prior to that, power in the Eternal City was transferred from father to son, but this principle had many flaws, because of which there were regular uprisings of the guards and the army. Nerva proposed an order according to which the incumbent emperor appointed his successor according to his personal qualities and merits. In this case, the heir may not be a relative of the ruler. In order to make the transfer of the throne legitimate, Nerve laid the tradition of adoption of successors. He did not hesitate long with the candidacy of the heir.
In 97, Traian, who was popular in the army and was in Germany, found out that the emperor decided to adopt him. Soon, he officially became the co-ruler of Nerva. And a few weeks later, at the beginning of 98, it became known about the death of the emperor. Traian found out about this news in Cologne. To the surprise of all his associates and nobles, the new emperor (he also received the title of Princeps) did not return to Rome, but remained on the Rhine. The far-sighted military leader decided not to waste time on the ceremonial, but instead continued to strengthen the border.
The reign of Emperor Trajan, which began with this amazing episode, turned out to be the era of the highest prosperity of the entire Roman Empire. The sovereign enjoyed universal support in the army, which became a reliable pillar of his power. The two main friends and associates of Trajan were his military leaders Julius Urs Servian and Lucius Licinius Sura.
As soon as a native of Italy became ruler, he immediately initiated forced construction of roads on the borders on the right bank of the Rhine and along the Danube to the Black Sea. In 98 and 99, Emperor Trajan reorganized the protection of Roman borders in this region. His haste was justified: on the middle reaches of the Danube, the state was threatened by the Marcomances and other Germanic tribes. And only having assured himself of the security of the borders, Trajan finally returned to Rome. It was the fall of 99.
Conflict with Decebal
The main military enterprise of the Roman Empire in the era of Trajan was its confrontation with the Dacians - a group of Thracian tribes living in modern Romania. In 87 - 106 years. Decebalus ruled these people. Border skirmishes regularly took place between the Romans and the Dacians. Emperor Traian was also involved in the construction of communications on the Danube in order to have convenient roads for the rapid advance of the legions into this important area. During the period of the greatest escalation of the conflict, about 100 thousand Roman soldiers were concentrated on the border with Dacia.
Traian decided on a significant offensive, hoping to stop the stabilization of the power of Decebal. This strategy was a classic move of the empire. The Romans did not tolerate strong neighbors around them, they belonged to the famous slogan "Divide and conquer!" Thus, the defeat of Decebalus was to become the preventive measure necessary for the further tranquility of the empire. The Lower Danube and the Carpathians attracted Trayan also by rumors about the rich deposits of minerals.
Dacian war
In 101, the Senate declared war on Decebalu. Emperor Trajan himself led the army, which went on a long campaign. Her main camp was Vimination in Upper Moesia. Using a pontoon bridge, Roman troops crossed the Danube and moved deeper into Dacia. In the fall of 101, they attacked the Decebala camp, located in the famous Iron Gate. The Dacian leader had to retreat to the mountains.
When the Romans began to advance into Transylvania, opponents penetrated into Lower Moesia, moving the epicenter of the war to the Lower Danube. In February 102, the most bloody battle of that campaign took place. Near Adamclissi, at the cost of the life of 4 thousand soldiers, the emperor of Rome Trajan defeated the Dacians. In honor of that victory, a huge mausoleum, monumental monuments and a grave altar were built on the site of the battlefield, on which the names of the dead were knocked out.
In 102, Decebalus accepted the harsh conditions of the Romans. He handed over to the empire all the lands occupied by her army, significantly limited his power in Dacia, surrendered military equipment and weapons, issued all defectors and refused to recruit legionaries. In fact, Decebalus became a vassal of Rome and began to coordinate his foreign policy with him. In honor of the war won contemporaries began to call Trajan Daksky. In December 102, he traditionally celebrated a well-deserved triumph.
Despite the defeat, Decebalus was not going to kneel before the Romans. For several years he was preparing for a new clash with the empire. It began in the year 105. In response to the attacks of the Dacians from Rome to the Danube, additional reinforcements arrived (a total of 14 legions). They made up approximately half the entire army of the empire.
Another war went on until the fall of 106. On both sides, she was particularly fierce. The barbarians fiercely resisted and even burned their own capital, Sarmisegetusu. In the end, Decebalus was finally defeated, and his severed head was sent to Rome as a trophy, where, according to the ancient custom, they threw it into the mud. In the devastated Dacia, Trajan established another imperial province.
Trajan the builder
In ancient history there were few sovereigns who were so keen on construction as Emperor Trajan. A brief biography of this ruler is associated with the appearance of many architectural monuments. The ruins of some of them have survived to the present day. After defeating the Dacians, Trajan ordered the construction of a large stone bridge across the Danube. The author of the design was the famous architect Apollodorus of Damascus. The 1.2-kilometer long bridge stood on 20 piers and was one of the most impressive structures of its era.
Many buildings of the times of Trajan received his name (for example, the famous column of Emperor Trajan). This attraction appeared on the Roman forum in 113. She was erected in memory of victories over the Dacians. The column was made of valuable Carrara marble. Together with the pedestal, its height reached 38 meters. Inside the hollow structure, they set up a spiral staircase leading to the observation deck. Masters covered the trunk with reliefs depicting episodes of the Dacian war.
Joining Nabatea
In 106, Emperor Traian, whose brief biography is an example of a man who was not separated from the army, turned his eyes to the east. For the first time the Romans visited Arabia in the year 25, when the expedition Eliya Gala set off there. Trajan himself knew the east well, since in his youth he served in Syria. The empire's neighbor was Nabatea. Just in that year, strife began in it, caused by the death of King Rabila. Fortune smiled at the empire. The Romans easily occupied territories from the Gulf of Aqaba to Hauran. In this region, the province of Arabia was formed, directly reporting to princes.
The biography of Emperor Trajan shows that he possessed a deep state mind and rational prudence. In the case of the occupation of Nabatea, he was guided by trade and political considerations. The captured kingdom was the last small state on the eastern frontiers of the empire. The absorption allowed to more reliably protect Egypt and Syria from raids.
As in Dacia, in Arabia, construction began immediately. Roads, fortifications, and surveillance systems appeared. Their task was to control the caravan routes and oases in the border zone. Batra became the provincial capital, where Trajan sent the VI Railway Legion. The second most important center was Petra. This city has long been famous for its beautiful temples and gardens. The development of the province was facilitated by the trade in rare Indian goods (in 107, the Indian embassy even arrived in Rome).
Trajan colonizer
Contemporaries called their principle nothing more than "the best emperor Trajan." Indeed, his infectious activity gave a significant impetus to the development of the entire empire. Under Trajan, the Roman colonial activity reached its peak. He was engaged in the settlement of North Africa. In 100, a new colony was founded in the Numidian Tamugadi, where before that there was an ancient Punian post.
Cities that appeared in the era of Trajan received a similar layout. They had a clear rectangular shape. In the middle was a forum. Mandatory attributes of the Roman colony were theaters, libraries and thermae (characteristic pillars with human busts). Modern archaeologists have learned a lot about such settlements founded precisely in North Africa, since the ruins of these cities are perfectly preserved thanks to the desert sands.
Domestic policy
Initiative in colonization and external wars did not mean that Trayan was not involved in internal affairs. One of the reasons for the stability of the empire of that period was its ability to skillfully handle all classes and layers of Roman society. First of all, the princeps was distinguished by its delicate attitude towards the senate. “First among equals” —that was what Emperor Trajan was, according to his official rhetoric. He knew how to moderate pride when it came to government affairs.
At the same time, Trayan was incredibly lucky with the Senate. His predecessor Domitian eliminated the opposition in the collection in the person of the old Italian and Roman aristocracy. The senate was filled with natives of the provinces - exactly the same as Trayan himself, with whom it was much easier to negotiate with him than with members of eminent metropolitan families.
In relation to the riders (equities), the emperor continued the course begun by Domitian. This privileged estate played an important role in the political life of Rome. Traian gradually gave them new powers. Thus, the management of finances and imperial property was transferred to equities. Princeps expanded the list of managerial positions that riders could hold.
As for the ordinary people, he quickly fell in love with such a ruler, who was Emperor Trajan. A brief biography of the crown-bearer is full of episodes when, on various occasions, he gave generous donations to commoners. Several thousand plebeian children received admission to grain distributed free of charge. Under Trajan, games and other popular mass shows were constantly held in Rome. He did a lot to not get a halo of a tyrant, with whom many of his successors went down in history. Having gained power, the ruler defiantly repealed the laws according to which people were tried for insulting the emperor.
Armenian dispute
Against the backdrop of an active domestic policy and economic improvement of the state, the East, despite everything, remained a region, which Trayan was closely following. The Roman emperor was sensitive to any important events on the Asian border. At some point, Trayan became worried about Armenia. She equally depended on Rome and Parthia, between which was located. In 112, Partamazirid sat on the Armenian throne. He was the appointee of the Parthian king Khosroy. The problem was that the new monarch replaced Axidares, the faithful vassal of the empire.
Hosroy's suspicious activity irritated Rome. Emperor Trajan himself could not help but react to it. Interesting facts regarding his diplomatic decisions are known to modern historians thanks to the preserved archive and especially the correspondence between the Princeps and writer and lawyer Pliny the Younger. For the first time since the Armenian dispute, Trayan tried to negotiate with the Parthian king. Hosroy persisted, and verbal admonitions did not lead to anything.
Then Trajan went to Antioch. It was January 114. Due to Parthian activity in the border region, unrest began, but they subsided as soon as the emperor arrived. Trayan, whose bust photo is in every textbook on the history of antiquity, was stately, strong and beautiful. In addition, he was a good speaker and was able to influence the audience. Reassuring Antioch, Trayan led the army and advanced to Armenia. Partamaziride, who accepted it, defiantly stripped off his crown, hoping thereby to gain recognition of the Romans. The gesture did not help. Partamaziride was deprived of power. After deposition, he tried to escape. The Parthian appointee was caught and executed.
Death
In 115, the war with Parthia began. First, Trayan went to Mesopotamia, where, without much resistance, he defeated the vassals of Hosran. Then the Roman army moved in two columns downstream of the Euphrates and Tigris. The legions occupied Babylon and the capital of Parthia, Ctesiphon. Following the results of that war, the empire annexed new lands in Mesopotamia. The province of Assyria was formed in this region. Trajan reached the Persian Gulf. Satisfied with the success of the army, he began to plan a campaign to India.
However, the emperor’s hopes did not come true. During the siege of Khatra, he became seriously ill. I had to return to Antioch. There Trayan was overtaken by an apoplexy blow, as a result of which he was partially paralyzed. Princeps died on August 9, 117 in the Cilician city of Selinus.
Interesting Facts
Traian left behind many interesting testimonies about his life. The Roman emperor, interesting facts about which attracted the attention of biographers and writers of various eras, corresponded a lot with Pliny the Younger. Their correspondence has become an important monument of the era. Thanks to her, it became known that Traian, contrary to his predecessors, was distinguished by a rather tolerant attitude towards Christians. He forbade accepting anonymous denunciations of alleged heretics and ruled out punishment for those who were ready to peacefully abandon their religion.
For ordinary people, Trajan became the personification of mercy and justice. When the emperor went on a campaign in Dacia at the gates of the capital, an ordinary Roman woman caught up with him. She begged Trajan to help save her son, falsely convicted of malicious slander. Then the ruler stopped the army. He went to court, got his son acquitted, and only after that continued the campaign.
Trayan’s relations with the Senate are also curious. Electors often scribbled tablets designed for secret balloting with jokes and curses. This behavior brought the emperor a lot of worries. The episode with tablets clearly shows that the post of senator under Trayan, for all his honor, did not have much political significance.