Under Trajan, who ruled in 98-117, the Roman Empire reached its peak. This emperor had 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 enjoyed stability and prosperity for two decades.
Origin
The future emperor Trajan was born on September 18, 53 in the city of Italica, in the province of Baetica. Today it is the territory of Spain. In ancient times, it attracted all kinds of colonists. The homeland of Emperor Trajan was the subject of a heated dispute between Rome and Carthage. The boy's family descended from soldiers who, during the Second Punic War, were resettled in Italy by the famous Scipio. Initially, the ancestors of Trajan were from the Umbrian city of Tudera. Thus, this was the first Roman emperor who came from a colonial family who achieved notable success in a distant province.
Trajan's own father was governor in Syria. It is known that in 76 the future Caesar did military service there. When the empire was stirred up by the uprising of Saturninus, he was already the commander of the legion and took an active part in suppressing the rebellion. For contribution to the victory overTrojan became a consul in 91. In 1997, he was made commander of the troops in Upper Germany, where there was a constant war with the barbarians.
Nerva's Heir
Trajan's predecessor on the throne, Emperor Nerva, a lawyer by training, 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 passed from father to son, but this principle had many flaws, which is why there were regular uprisings of the guards and the army. Nerva proposed a procedure according to which the incumbent emperor appointed his successor according to his personal qualities and merit. At the same time, the heir could not be a relative of the ruler. In order to make the transfer of the throne legitimate, Nerva established the tradition of adopting successors. He did not hesitate for a long time with the candidacy of the heir.
In 97, Trajan, popular in the army, who was in Germany, learned that the emperor decided to adopt him. He soon officially became co-ruler of Nerva. And a few weeks later, at the beginning of 98, it became known about the death of the emperor. Trajan learned about this news in Cologne. To the surprise of all his entourage and nobility, 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 flowering of the entire Roman Empire. Sovereignenjoyed universal support in the army, which became a reliable pillar of his power. Trajan's two main friends and associates were his generals Julius Urs Servian and Lucius Licinius Sura.
As soon as a native of Italica became the ruler, he immediately initiated the forced construction of roads on the borders along the right bank of the Rhine and along the Danube to the Black Sea. In 98 and 99 the emperor Trajan reorganized the protection of the Roman frontiers in this region. His haste was justified: on the middle reaches of the Danube, the state was threatened by the Marcomanni and other Germanic tribes. And only after making sure that the borders were safe, Trajan finally returned to Rome. It was autumn 1999.
Conflict with Decebalus
The main military enterprise of the Roman Empire in the era of Trajan was its confrontation with the Dacians - a group of Thracian tribes who lived in modern Romania. In 87 - 106 years. this people was ruled by Decebalus. Border skirmishes regularly took place between the Romans and the Dacians. Emperor Trajan was engaged in the construction of communications on the Danube also 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.
Trajan decided on a significant offensive, hoping to stop the stabilization of Decebalus' power. This strategy was a classic empire move. The Romans did not tolerate strong neighbors around them, it was they who owned the famous slogan "Divide and rule!". Thus, the defeat of Decebalus was supposed tobecome a preventive measure necessary for the further tranquility of the empire. The Lower Danube and the Carpathians also attracted Trajan with rumors of rich mineral deposits.
Dacian War
In 101, the Senate declared war on Decebalus. Emperor Trajan himself led the army, which went on a long campaign. Her main camp was Viminatia in Upper Moesia. With the help of a pontoon bridge, the Roman troops crossed the Danube and moved deep into Dacia. In the autumn of 101, they attacked the camp of Decebalus, located in the famous Iron Gate Gorge. The Dacian leader had to retreat to the mountains.
When the Romans began to move into Transylvania, the opponents penetrated into Moesia Inferior, moving the epicenter of the war to the Lower Danube. In February 102, the bloodiest battle of that campaign took place. Near Adamklissi, at the cost of the lives of 4,000 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 battle, on which the names of the dead were engraved.
In 102, Decebalus accepted the tough conditions of the Romans. He handed over to the empire all the lands occupied by its army, significantly limited his power in Dacia, surrendered military equipment and weapons, extradited all defectors and refused to recruit legionnaires. 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 of Dac. In December 102, he traditionally celebrated a well-deserved triumph.
Despite the defeat, Decebalus was not going to kneel beforethe Romans. For several years he prepared for a new clash with the empire. It began in 105. In response to the attacks of the Dacians from Rome, additional reinforcements arrived on the Danube (a total of 14 legions). They made up about half of the entire army of the empire.
Another war went on until the autumn of 106. On both sides, she was distinguished by particular bitterness. The barbarians fiercely resisted and even burned their own capital, Sarmizegetusa. In the end, Decebalus was finally defeated, and his severed head was sent as a trophy to Rome, where, according to ancient custom, it was thrown into the mud. In the devastated Dacia, Trajan established another imperial province.
Trajan the Builder
In ancient history, there were few sovereigns as passionate about building 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 this day. After the victory over 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 km long bridge stood on 20 pillars and was one of the most impressive structures of its era.
Many buildings from the time of Trajan were named after him (for example, the famous column of Emperor Trajan). This attraction appeared on the Roman Forum in 113. It was erected in memory of the victories over the Dacians. The column was made of valuable Carrara marble. Together with the pedestal, its height reached 38 meters. Placed inside the hollow structurespiral staircase leading to the observation deck. The craftsmen covered the trunk with reliefs depicting episodes of the Dacian War.
Accession of Nabatea
In 106, Emperor Trajan, whose brief biography is an example of a man who was not parted from the army, turned his gaze to the east. The Romans first visited Arabia in the year 25, when the expedition of Elius Gala went there. Trajan himself knew the east well, having served in Syria in his youth. The neighbor of the empire here was Nabatea. Just in that year, strife began in it, caused by the death of King Rabil. Fortune favored the empire. The Romans easily occupied territories from the Gulf of Aqaba to Hauran. In this region, the province of Arabia was formed, directly subordinate to the princeps.
The biography of Emperor Trajan shows that he had a deep state mind and rational prudence. In the case of the occupation of Nabatea, he was guided by commercial and political considerations. The captured kingdom was the last small state on the eastern borders of the empire. The absorption made it possible to more reliably protect Egypt and Syria from raids.
As in Dacia in Arabia, active construction immediately began. Roads, fortifications and surveillance systems appeared. Their task was to control the routes of caravans and oases in the border zone. Batra became the capital of the province, where Trajan sent the VI Zhedezny legion. The second most important center was Petra. This city has long been famous for its beautiful temples and gardens. developmentthe province was promoted by trade in rare Indian goods (in 107, an Indian embassy even arrived in Rome).
Trajan the colonizer
Contemporaries called their princips only "the best Emperor Trajan". Indeed, its contagious activity gave a noticeable impetus to the development of the entire empire. Under Trajan, the colonial activity of the Romans reached its peak. He was also involved in the settlement of North Africa. In the year 100, a new colony was founded in the Numidian Tamugadi, where there had been an ancient Punic post.
Cities that appeared in the era of Trajan received a similar layout. They had a clear rectangular shape. There was a forum in the middle. Mandatory attributes of the Roman colony were theatres, libraries and terms (characteristic pillars with human busts). Modern archaeologists have especially learned a lot about such settlements founded specifically 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 Trajan was not involved in internal affairs. One of the reasons for the stability of the empire of that period was its ability to skillfully deal with all classes and strata of Roman society. First of all, the princeps was distinguished by a delicate attitude towards the senate. "First among equals" - that's how Emperor Trajan was, according to his official rhetoric. He knew how to temper his pride when it came to matters of state.
At the same time withSenate Trajan was unspeakably lucky. His predecessor Domitian eliminated the opposition in this assembly in the form of the old Italian and Roman aristocracy. The Senate was filled with immigrants from the provinces - exactly the same as Trajan himself, with whom it was noticeably easier to negotiate than with members of eminent families from the capital.
With regard to the horsemen (equites), the emperor continued the course begun by Domitian. This privileged estate played an important role in the political life of Rome. Trajan gradually endowed them with new powers. So the management of finances and imperial property passed to the equites. The princeps expanded the list of managerial positions that the horsemen could hold.
As for ordinary people, they quickly fell in love with such a ruler, which was Emperor Trajan. The short biography of the crowned bearer is full of episodes when, on various occasions, he distributed generous donations to commoners. Several thousand plebeian children were given access to the free distribution of grain. Under Trajan, games and other popular mass spectacles were constantly arranged in Rome. He did a lot in order not to acquire the halo of a tyrant, with which many of his successors went down in history. After gaining power, the ruler defiantly repealed 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, in spite of everything, remained a region closely followed by Trajan. The Roman emperor was sensitive to anyany important events on the Asian frontier. At a certain point, Armenia became the cause of Trajan's concern. It was equally dependent on Rome and Parthia, between which it was located. In 112, Partamazirid sat on the Armenian throne. He was appointed by the Parthian king Chosroes. The problem was that a new monarch had replaced Axidares, a loyal vassal of the empire.
The suspicious activity of Chosroes annoyed Rome. Emperor Trajan himself could not but react to it. Interesting facts concerning his diplomatic decisions are known to modern historians thanks to the surviving archive and especially the correspondence of the princeps with the writer and lawyer Pliny the Younger. At first, after the Armenian dispute arose, Trajan tried to reach an agreement with the Parthian king through negotiations. Khosroes persisted, and verbal exhortations came to nothing.
Then Trajan went to Antioch. It was January 114. Due to Parthian activity, riots broke out in the border region, but they subsided as soon as the emperor arrived there. Trajan, whose photo of busts is in every textbook on the history of antiquity, was stately, strong and handsome. In addition, he was a good speaker and knew how to influence the audience. Having calmed Antioch, Trajan led the army and advanced to Armenia. Partamazirid, who received him, defiantly took off his crown, hoping thereby to win the recognition of the Romans. The gesture didn't help. Partamazirid was deprived of power. After being deposed, he tried to escape. The Parthian appointee was caught and executed.
Death
In 115 the war with Parthia began. FirstTrajan traveled to Mesopotamia, where he overcame Khosran's vassals without much resistance. Then the Roman army moved in two columns down the Euphrates and Tigris. The legions occupied Babylon and the capital of Parthia, Ctesiphon. As a result of that war, the empire annexed new lands in Mesopotamia. In this region, the province of Assyria was formed. Trajan reached the Persian Gulf. Satisfied with the success of the army, he began to plan a campaign to India.
However, the hopes of the emperor did not come true. During the siege of Hatra, he fell seriously ill. I had to return to Antioch. There, Trajan was overtaken by an apoplexy, as a result of which he was partially paralyzed. The princeps died on August 9, 117 in the Cilician city of Selinus.
Interesting facts
Trajan left behind a lot of curious 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 Trajan, contrary to his predecessors, was distinguished by a rather tolerant attitude towards Christians. He forbade the acceptance of anonymous denunciations of supposed heretics and ruled out punishment for those who were willing to peacefully renounce their religion.
For the common people, Trajan became the personification of mercy and justice. When the emperor went on a campaign to Dacia at the gates of the capital, an ordinary Roman woman caught up with him. She begged Trajan to help save her son, who had been falsely convicted on malicious slander. Then the ruler stopped the army. He went to court, got his son acquitted, and only after that continued the campaign.
Trajan's relationship with the Senate is also curious. The electors often covered the secret ballot boards with jokes and swear words. Such behavior gave the emperor a lot of worries. The episode with the tablets clearly shows that the position of senator under Trajan, for all its honor, had no particular political significance.
