The Adoptive Emperors : Hadrian

Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus 117 - 138 AD

Born: 24th January 76 AD at Rome
Date of Accession: 11th August 117 AD
Died: 10th July 138 AD at Baiae

Governors of Britannia during his reign:

Marcus Appius Bradua (perhaps) 117 – 118 AD
Quintus Pompeius Falco 118 – 122 AD
Aulus Platorius Nepos 122 – 125 AD
Trebius Germanus (perhaps) c. 127 AD
Sextus Julius Severus 131 – 133 AD
Publius Mummius Sisenna 133 – c. 135 AD
Unknown 135 – 138 AD

Hadrian’s accession to power came about under a shroud of mystery and intrigue.
Hadrian was a favourite of Trajan’s wife, the doughty Empress Plotina. In fairness some family links did exist however doubts have been cast on the validity of the claim that Trajan adopted Hadrian on his deathbed and the suspicion that Plotina engineered or even fabricated the episode is quite possible.

Aurelius Victor described Hadrian as a man;
“ more suited to eloquence and the studies of peacetime”.

Indeed Hadrian’s reign is characterised by his many building programmes in Rome and across the Empire.
He travelled extensively, touring the Empire for much of his reign and some of the architectural styles and sculptural work at his villa near Tivoli reflect these travels.
The Pantheon in Rome still stands today and its impressive coffered roof remained the largest unsupported single span dome until the creation of Florence Cathedral in the Renaissance.

Hadrian

The general verdict of Hadrian is that he was a capable - if unloved ruler; among his first acts for instance were to abandon the less tenable gains of Trajan in the east, not by any stretch of the imagination an easy or popular decision to take.

Further he eschewed military adventure and expansionism, delineating many of the Empires’ borders with the innovation of defensive frontiers complete with a continuous running barrier.
By far the strongest built, though not the longest was that which Hadrian had built close to the Stanegate line and which now bears his name: Hadrian’s Wall.

This lies close on to territory of southern Scotland that had seen fighting for much of the preceding years of the 2nd C AD; the Ninth Hispana legion in all likelihood had been lost to the north in the war that broke out on Hadrian’s accession to power in 117 AD only a few years earlier.
Like Armenia and Mesopotamia Hadrian evidently judged southern Scotland too problematic and abandoned such failed attempts to hold it down.

Building, manning and supplying the wall and its garrisons was a massive undertaking, designed to deter raiding from the north as well as providing a strong garrison with which to counter invasion (as had occurred recently).

However its monumental form of construction meant – as design changes were introduced to increase its immediate garrison further during construction – that it was substantially complete probably only when Hadrian died in 138 AD.

The actions of Hadrian’s successor Antoninus Pius in the years that followed showed that Rome still had an active interest in southern and central Scotland, and as Pius built in more practical turf it suggests the military were only too well aware of the unnecessary cost and time required to build so flamboyantly.

A vindictive streak is apparent though in Hadrian; he remained deeply mistrusted by the senate after having four of their number murdered at the time of his accession though he vigorously denied this. Also the troublesome revolt in Judea of Simon Bar Kochba in the early 130’s AD was put down with ruthless savagery and ancient Jerusalem flattened to make way for a Hadrianic replacement: Aelia Capitolina.

In later years, especially after the death of his familiar, Hadrian became ill, withdrawn and suspicious. Eventually in failing health he handed power over to his adopted son, Antoninus Pius dying shortly afterwards at the pleasure resort of Baiae.

Hadrian is seen by many these days as a complex character and his legacy of building works still outshine those of most other Emperors. Ultimately he was disliked primarily by the senatorial class but he would be neither the first nor the last Emperor whose epitaph would be so coloured – fairly or unfairly – by the harsh judgements contained in their writings.

Return to the The Adoptive Emperors

SPQR