The "Five Good Emperors"

Antoninus Pius (138-161)

This emperor was extremely popular in his own day and in succeeding generations, yet we actually know rather less about him that about Trajan or Hadrian. We do know that he contrasted in many ways with Hadrian, most notably in that he never left Italy for the duration of his reign. He spent much of his time at a villa near his birthplace, living the life of a Roman country noble.

This period was not completely free of war, but it was twenty of the calmest years the Empire would ever know. Antoninus was given the honorific “Pius” by a grateful Senate.   He, too, was childless, and early in his reign chose Marcus Aurelius as his successor. When Antoninus died on 7 March 161, Marcus Aurelius succeeded without a murmur from either the army or the Senate.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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