Antoninus Pius
86 – 161 · Generation IX · Roman emperor (r. AD 138–161) · Nerva–Antonine
Antoninus (AD 86 – AD 161). Roman emperor (r. AD 138–161). Married Faustina around AD 112. Adopted by Hadrian on condition he adopt two heirs in turn; twenty-three years of almost eventless calm. Born to a senatorial family, he had held a string of offices under Hadrian before the succession found him. The name “Pius” came with the throne — earned, it was said, either for pressing a reluctant Senate into declaring his adoptive father a god, or for sparing senators the old emperor had marked for death. The one notable campaign of his reign, in southern Scotland, ended with the raising of the Antonine Wall; otherwise no major revolt or invasion disturbed the peace. He governed rather than fought: his heirs inherited a well-stocked treasury, free drinking water reached more of the empire, the law grew more uniform, and freed slaves found it easier to make good their liberty. He died of illness, leaving the empire jointly to his adopted sons Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.
One of 12 people of Nerva–Antonine (30–192) in this archive. The adoptive emperors: for four reigns the purple passed to a chosen heir rather than a born one.
Line of descent: Nerva Cocceius → Trajan Optimus → Hadrian Aelius → Antoninus Pius.
Parents
- Hadrian Aelius (76 – 138)
Partners
- Married Faustina the Elder (100 – 140) in 112 — one child together
Children
- Faustina the Younger (130 – 175)
- Lucius Verus (130 – 169)
- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121 – 180)
Life
- 86 — Born
- 112 — Married Faustina
- 161 — Died