The first of the Five Good Emperors
Nerva used his time in power to do good for the Romans |
Nerva had ensured that there would be a peaceful transition after his death by selecting the military commander Trajan as his heir in advance. Trajan went on to be a great success as an emperor and adopted Hadrian as his son to secure his dynasty. Nerva is consequently regarded as the first of five ‘good’ Roman emperors.
Marcus Cocceius Nerva was born in 30 AD in Narni in Umbria, but he did not become emperor himself until he was nearly 66 years old, having spent most of his life serving under Nero and his successors.
Nerva was part of Nero’s imperial entourage and he played a big part in exposing a conspiracy against the emperor in 65 AD. He then achieved high office under the two subsequent emperors, Vespasian and Domitian.
After Domitian was assassinated by guards and servants in his own palace on September 18, 96 AD, Nerva was declared as the next emperor by the Roman Senate on the same day.
As the new ruler of the Roman Empire, Nerva vowed to restore liberties that had not been allowed under the strict rule of Domitian and, as a gesture of goodwill, Nerva publicly swore that no senator would be put to death while he was in office.
He called an end to holding trials based on treason, released all those who had been imprisoned on such charges and granted an amnesty to those who had been exiled.
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The remains of the palace of Domitian on Palatine Hill, renamed by Nerva as the House of the People |
However, during his brief time as emperor, Nerva was never able to assume complete control over the Roman army and because he had no natural son of his own, a revolt by the Praetorian Guard, who briefly took him hostage, forced him to adopt a son and name him as his heir and successor.
Nerva chose Trajan, who was at that time a general in the army in charge of the Roman troops stationed at the German frontier.
During his time in power, Nerva tried to do some good for the people. He granted allotments of land to poor citizens and he is credited with establishing a system of trusts to provide for the maintenance of poor children throughout Italy. This benevolent policy was also adopted by Trajan and other emperors after him.
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The restored Mausoleum of Augustus, where Nerva's ashes were buried |
At the beginning of January in 98 AD, Nerva suffered a stroke and then developed a fever. He died of natural causes in his villa in the Gardens of Sallust on 27 January. He was deified by the Senate and his ashes were laid to rest in the Mausoleum of Augustus. He was the last Roman emperor to be interred there.
Nerva was succeeded by Trajan, who was greeted by the Roman citizens with great enthusiasm.
There is a modern equestrian statue of Nerva in Gloucester, in England, a Roman city that was founded in his honour. There is also a statue of him in his birthplace, Narni, in Umbria.
The Five Good Emperors was a description coined by the Renaissance political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli, who noted that while most emperors to succeed to the throne by birth were “bad” in his view, Nerva and his four immediate successors -Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, all of whom succeeded by adoption - enjoyed a reputation as benevolent dictators, governing by earning the good will of their subjects.
The Piazza Principale in Narni in Umbria, which has preserved much of its mediæval heritage |
Narni, where Nerva was born, is a hill town in the region of Umbria that is close to the exact geographical centre of Italy, with a stone in the town marking the precise spot. Narni has retained its mediæval appearance with stone buildings and narrow cobbled streets, but it is also famous for having the Ponte d’Augusto, one of the largest Roman bridges ever built. One arch of the bridge, which is still standing, is 30 metres (98 feet) high. Among other sights worth visiting are the church of Santa Maria Imprensole, considered the jewel of Narni's Romanesque architecture, and the recently restored castle, the Rocca Albornoziana, which was erected in the last half of the 14th century. A big draw for visitors is Narni Underground, a tourist itinerary through subterranean passages, caves, tunnels and ancient aqueducts of the city. The imaginary land of Narnia, featured in the works of author C S Lewis, is named after Narni, which was a place name he came across in an atlas that he looked at when he was a child.
A section of ruins that were part of the Horti Sallustiani |
The Gardens of Sallust - Horti Sallustiani - was a Roman estate that included a landscaped pleasure garden developed by the historian Sallust in the 1st century BC. It occupied a large area of northeastern Rome between the Pincian and Quirinal hills, near the Via Salaria and later Porta Salaria. The modern rione - administrative district - in which it is situated is known as Sallustiano. The gardens featured elaborate landscaping, pavilions, fountains, and imaginative topiary arrangements. They were later maintained by Roman emperors as a public amenity and even served as a temporary residence for some. Among the greenery there were often arcades for walking away from the sun, spas, temples and statues, often replicas of Greek originals. Today, you can wander through the remnants, which still retain a touch of their former grandeur.
Also on this day:
98: Trajan becomes emperor of Rome
1861: Italy elects its first parliament
1881: The birth of mobster Frank Nitti
1901: The death of opera composer Guiseppe Verdi
1927: The birth of novelist Giovanni Arpino
1962: The birth of musician and composer Roberto Paci Dalò
1974: The birth of crime writer Marco Malvadi