Antoninus Pius - The Good Emperor #15 Roman History Documentary Series
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- Antoninus, one of Rome's best Emperors, but his reign is almost forgotten and he has been written off as a stop-gap Emperor. But no other Emperor is so highly praised for his moral-character, for which he earned the additive Pius.
On this channel we focus on Roman History and right now we're doing a video on every Roman Emperor, if you're interested in that subscribe or watch the playlist here:
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Narration by: Alexander Dobby
www.alexanderdoddy.com
Sources:
John Malalas
Aelius Aristides
Historia Augusta
The Reign of Antoninus Pius - E.E. Bryant
Music:
Where Kings Walk - Jon Summer
Relaxing Roman Music - Aetas Romana
#Emperorsofrome #Romanemperors #SPQR #Romanhistory
The most boring, and therefore - outside of Augustus - the most successful of all Roman Emperors. When you rule the world for 23 years and no one remembers what you did, you did a great job.
Rome wasn't the world by any stretch.
@@shakiMiki For the then Romans and this guy maybe 😂 ; BTW If that was true then with whom did they trade with ? 🤣
So true.
@@RohanSingh-hy5ze I think he knows that Rome didn't literally rule the entire world.
Hahaha exactly !!! Love this comment ! Right on the money !
This paragraph from Marcus Aurelius' Meditations describing him has always really struck me:
"His character was an admirable combination of dignity and charm, and all of his duties were performed quietly and without fuss. He gave everyone the conviction that he spoke as he believed, and acted as he judged right. Bewilderment or timidity were unknown to him. He was never hasty, never sluggish, nothing found him at a loss. He indulged neither in dejection nor forced happiness, nor had anger any power over him. No hint of jealousy showed in his prompt recognition of outstanding abilities in any field, and he took pains to give each the chance of earning a reputation. Kindness, sympathy, and sincerity all contributed to give the impression of a rectitude that was innate rather than constructed. He was impervious to flattery and entirely capable of ruling himself and others. Nobody was ever made by him to feel inferior, yet none could presume to challenge his pre-eminence. He had the ability to allow or deny himself indulgences which most people are as incapacitated by their weakness from refusing as by their excesses from appreciating. To be strong enough to refrain at will argues a consummate and indomitable soul."
Indeed… I TRAINED him!! Jus’ kidding 😊😅
A great quote and well selected.
This is from meditation right? I remembered in book I he spent a lot of time praising his adopted father character
Two things that stand out to me:
1) My favourite emperor, he ruled for 20 years and there is only one paragraph im textbook about him. So easy to learn.
2) The fact that there is only one paragraph about an emperor who ruled for more than 20 years in history textbook tells us that he was indeed a good emperor. Those with "boring" reign are the best, nothing special happened during their period, and sure it means it was a period of prosper and good life
We should be learning more about these types of emperors!
It was a prelude to what was to come in the third century.
Humble leaders are the most diplomatic and prosperous, and the point of any leader is to be the keen servant of the people wich oddly makes them rare because most leaers or celebrities get persuaded and consumed by shortcuts, power & money. - Some wacky examples : *Angela Merkel* - Chancellor of Germany, *Jose Mujica* - former President of Uruguay or *Stefan Nemanja* - former King of Serbia. Examples like *Theodore Roosevelt* - former president of the US, show how humble leaders are also able to carry a big stick.
@@eduardogutierrez4698 nah, that began with severan's dynasty.
not necesarily. It also can mean you are a mediocre ruler who did almost a shitty job, not trying to hard. Not saying this about Antoninus of course.
Normie: _"How did you spend your reign?"_
Antoninus, with his feet up: _"Chillin', mate."_
BASED
He ruled in a way few emperors ever did… he ruled well.
@@JingleJangle256 It was 23 years of chill, and I honestly respect that so much
*AVE PAX ROMAMA*
Boomer Antoninus with Monster Zero Ultra:
_Siiiiiiiips._
Seems like a strong, smart, noble leader. A rare find throughout history and the modern day.
A VERY rare find indeed
usually they get killed either before getting to the throne or shortly after
@@naughtiusmaximus3690 no, not really; emperors like Antoninus Pius (138-161), Trajan (98-117), Septimius Severus (194-211), Octavian Augustus (30 BC-14 AD),... are examples that (directly) contradict your assessment/claim.
@@mariusmatei2946 there were like 30 emperor's? You gave like 5?
@@naughtiusmaximus3690 there were many more than "30" Roman emperors; there were, also, quite a few examples of great (Roman) emperors who didn't "get killed shortly after getting to the throne". Other examples of great Roman emperors (who had reigns longer than just a couple of years) than the ones I (already) gave, were Diocletian (285-305), Claudius (41-54), Hadrian (117-138), Marcus Aurelius (161-180), Vespasian (69-79), and others, still.
What a great man. He is so underrated. He is one of many Roman Emperors who deserves way more attention than he does. His reign may have been a mystery but all in all a great leader
Perhaps, the reason for that is Antoninus himself did not care about "immortality", like what other Roman emperors sought during their reign. He just saw his position as a way to improve the condition of the empire and to maintain peace all through out his reign. Maybe, he just wanted to do what he was trained to do, as he saw them the best way to live one's life.
@@omathitis8498 Exactly right. He was a model emperor
He was a good emperor, but he was quite lucky in that he also ruled in a fairly benign period of the time. The enemies of Rome were fairly weak, and the army loyal. Marcus Aurelius was not so lucky due to the enemies of Rome growing stronger combined with a really bad plague. But he did his best in a bad situation.
@@BVargas78 you are exactly right; the reign of Antoninus Pius coincides with the apex/pinnacle of Pax Romana/the greatness of the Roman Empire.
Dude I love these kind of rulers, sure they were lucky to be alive and reign during the time where foreign invasion weren’t a daily occurrence, but the fact that they stayed virtuous with all that power never ceases to amaze me.
This is really true. Unlimited, godlike power was often toxic to the men who were granted it - only the wisest and noblest managed to keep their personal humility. After all, Caligula, Nero, Domitian also ruled in the Pax Romana - so what was their problem?
@Goodness Graces That's a fascinating thing to consider: That good people don't seek power. I think this is largely true, but in that case, it reveals a critical flaw in western nations; that being that under democracy, only those who are the most crafty and manipulative at seeking power ever rise to the top.
@@classiclife7204 Domitian did nothing wrong
You guys wouldn't believe some of the Hadrian stories that I could tell you. Overall, this video is an accurate assessment of my service to the Empire. Remember friends, duty and piety above all. Unrelated, but also important: wear a fully covering and secure toga whenever Hadrian is around. Good day.
Make sure Hadrian can’t take a peek bellow your toga or else….
Thank you for the advice Antonius
🤣🤣🤣 who has time to make an Antonio's Pius handle to comment... so dedicated; I love it lol
Antoninus Pius.
Many thanks for arranging the deification of my favourite builder.
_You reigned over us when I was a mere child in Leptis Magna. I bestowed your illustrious name upon my firstborn Bassianus, you were that highly esteemed._
"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" has to be the saying that I hate the most. Power doesn't corrupt, power reveals who we really are. Like Plato used to say, the measure of a man is what he does with power.
Very good point
Well said
Power attracts the corruptible.
@@saultarvitz308 Well said. It's not the power that corrupts people, it's the corrupted people who seek (and obtain) the power most
Good point.
The thing with Antoninus Pius is that he's so good in both morale and action, there is almost nothing to say about him. His reign is marked by unprecedented prosperity and peace that most of the future generations envy. Even though Marcus Aurelius was deemed by many historian as the "perfect" emperor, aka the philosopher emperor, he is still marred by his choice of passing the reign to his son, Commodus and ending the "Years of Good Emperors".
Not as bad as many think about commodos, especially if you look at Septimius Severus, but he really did set a bad example.
Oh, btw, I heard that was a myth some video about roman myth
I don't understand how Marcus couldn't see what his son has become. I read about the children of Billionaires, that grow up truly believing they are descended from Gods, and that they are be remembered till the end of time. Yea nobody who thinks they are that special should ever rule. Why didn't Marcus just continue the Roman Adoption system? Where you basically try out many potential heirs, and after time you whittle it down to one remarkable heir, who the Emperor than adopts and makes the heir apparent. I have heard that even people born as low caste peasants where able to climb their way up given if they had the intellect, wits and courage. The system would require some over-site so you aren't just adopting the son of your largest financial supporter, but I like the system.
@@DustinBarlow8P Emperors that adopted an heir were forced to do so only because they had no sons. They usually looked for a nephew or some other relation. Marcus not naming his own son would have been scandalous. He would've had to kill him to prevent a civil war.
Antoninus Pius is a certified good guy in history. We should praise people like that more. Not emperors who go to wars but leaders who are remembered by all as generally having their shit together. People who are benevolent and effective.
The biggest chad of all Roman emperors.
His full name was Chaddius Tyronius Antoninus Pius.
Antoninus Pius was truly one of the good ones. For years after his death, other emperors adopted his name. In my opinion he was a better emperor than Aurelius.
There were a small handful of great emperors that do not get the recognition they deserve.
Nerva, Aurelian, and even Julian II (as seen in the avatar of this channel), there are others, but A. Pius for me was the best of them all.
Cool that other emperors adopted his name. Shows the impact and positive influence he had
totally agree, although he does have the distinct advantage of being the last Roman Emperor to rule in a time of peace. From Marcus Aurelius onward the empire is stuck in near constant war
Julian II was not very successful.
Why on earth would anyone like Jullian the Apostate?
How was Nerva a good emperor? I know he’s technically considered one of the 5 good emperors but in reality he kind of sucked lmao. The only good thing he did was make Trajan his successor.
My favorite emperor! QVARTVS EORVM QVI QVINQVE IMPERATORES BONI DICVNTVR!
In my historical analysis, Antoninus Pius was simply one of the greatest Roman emperors of all time (especially within the moral aspect). Antoninus was one of the wisest and most tolerant emperors that Rome ever had throughout its history! He was the very "personification" of Rome's "state of mind" under the rule of the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty (96-192). Just like Marcus Aurelius, he was a true Stoic. Antoninus Pius (and Marcus Aurelius as well) possessed all the virtues that were valued by Stoicism, including PRVDENTIA (prudence and wisdom), SEVERITAS/FIRMITAS (self-control and strength of mind), CLEMENTIA (kindness), COMITAS (friendship) and HUMANITAS (humanity/civility). In MY historical analysis, Antoninus' reign represented the apogee of the PAX ROMANA! During his reign, the Roman Empire extended from LVSITANIA (current Portugal) to MESOPOTAMIA (Iraq); from the Strait of Gibraltar (FRETVM HERCVLEVM) to the Black Sea (PONTVS EVXINVS) and, lastly, from BRITANNIA (England) to ARABIA PETRAEA (current Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Sinai Peninsula), covering Egypt (AEGYPTVS), Cyrenaica (Libya), AFRICA PROCONSULARIS (Tunisia), SYRIA PALAESTINA (current Israel, Lebanon and Syria), and Sicily (Sicilia).
Note: He managed all this very well.
His reign, in my historical analysis, can be "summed up" in these words: VIR FVIT MITIS ET BENIGNI ANIMI, PERITVS ET ERVDITVS. CLEMENS AD CONIVRATOS FVIT ET CHRISTIANOS PER IMPERIVM PROTEXIT ("he was a wise ruler, kind, caring, erudite and he protect the Christians throughout the empire"). Marcus Aurelius undoubtedly followed his footsteps.
This is the time in which I would have wanted to live in Rome… during the stable, peaceful time of Antoninus!
Antoninus shows Hadrian's wisdom. Hadrian CHOSE as his successor an effective administrator, a known quantity. If Marcus Aurelius had done the same, Rome might have lasted another thousand years. Dioclecian tried to imitate this, choosing as his successor an experienced man and sharing power with him for years. He even added to it a term limit so he got to enjoy his retirement.
No one seems to remember that Marus DID choose a worthy successor as his first choice, his very own son in law. Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus might have been the best general of the 2nd century, married into the imperial family and then DECLINED to be named the official successor. He also turned down both Pertinax and Didius Julianus on their offers to serve as co-emperor, which to be fair I agree with turning down those two due to the political fuckery at the time, but people need to stop blaming the guy who picked his son in law first. After Tiberius refused, Marcus had no choice but to elevate Commodus to avoid another civil war. If he had forced him to accept you might get another Tiberius Caesar who hates the job and therefore ignores it. If anyone is to blame for Commodus's rule it is first and foremost Pompeianus.
Hadrian and Diocletian had no sons, every Emperor that had a son appointed him as his successor except for Constantius and Maximian who couldn't because of the Tetrarchy but nonetheless encouraged Constantine and Maxentius to usurp power.
@@tomasrocha6139 (Sigh) Too true. The facts remain. The Romans stumbled into effective succession.
Boy oh boy. I simply cannot wait to see this series get into the Third Century. There are going to be so many videos.
_Neither can I, fellow Caesar._
This is clearly a mystery emperor. Although his reign was quite long, there is significantly less written or RUclips videos made about this emperor. The whole period he lived seems less documented than the period before and after him. The reason is that this period is simply Rome at his height, but a turning point as well in the history of the Romain empire history. A point not entirely highlighted in this video, is that this was also a period of great safety and stability in many parts of the Empire. There was simply peace and stability. For me, he’s a truly great emperor in every way.
Completely agree. This is like peak Americana of the 50s, or the British Empire of the 1880s; a time of splendid heights, stability and prosperity. If I could pick any time within Roman history to live, the reign of Antoninus Pius would be a very good pick to enjoy the flower of Roman civilization in full bloom.
I do think that a large part of why we know so little is both because it was peaceful, this "boring" for historians to write about, and we certainly must have lost some histories that *did* speak of Pius's reign in detail
@@HerculesMays you are absolutely right. I would love to see an exposition on that era
@@HerculesMays
Nah, the 50's were terrified of being wiped out due to nukes, and covered in paranoia and punching down at anyone remotely vulnerable.
It was the illusion of stability.
This guy cared about drinking water and the rights of children. For someone like him to exist in the Roman empire is a miracle.
The very BEST Emperor you have never heard of!
I love Rome, and the reign during the 5 Good Emperors might be my favorite part about it
Huzzar! Great video as always. I find it interesting how for the whole of his reign his only major conflict was the extension of the limes in Britain and some border conflicts. His reign is like a clam before the expanding Roman Empire before one of civil war and foreign invasion.
shout out to Tony's grandads for raising him right
I've just finished watching all the videos of the Roman Emperors. Such a great and intriguing series! I'm excited for the next videos
During his reign, the Roman Amphitheatre in Amman, Jordan was built 2000 years ago!
I think the quote of Uncle Ben in Spider-man "Great Power comes with great responsibility" embodies this emperor very much.
Maintained stability, and borders of the empire after a long rule as emperor. That in itself is a great achievement.
I wonder how much of Marcus Aurelieus Meditations was seeded by the teachings of Antonius.
At the early parts of his book, he gave a lot of credit to Antoninius Pius, who Marcus saw as a model of a good leader
Marcus Aurelius in book 1 of his Meditations plays a very warm tribute to Antoninus Pius, his adoptive father, implicitly contrasting him favourably to Hadrian, for example praising him for not travelling and not spending money on building, something that Hadrian was well known for. Under Hadrian and Antoninus the Roman Empire reached its apogee, never before or since had the Mediterranean world known such peace and prosperity.
This guy was so moral for his time period and his power that it defies belief.
Didn't persecute Christians or Jews, wasn't an imperialist despite being a Roman fucking emperor, expanded protections for slaves, expanded enfranchisement for freed slaves, opened up orphanages for orphan girls, gave tax relief for areas hit by natural disasters, gave clemency to people trying to overthrow him (seriously!), refused an offer to have the month September named after him, created a program that provided free water to all Romans, etc.
And he did absolutely nothing, for 23 years. BASED.
Dovahhatty reference
absolutely based. perfect ruler.
There is Julian the Apostate that had a short Caesar career but my early introduction finds him to be interesting.
Seems to have been killed in a war that reminds me of the places and times of Alexander the Great.
Julian was an admirer of Marcus Aurielius, Alexander the Great and the old pagan Rome.
Imagine if he was born in the century of the five good emperors
Julian the restorer, he was killed during a battle against the parthians, stabbed in the back by a Christian soldier in his own army
Thank you for filling in a reasonable chronology of a reign which is usually left blank.
This channel is marvelous! Thank you so much Sir!
This channel is underrated, I hope it grows more
It's such a shame there's so little on Antoninus Pius, but I'm sure it's this way because of his humility anyway
If he were so bad, Aurelius and Verus wouldn't have been the men they were, and Aurelius wouldn't have written so kindly about him either
No wonder Edward Gibbon described their reign as the only time in history where a prince truly cared about his subjects
This has quickly become my favorite channel
25 years of peace,....wish we had that right now
What an enjoyable video, I learned a few things I didn't know, thank you.
Antoninus Pius won the jackpot of easy regimes. He never even had to leave Italy.
......................you skipped 12:31 right?
I am so glad I found this channel. I am obsessed with Roman history and I need to know every detail and now I can.
Wow! Was not aware of his travels to Egypt. And there were revolts during his reign,so not as quiet and peaceful as thought. But he did have a very long emperorship! You can see the influence he had on Marcus Aurelius definitely! Well done!
Omg I asked for this….. I LOVE YOU!! Thanks so much!!!!!
Heey Alex I'm so suprised and glad that I heard your voice here lol. Good for you man I miss ya on histormarche's videos
Pax Romana is my inspiration. The good emperors of rome must be studied by all of us and imitated.Those emperors are my role models,because of their virtues and qualities.
Very good to see a video about this great leader. Was hard to find a good video on him, you told it very well.
These are fantastic, would definitely like to see more Emperors up to Romulus Augustulus
@Anakin Skywalker Even better
Great job with the series cant wait for the next one
One of the main reasons we don't know as much about Pius other than his well rule, is because Cassius Dios parts on his reign are unfortunately lost.
#3 of my top 5 Augusti. . Pious :))
Would love to see an In Depth view of the Juilo-Claudians through to the Last Dynasty of the Principate ending with the Severans. . The True Caesars will Always be my Favorite, Hail Augustus! !
great upload
Stop-gap Augustus for the win!
Amazing work friend, greetings from Brazil!!
There is a quote attributed to him on maritime matters which goes as, "I am the Master of the Earth, but the Law is the Mistress of the Seas".
That was fantastic
Be firm like him of an equal temperament. Pious, cheerful, kind, a despiser of empty glory (humility), careful, accurate, diligent and thorough. Bear blame and censure from others, as he did. Neither hurry nor delay. (who has that kind of luxury?) and let your tastes be simple.
I like him and Marcus Aurelius. I also think that artwork at 7:27 is beautiful
We could sure use him in America today. Antoninus Pius for President!!
"The Parthians aren't sending us their best"
This great man should be better known. A coin was named after him (imagine doing that to any of todays leaders!) and Emperors included his name into their official titles for a long time afterwards.
U guys are awesome for doing this for humanity, ooohhh how great would d world would be if Christianity never existed and the Roman empire never fell
Best series of documentaries dedicated to the greatest empire that ever existed.
I think Christianity started under the reign of Antoninus.
same
Fantastic video!
At a time of war and conquest, if history doesn't remember much about you, it means you focused on maintaining what you had and ensuring it's smooth running more than you valued wanting more.
It means there were no revolts, no assasinations, no riots, no famines, no economic spiral downwards, it means you defended your lands, t means law and order were maintained, it means crime did not run rampant, it means your people lived good lives peacefully nd it means you were firm enough to say no but fair enough to maintain your position.
All in all, it means nobody had any complains, and to go 20 years without any complaints it means you did a damn good job.
Alexander’s on this channel too? Great narrator.
Ave Divus Antoninus Pius!
Antoninus's portraits make him resemble King Felipe of Spain.
Remember Antoninus Pius, the gentle Augustus, prosperous, kind, noble...
Let those who seek to rule take model on this most measured of men.
Youth take aim at him, lest you lose self & idolize the bloodthirsty!
I live near the Antonine Wall! It's a great but relatively unknown part of Roman Britain. Such a shame that not much else is known about Antoninus.
This is the time I would want to live in Ancient Rome. Truly the peak of the Pax Romana.
I like that he took care of those bandits that were harming the traders.
beautiful!
Interesting... It seems that Antoninus truly was that upstanding man with high moral values that Augustus wanted all Roman men to be (and also liked to portray himself as one).
If Agrippa ever became emporer i think he would have been similar. He was a good honourable man but he gave his support and popularity to his childhood friend Augustus.
Can’t wait for Severan dynasty
sounds like a good guy
Love the mosaic at 1:32.
So,some guy that did something that nobody remembers..well done sir
I often wonder. When would I most like have lived during the empire. I suppose under Hadrian would have been a good time.
Damn...the voice...
Yeah Tony P from the old neighborhood, good guy.
Probably the "goodest" of the five good Roman Emperors. ;-)
The title of the video should be called “The peaceful emperor” since there’s already a video with that title for Titus
Great vid
If you love history you can watch videos at channel "Kings and Generals"
@@altinmares8363 seen most their vids but historymarche is my fav. They use the same narrator that was on this vid. How ever this channel might become my new fav lol
@@divifilius2357 ok
The narrator's voice is so familiar and similar to the guy who narrates in World of Tanks.
He also worked with the Invicta channel from time to time. He's a voice actor/narrator.
Can we get a video on Aurelian?
"Happy the nation that has no history," Antoninus. Perhaps he knew how slowly its gold would be removed, as only fascist Rome could live.
I don't think Pausanias knew much about Britain.
Almost all The Brigantes lived south of Hadrian's Wall.
It was The Votadini (Goddodin) who lived between the walls
A sacrificial comment for the youtube algorithm.
Thank
Hope you do the usurpers like Magnus Maximus and Postumus etc
Narator fails to mention that the place in gaul where antoninus family was from was a roman colony
Are you sure that Antoninus Caesar was not the one who invented the famous Uncle Ben's line in Spiderman?
Parthians: *invade armenia.
Antoninus Pius: "Yo! fuck out of there!".
Parthians: "Yes sir...".
The Pax Romana at it's best.
Oh he was one of the great five
Androcles and the lion brought me here.
Could you imagine if we had more emperors in the future like the 5 good ones, Rome might have prospered a tad bit longer who knows
The speech before the Senate "was recorded"? I doubt it. More likely it was written out before hand. I don't believe they had stenographers in ancient times who could write that fast on parchment with quill pens and inkwells or clay tablets.
6:36 so gatsu lost his sword because somebody swallows it
👍👍👍
I know your voice. You are the guy behind the History Marche
The voice is not the channel owner.
@@budakbaongsiah and for some reason the voice actor is not doing work for HistoryMarche. The channel owner seems kinda shady for me
Have you done a video on the Emperor Elagabalus arguably the first trans gender Roman Emperor/Empress?
Leah Lipps phenotype Michael Doukas 7