Hadrian
Hadrian (AD 76 – 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138, the third of the so-called Five Good Emperors. He halted the conquests of his predecessor Trajan in favour of securing the frontiers, had Hadrian's Wall built across Britain, and travelled the provinces throughout his reign. He is also known for rebuilding the Pantheon in Rome, his villa at Tibur and his beloved Antinous.
| Lived | AD 76 – AD 138 |
|---|---|
| Active in | Rome · Britain · Greece · Egypt · Judaea |
| Known for | Hadrian's Wall; third of the Five Good Emperors |
| Game start | 122 · age 46 · Roman emperor (ruler) — Emperor of the Wall |
Life at a glance
- AD 76 Born on 24 January into a family from Italica in Hispania. His birthplace is given as Rome by some and Italica by others.
- AD 86 Loses his father at ten, and his father's cousin Trajan, the future emperor, becomes his guardian.
- AD 100 Marries Vibia Sabina, Trajan's great-niece.
- AD 117 When Trajan dies in August he succeeds as adopted heir and gives up newly conquered lands such as Mesopotamia. The next year four senators of consular rank are executed, souring his relations with the Senate.
- AD 122 Visits Britain and orders the building of a wall from the mouth of the Tyne to the Solway Firth.
- c. AD 125 The Pantheon in Rome is rebuilt in its present form. Hadrian has the name of its original builder, Agrippa, kept on the front.
- AD 130 When his favourite, the young Antinous, dies in the Nile during a journey in Egypt, Hadrian has him worshipped as a god and founds Antinoopolis on the spot.
- AD 132 His plan to build Aelia Capitolina on the site of Jerusalem sets off the revolt of Simon bar Kosiba. It is crushed with the fall of Betar in 135.
- AD 138 In February he adopts Antoninus (Pius) as his heir, and on 10 July he dies at Baiae.
Family
The family members who appear with this character when you start the game. Years follow the historical record; where none survives, a ? is shown.
| Relation | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Father | Publius Aelius Hadrianus Afer | ? – AD 86 | Senator; cousin of Trajan |
| Mother | Domitia Paulina | Dates unknown | From a family of Gades (modern Cádiz) |
| Elder sister | Aelia Domitia Paulina | AD 75 – c. AD 130 | |
| Brother-in-law | Servianus | AD 47 – AD 136 | Three times consul; ordered to kill himself in 136 |
| Wife | Vibia Sabina | ? – c. AD 136 | Trajan's great-niece. They had no children |
| Adopted son and heir | Antoninus Pius | AD 86 – AD 161 | Adopted in 138 and emperor the same year |
In the game
You begin in summer AD 122 as an emperor of forty-six visiting Britain. The whole Roman Empire is your realm from the start, but the Senate has not forgotten that you gave up Mesopotamia as soon as you took power, nor the four executed consulars. You and your wife Sabina have no children; you have your sister Paulina and your brother-in-law Servianus.
In the first event, “From sea to sea”, you choose whether to build the Wall in stone all the way, close the west quickly with turf, or put a gate at every Roman mile and collect tolls. After that events come from a different province each year, from Eleusis and the Pantheon to the Nile, and the centurion Valerius, the secretary Suetonius and the boy Antinous come into this life.
The turning point is “If the Bar Kokhba revolt had succeeded”. Whom you send when the revolt breaks out in 132 moves the odds at Betar in 135. If the revolt is crushed, the story goes through the succession question of 136, Sabina's funeral, the matter of your ninety-year-old brother-in-law and Antoninus, and ends at Baiae in 138; if the revolt succeeds, it leads to another world where Judaea stands in Jerusalem.
- Scenario guide Emperor of the Wall
- Era guide Roman Empire
- Related turning points What if the Bar Kokhba revolt had succeeded?
Frequently asked questions
Why was Hadrian's Wall built?
Under Hadrian's policy of ending conquest and holding the frontiers, it was built to separate the Roman province from the tribes of northern Britain and to control the movement of people and goods. A collection of imperial biographies from around the fourth century says it was built “to separate the Romans from the barbarians”.
How long is Hadrian's Wall, and does it survive?
It was 80 Roman miles, about 117 km, long, running from the mouth of the Tyne in the east to the Solway Firth in the west. Much of it still survives; it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 and is now part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire site.
Who were the Five Good Emperors?
Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, who reigned in turn from 96 to 180. Hadrian was the third, and the emperors of this period mostly chose their successors by adoption rather than by blood.
Sources
Historia Augusta, Life of Hadrian; Cassius Dio, Roman History, book 69; English Heritage guide material on Hadrian's Wall.