Nerva (A.D. 35?-98) was a Roman emperor who ruled from A.D. 96 to 98. He was popular with the Roman Senate, and his brief reign spared the Roman Empire from civil war.
Nerva was born in Narnia, a town north of Rome, probably in 35. His full name was Marcus Cocceius Nerva. Nerva had a long, unremarkable career as a Roman senator. However, his skill as an adviser earned him the favor of the Roman emperors Nero, Vespasian, and Domitian. Domitian was assassinated in 96. The Roman Senate quickly chose Nerva, who was an old man by the standards of the time and who had no heirs, as the next emperor. This act prevented a civil war over the succession.
Domitian had been an absolute ruler who was unpopular with the Senate. Nerva, on the other hand, respected the Senate’s authority. He promoted liberty, safety, and justice. He swore not to execute senators, refused to hear treason charges, recalled exiles, and returned property seized by Domitian. He purchased land and gave it to Romans so they could make a living by farming. Because of Nerva’s generosity, however, Rome soon faced financial difficulties.
Domitian had been popular with the army. The army became outraged at Nerva’s unwillingness to punish Domitian’s assassins. In 97, members of the emperor’s personal guard killed Domitian’s assassins despite Nerva’s opposition. Nerva’s inability to control his guards made him look weak.
Before his death in 98, Nerva adopted the Roman general Trajan as his son and successor. Nerva’s choice of Trajan as the next emperor began a period during which an emperor chose as his successor someone he considered qualified to rule. Previously, imperial succession had been based only on ancestry in most cases.
