This is the History of the World Podcast with me Chris Hasler

And you're listening to volume three, the classical world

This is episode 45

The Five Good Emperors. Oh, Back in episode 43 we introduced the Flavian dynasty which consisted of Emperor Vespasian

and his two sons who would also go on to become Roman emperors, Titus and Domitian.

Vespasian was regarded as a good and responsible emperor.

Tetus attempted to carry on his father's good work,

but his reign was brief.

When Domitian took over, things appeared to be stable at first, but during his 15-year reign,

at the end of the first century, the situation worsened due to Domitians, paranoia causing him to order the execution of many senators,

which led to a conspiracy to murder him that was successfully carried out.

The Senate would push forward one of their own to take the role of Emperor,

a man called Nereva, who was reluctant to punish those who instigated the assassination of Domitian.

This did not please the army, who also demanded that he name an heir.

So he did name an heir. His name was Marcus Ulpius Traunus, better known to us today as Trajan.

Trajan.

Trajan was notable for being the first Roman emperor to be born outside of the Italian

Peninsula, specifically in hispania, at a city called Italica, which can be found just to the north of the

modern Spanish city of Sevillea. You can visit the archaeological site of Italica

where you can walk into the middle of its amphitheatre in exactly the same way

that you can at Pompeii, the focal city of last week's episode.

Trajan was a military man so his appointment would have met the approval of the army,

...