Adoptive Emperors
Preserved but no longer current.
In Roman history, the five Emperors — Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius — each of whom (except Nerva, who was elected by the Senate) was the adopted son of his pre- decessor. Their period (96-180) is said to have been the happiest in the whole history of Rome.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Adoptive Emperors” mean?
In Roman history, the five Emperors — Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius — each of whom (except Nerva, who was elected by the Senate) was the adopted son of his pre- decessor. Their period (96-180) is said to have been the happiest in the whole history of Rome.
Is “Adoptive Emperors” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.