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Emperor Trajan (53-117 AD) has traditionally been regarded as one of the greatest Roman Emperors (ruled from 98 to 117 AD), but modern historians have argued that his legacy was mixed. Trajan's reign led to both positive impacts on the Roman Empire. While Trajan's foreign invasion of Dacia, Arabia, and Mesopotamia created real benefit to the Empire, Parthia's conquest was ephemeral and wasteful.

==How did Trajan become the Roman Emperor?==

Trajan’s reign (98-117 AD) occurred at perhaps one of the greatest eras in Roman History. In the First Century A.D., the economy of Rome had been expanding for many years, and the Empire continued to expand. The period witnessed a cultural renaissance, and many of the great Latin writers wrote their greatest works. Successive Emperors maintained the system that was perfected by Augustus, which was an imperial system that shared power with the Senatorial elite. This system had provided stability to a large part of Europe and the Near East. Marcus Ulpius Traianus was born in what is now modern Spain and was of Italian descent.<ref> Bennett, Julian. Trajan. Optimus Princeps. (Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 18</ref>

His father was a general and governor and was later enrolled in the Senate. Trajan grew up in Rome, and he served with his father in Syria, and he later enjoyed the favor of Emperor Domitian. In 91 AD, he served as consul.<ref>Bennet, p. 34</ref> In 96 AD, Domitian was assassinated in a conspiracy, and Nerva ascended the throne. Trajan was governor of Lower Germany and was in command of several legions, and was an essential power broker in the years after Domitian's death. Nerva, who was advanced in years, adopted him as his son and heir.<ref>Bennet, p 46</ref>

In 98 AD, Trajan became Emperor after the death of Nerva. Trajan proved to be an energetic ruler and immediately reduced the influence of the Praetorian Guard.<ref> Mommsen, Theodor A History of Rome Under the Emperors (London: Routledge, 1999), p 113</ref> He secured support by offering donations to the legions and the population of Rome and reduced taxes.

After a series of civil wars that had weakened the Empire, Trajan helped finance many public structures and ordered many aqueducts. He also prohibited wasteful expenditure on festivals. Trajan also initiated a series of social welfare reforms.

In modern Romania, a powerful confederation of Thracian tribes, the Dacians had proven a formidable foe and had defeated Roman governors in the past. After careful preparations, Trajan invaded Dacia and, in 101-102, reduced the Dacian kingdom to vassal status. However, in 105, the Dacians revolted, and Trajan invaded the area and, in a series of bloody campaigns, ended the revolt with the capture of the capital Sarmizegethusa (106 AD). Dacian resistance was ended with the suicide of their king and chief priest, Decalbus. Trajan organized the kingdom into a Roman Province, and he encouraged settlers from all over the Empire to settle in the new territory.<ref> Schmitz, Michael The Dacian Threat, 101–106 AD. Armidale, Australia: Caeros Pty, 2005), p 134</ref> Trajan was a restless figure, and he seems to have sought to emulate the achievements of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.<ref> Cassius Dio, Roman History, book 68, xi</ref>

He annexed the entire area of modern Iraq and incorporated it into the Empire. An anecdote is told that when Trajan saw the Persian Gulf, he wept because he was too old to conquer the rest of the known world. In 116, while in Antioch, the Emperor nearly died in an earthquake, and a series of revolts broke out across the Roman territories in the east.<ref>Cassius Dio, 10, 19</ref> A severe Jewish revolt broke out in several eastern Mediterranean areas. Trajan was ill and old and decided to journey back to Rome, but he died in 116 AD, in Asia Minor. The Emperor had no children and adopted Hadrian, an experienced soldier, and governor. After Trajan’s death, Hadrian became ruler of the Roman World.

Dacia's conquest, a powerful military force in the Balkans and a real rival of Rome was a significant achievement. The Dacians had been a problem for the Romans since the time of Julius Caesar. However, no Roman Emperor had been effectively able to contain them. Trajan's conquest from a military point of view was remarkable as the kingdom consisted of fortified settlements in a mountainous region.<ref>Cassius Dio, 10, 23</ref> It has often been argued that Domitian helped weaken the Dacians before the conquest in 106 AD. The addition of the old Dacian kingdom to the Empire initially strengthened Rome. The gold mines of the area boosted the economy, as did the new lands that were acquired.

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There had been no serious efforts to conquer large areas of the Parthian Empire since the time of Mark Anthony. Trajan wanted to conquer all or at least part of the Empire. However, it was a vast, sprawling, and diverse polity, and the Romans could never have absorbed it even with their vast resources and capabilities. Trajan had been accused of megalomania because of his ambitions in the east. Despite his capture of Ctesiphon and the annexation of the Parthian Empire's western sections, the Romans never really controlled the majority of the new territories. The campaign in the East overstrained the resources of the Romans. It left the legions in Mesopotamia isolated, and they were on the point of being cut-off when Trajan died.

In the longer term, some of the conquests of the Emperor strengthened the Roman East. Dacia's conqueror added two provinces in the east, the Nabatean Kingdom (modern Jordan) and northern Mesopotamia (Northern Iraq). These provinces greatly added to the Empire's revenues and strengthened the Roman strategic position in the region. The province of Mesopotamia meant that Rome could keep Parthia on the defensive. Roman supremacy was not challenged for over a century in the Ancient Near East.

The Roman Empire was at its zenith during the reign of Trajan. However, he, like the Senate members, was worried about the relative decline of Italy. It had not prospered as much as the other Imperial territories. Italy's population was falling, and many were worried about the reduced number of Italians who were serving in the legions.<ref>Alston, Richard Aspects of Roman History 31BC-AD117 (Abingdon, Routledge, 2014),p. 115</ref>

Trajan was an able administrator and, unlike his predecessors, respected the constitution and Rome's laws. Trajan enacted some laws that improved the status of slaves, and it became illegal for masters to abandon old slaves. He forbade the use of informers, and there were no treason trials during his years in power. Trajan did not rule as an autocrat like so many of his predecessors.<ref>Pliny the Younger, Letter 10. 68</ref> It has been stated that he gave the Empire its longest period of stability and good government in its history.<ref>Bennet, p. 10</ref>

Trajan has been acclaimed as a great Emperor, but he was also an egomaniac who loved war. Ultimately his actions seriously undermined the Empire. The truth is that Trajan had many achievements but also some glaring failures. His conquest expanded the Empire and generated new revenues for Rome, and improved its strategic position concerning its enemies.