<\/p>\n
More recently (and much less importantly), my friend and former Foundation for Economic Education president Larry Reed\u00a0 asked me to identify one good Roman emperor\u2014besides Marcus Aurelius. I immediately felt a bit like Abraham, frantically searching for a needle in a haystack.<\/p>\n
It was a difficult endeavor nonetheless because most Roman emperors, at least at certain points in their lives, were little more than murderous megalomaniacs too willing to spark wars for their own benefit and chip away at the Romans\u2019 liberties. This is true even for the most revered emperors, including Augustus, Hadrian, and Constantine.<\/p>\n
After accepting Larry\u2019s challenge and ruminating over it, one emperor finally came to mind: Antoninus Pius. While imperfect, for the most part, Antoninus ruled with prudence, restraint, and moderation. He is known as one of the so-called \u201cfive good emperors,\u201d but his name has survived in relative obscurity because history is often kinder to ambitious conquerors and great builders than to those who respect liberty and govern with a servant\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
Antoninus understood that if he governed justly, the emperorship would be a major sacrifice, not a windfall.<\/span><\/p>\n Born in 86 AD, Antoninus came from an influential, wealthy family.\u00a0 Early in his life, he enjoyed a successful career as a public administrator. But when then-Emperor Hadrian\u2019s health began to fail, he named Antoninus his heir even though Antoninus may not have wanted the honor. In fact, Hadrian purportedly acknowledged that Antoninus was \u201cfar from desiring any such power\u201d but nevertheless believed he would \u201caccept the office even against his will.\u201d<\/p>\n Not long after, Hadrian died, and Antoninus became emperor. When Antoninus assumed office, he told his wife, \u201cNow that we have gained an empire, we have lost even what we had before.\u201d These words show Antoninus understood that if he governed justly, the emperorship would be a major sacrifice, not a windfall.<\/p>\n Antoninus proved to be a forgiving and scrupulous ruler. One of his first acts as emperor was to annul some of Hadrian\u2019s final decrees. The ailing Roman had condemned an untold number of senators, but Antoninus opted for mercy and freed the men. According to some historians, this is why the Senate bestowed the appellation of \u201cPius\u201d on Antoninus. But the new emperor didn\u2019t simply spare other people\u2019s enemies. When a conspiracy formed against him, the Senate, not Antoninus, prosecuted the attempted usurper, but Antoninus prohibited the rebel\u2019s co-conspirators from being investigated. Beyond these acts of mercy, Antoninus also abolished the employment of informers and announced that no senator would be executed during his reign.<\/p>\n While he accepted some honors, including the cognomen of Pius, he rejected others. For instance, the Senate and the Roman people so adored Antoninus that they offered to rename the month of September after him, but he flatly refused the honor. Indeed, Antoninus often seemed to eschew the grandeur of his office. He sold off imperial lands, reduced or eliminated superfluous salaries, and lived in his own villas rather than imperial estates. He never even traveled beyond Campania during the course of his reign because he believed he simply could not justify draining the public treasury for travel.<\/p>\n Antoninus was frugal in other ways, too. He conscientiously guarded the public treasury while simultaneously reducing confiscations and his subjects\u2019 tax burden. On more than one occasion, he chose to expend personal resources to support the empire. For example, he contributed money to repair Hadrian\u2019s construction projects and, during a famine, he provided free wine, oil, and wheat to the Romans at his own expense. He so prudently managed the state\u2019s finances that when he died, he left the public treasury with a massive surplus\u2014a rarity in old Rome.<\/p>\n Part of this surplus appears to be related to Antoninus\u2019 aversion to vanity projects and unnecessary wars. Like many emperors, he was a builder, though not nearly to the degree of others, and his construction projects do not seem to have been designed to glorify himself\u2014at least not overtly. And while several conflicts erupted during his long reign, many were defensive in nature. What\u2019s more, Antoninus didn\u2019t seek to massively increase Rome\u2019s domain. Only two small advances occurred during his tenure, in Britannia and Germania, but it appears that his rationale may have been, at least in part, to adjust the borders so that the Romans could more economically defend the frontier.<\/p>\n Unlike many of his predecessors and successors, Antoninus seemed to legitimately care for his subjects and the state. He established an endowment to support poverty-stricken, orphaned girls; he loaned personal money at a four percent interest rate (a low rate at the time) to those in need; he didn\u2019t initiate any Christians percecutions and he sought to return prestige and respect to the Senate. In fact, his only major blunder was that he debased the silver Roman denarius by around five percent in order to fund a major celebration.<\/p>\n Aside from this misstep, volumes could be written about Antoninus\u2019 virtues. His life is perhaps best summed up by his successor, Marcus Aurelius, who described Antonius as a grounded, introspective, and humble man who was respectful of others\u2019 liberties. Aurelius wrote, \u201cThough all his actions were guided by a respect for constitutional precedent, he would never go out of his way to court public recognition of this.\u201d<\/p>\n Antonius\u2019 biographer, Julius Capitolinus, likewise glowingly recorded:<\/p>\n Almost alone of all emperors [Antoninus] lived entirely unstained by the blood of either citizen or foe so far as was in his power.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Marc Hyden<\/em><\/p>\n fee.org Antoninus Pius, while imperfect, for the most part ruled with prudence, restraint, and moderation. More recently (and much less importantly), my friend and former Foundation for Economic Education president Larry Reed\u00a0 asked me to identify one good Roman emperor\u2014besides Marcus Aurelius. I immediately felt…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[2615],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1",720,480,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp",720,480,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp",720,480,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1",300,200,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1",720,480,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1",720,480,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1",720,480,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=570%2C480&ssl=1",570,480,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=600%2C480&ssl=1",600,480,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=720%2C480&ssl=1",720,480,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=500%2C480&ssl=1",500,480,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=720%2C480&ssl=1",720,480,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=500%2C480&ssl=1",500,480,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=720%2C480&ssl=1",720,480,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=700%2C467&ssl=1",700,467,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1",600,400,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/640FCED0-6953-3AA9-81B2-DD439E697460.jpeg.webp?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"E M","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/e7\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Philosophy<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Antoninus Pius, while imperfect, for the most part ruled with prudence, restraint, and moderation. More recently (and much less importantly), my friend and former Foundation for Economic Education president Larry Reed\u00a0 asked me to identify one good Roman emperor\u2014besides Marcus Aurelius. I immediately felt...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50620"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50620"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50622,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50620\/revisions\/50622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Antoninus\u2019 Rule<\/h2>\n
A Virtuous Emperor<\/h2>\n
\nEIKONA : liberal.gr<\/p>\n