2Trajan (September 53 AD – 8 August, 117 AD)

Famously declared by the Senate optimus princeps or “the best ruler,” he ruled ancient Rome from 98 AD until he took his last breath in 117 AD.

He is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history, leading the empire to its maximum territorial extent by the time of his death. He was respected by the common people, the Senate, and the military, having made his name through his philanthropic rule that oversaw extensive public building programs and welfare policies. Each new emperor after him was honored by the Senate with the wish felicior Augusto, melior Traiano which meant “be luckier than Augustus and better than Trajan.”

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