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Dec 1, 2023 · Legacy. Pertinax’s legacy is quite complex, as it intertwines elements of reform, resistance, and tragedy. While his reign was short-lived and fraught with challenges, he did make some attempts at reform that should be mentioned. Reformist Vision. Pertinax’s commitment to reform was a defining feature of his brief three-month tenure as emperor.
Pertinax's historical reputation is largely a positive one, beginning with the assessment of Cassius Dio, a historian and senator who was a colleague of Pertinax. Dio refers to him as "an excellent and upright man" [ 38 ] who displayed "not only humaneness and integrity in the imperial administrations, but also the most economical management and the most careful consideration for the public ...
- Early Life
- Assassination of Commodus
- Pertinax as Emperor
Pertinax was born on August 1, 126 CE at Alba Pompeia in Liguria to a freed slave Helvius Successus; his mother's name is unknown. He led a truly 'rags to riches' story as his father went from slavery to success and wealth in the wool trade, allowing his son to receive a classical education which, in turn, permitted Pertinax to lead a quiet and une...
The assassination of Emperor Commodus brought both panic and bloodshed to the city. After the removal of the emperor's body (it was later interred in Hadrian's Mausoleum), Laetus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard and one of the conspirators in Commodus's death, and Electus, chamberlain to Commodus, made their way to the home of Pertinax and of...
To rebuild the empire's finances - and pay the Guard their bonuses - he sold everything he could; he cleaned house. He even accused one palaceofficial of embezzlement. Cassius Dio wrote, he “raised money as best he could from the statues, the arms, the horses, the furniture, and the favourites of Commodus, and gave the Praetorian all that he had pr...
- Donald L. Wasson
Pertinax’s legacy is a reminder of the challenges faced by those who seek to bring about change in the face of entrenched interests and corruption. Pertinax was an unlikely emperor. Born to a freed slave, he rose through the ranks of the Roman army through sheer determination and military prowess.
Publius Helvius Pertinax (born Aug. 1, 126, Liguria [now in Italy]—died March 28, 193) was a Roman emperor from January to March 193. The son of a freed slave, Pertinax taught school, then entered the army, commanding units in Syria, in Britain, and on the Danube and the Rhine. He earned distinction during the great invasion by German tribes ...
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publius Helvius Pertinax was born at Alba Pompeia in Liguria in AD 126. His father was a freed slave who allegedly named his son Pertinax to commemorate his own perseverance in the timber or wool trade, in which he appeared to achieve some success. His father’s wealth assured Pertinax a sound classical education. He later went on to be a teacher.
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Emperor: 31 Dec 192 - 28 Mar 193 AD. Following the assassination of Commodus on 31 December 192 AD, Publius Helvius Pertinax, as both a revered elder member of the Roman Senate and a chief lieutenant of the former emperor, was chosen to replace him. The reign of Pertinax is intriguing for its short length and related tragic turn of events which ...
