Marcus Ulpius Traianus (c. AD 29 – before 98) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

senator who lived in the first century. He was father to the Roman Emperor Trajan.

Family

Traianus belonged to a family of the

gens Ulpia The gens Ulpia was a Roman family that rose to prominence during the first century AD. The gens is best known from the emperor Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, who reigned from AD 98 to 117. The Thirtieth Legion took its name, ''Ulpia'', in his honor. ...

, which originally came from the

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

n city of Tuder, but he was born and raised in the Roman colony of Italica, north of modern

Santiponce Santiponce is a town located in the province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2006 census (INE), the town has a population of 7742 inhabitants. The town contains the ruins of the Roman city Italica Italica ( es, Itálica) was a Roman town ...

and northwest of Seville, in the Roman Province of

Hispania Baetica Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basic di ...

. The town was founded in 206 BC by Scipio Africanus, as a settlement for wounded and invalid veterans of the wars against Carthage. The Ulpii, like the Aelii and the Traii, were among the leading Roman families of the city. From the latter family came the ancestors of Traianus, who intermarried with the Ulpii, giving rise to the cognomen ''Traianus''. Since the father of Traianus joined the ranks of the

patricians The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned after ...

in Rome, it is very likely that his grandfather was already a member of the Roman Senate. The ancestry of Traianus' mother is unknown. His sister Ulpia was the mother of

Publius Aelius Hadrianus Afer Publius Aelius Hadrianus Afer was a distinguished and wealthy Roman senator and soldier who lived in the Roman Empire during the 1st century. Hadrianus Afer was originally from Hispania and was of Roman descent. He was born and raised in the cit ...

, and grandmother of the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (emp ...

Hadrian. Traianus married a Roman noblewoman named Marcia. She was the elder sister of

Marcia Furnilla Marcia Furnilla was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century. Furnilla was the second and last wife of the future Roman Emperor Titus as well as the aunt of the future emperor Trajan. Family Marcia Furnilla came from a noble and disting ...

, the second wife of Titus, which enabled her to further her husband's career. They had two children: a daughter,

Ulpia Marciana Ulpia Marciana (August 48 – 112) was the beloved elder sister of Roman Emperor Trajan and grandmother of empress Vibia Sabina the wife of Hadrian. Upon her death her brother had her deified. Life She was the eldest child born to Roman woman ...

, and a son, Marcus, the future emperor Trajan.

Career

The chronology of Traianus' career is uncertain. He may have taken his seat in the senate by the reign of

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor ...

. In the time of Nero, he may have commanded a legion under the general Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo; during the

First Jewish-Roman War First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: * World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and re ...

, from AD 67 to 68, he came into favour with the future emperor Vespasian, then governor of

Judaea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sou ...

, under whom he commanded the Tenth Legion. After his accession to the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, Vespasian recognized Traianus' military successes by awarding him the

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

of Cappadocia, and naming him consul ''suffectus'' for the months of September and October in AD 72. After his consulship, Trajan served as governor of Syria from 73 to 74, then proconsul of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

from 79 to 80. He was also governor of

, but the time of this appointment is unknown. During his time in Syria, Traianus prevented a Parthian invasion.

Legacy

Traianus lived out his final years in honor and distinction. Indirect evidence suggests that he may have died before his son became emperor in AD 98. Around 100, his son founded a colony in North Africa, named ''Colonia Marciana Ulpia Trajana Thamugadi'' after his father; today the town is known as

Timgad Timgad ( ar, تيمقاد, links=, lit=, translit=Tīmgād, known as Marciana Traiana Thamugadi) was a Roman city in the Aurès Mountains of Algeria. It was founded by the Roman Emperor Trajan around 100 AD. The full name of the city was ''Colon ...

, in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. In 113, the elder Traianus was deified by his son, and his titulature is ''Divus Traianus Pater''.

Notes

References

Citations

Works cited

* * *

General sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulpius Traianus, Marcus 20s births 1st-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 1st-century Roman governors of Syria Ancient Roman politicians Nerva–Antonine dynasty Traianus, Marcus Senators of the Roman Empire Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome Roman governors of Asia Roman governors of Syria 1st-century Romans Romans from Hispania Deified Roman people