Casperius Aelianus served as

Praetorian Prefect The praetorian prefect (; ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief ai ...

under the emperors

Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...

and

Nerva Nerva (; born Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynast ...

. He was loyal to the Roman Emperor

, the last of the Flavian dynasty. After

's murder and the ascension of the Emperor

, Aelianus laid siege to the Rome in order to force the capture of the men responsible for Domitian's death, who had not been punished by Nerva. Aelianus succeeded in his demands, greatly weakening the authority of the Emperor so much that Nerva realized that his position was no longer tenable without the support of an heir who had the approval of the Roman army. Within two or three months Nerva announced the adoption of the highly respected general

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

as his successor. Shortly thereafter, in January AD 98, Nerva died of natural causes. Trajan, who was in Cologne, accepted the empire, and stayed north of the Alps for some time.

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

writes: "He sent for Aelianus and the praetorians who had mutinied against Nerva, pretending that he was going to employ them for some purpose, and then put them out of the way."Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' 68.5.4 It is not known what "put them out of the way" means. It may be that the men were executed, but it is also possible that they were requested to retire.

References

External links

Livius.org: Casperius Aelianus
1st-century praetorian prefects Flavian dynasty {{AncientRome-mil-bio-stub