The son of afreedman, Pertinax rose from modest origins through a military career. He distinguished himself in theRoman–Parthian War of 161–166 and went on to hold a succession of governorships and senior commands. He also sat in theRoman Senate, where he was a contemporary of the historianCassius Dio.
After the assassination of Commodus, Pertinax was chosen emperor. He tried to restore discipline to the army and finances of the empire, but his reforms antagonised thePraetorian Guard, who killed him after just 87 days. He was later deified bySeptimius Severus, who promoted his memory as part of his own rise to power. Ancient and modern assessments generally view Pertinax as a capable and conscientious ruler undone by circumstances.
Pertinax’s background is recorded in theHistoria Augusta and in Cassius Dio’sRoman History, with many details supported by inscriptions. He was born inAlba Pompeia in northern Italy,[5] the son of Helvius Successus, a freedman. According to Dio, Successus had no noble lineage but gave his son an education sufficient to secure him advancement.[5] With the support of a patron—eitherLucius Avitus orTiberius Claudius Pompeianus—Pertinax obtained a commission as a cohort officer.[6]
Between 175 and 185, he governed a series of provinces including Upper and LowerMoesia, Dacia,Syria, and finally Britain.[8] In Britain his strict discipline provoked hostility: mutinous soldiers once left him for dead, and he was forced to resign in 187.[10]
He later served as proconsul ofAfrica (188–189),[11] then as urban prefect of Rome,[12] and finally consul again in 192 withCommodus as colleague.[13]
Romanaureus struck under Pertinax: IMP. CAES. P. HELV. PERTIN. AVG. / PROVIDentia DEORum COnSul II
On 31 December 192 Commodus was assassinated by a palace conspiracy involving the praetorian prefectQuintus Aemilius Laetus, his mistressMarcia, and his chamberlain Eclectus.[14] Pertinax, then urban prefect, was taken to thePraetorian camp and acclaimed emperor.[15]
He reigned only 87 days,[16] but attempted to emulateMarcus Aurelius in restraint and reform. He tightened discipline in the Praetorian Guard, tried to regulate thealimenta (a state welfare scheme), and improved the coinage by raising the silver content of thedenarius from 74% to 87%.[17]
His efforts, however, met resistance. The Guard resented the modestdonativum on his accession and demanded more, forcing him to sell off Commodus’ property and concubines.[18][19] In March, a failed coup sought to replace him with the consulQuintus Pompeius Sosius Falco.[20]
On 28 March 193, around 200–300 praetorians stormed the palace.[21] Abandoned by his guards and betrayed by Laetus, Pertinax attempted to reason with them, but was cut down. Cassius Dio praised his courage but noted the futility of confronting enraged soldiers.[22]
Coin of Pertinax’s son with legend "KAI[C]AP [ΠΕΡΤΙΝΑΞ]" (Caesar Pertinax)
After Pertinax’s death, the Guard notoriously auctioned the throne, which was purchased byDidius Julianus.[23] Julianus lasted only weeks before being replaced bySeptimius Severus, who honoured Pertinax by executing his killers, securing his deification, and adopting “Pertinax” into his own name.[24]
Cassius Dio, who knew him personally, called him “an excellent and upright man” who governed with integrity and frugality.[25] He criticised only the haste of his reforms, which provoked resentment and led to his downfall.[26]
Later writers echoed this assessment.Niccolò Machiavelli cited him inThe Prince as a good ruler fatally undermined by trying to reform corrupt soldiers too quickly.David Hume praised him as an “excellent prince”. In 1788, at the Virginia Ratifying Convention,John Dawson referred to Pertinax’s murder as a warning against standing armies.[27]
The French journalistAndré Géraud (1882–1974) wrote under the pseudonym “Pertinax”.[28]
In the alternate history novelRomanitas bySophia McDougall, Pertinax survives the coup and enacts reforms that preserve the Roman Empire into the modern age.[29]
^Glay, Marcel le; Voisin, Jean-Louis; Bohec, Yann le (2001).A History of Rome. Translated by Nevill, Antonia (Third ed.). Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 369–372.ISBN1-4051-1083-X.
Pococke, Edward (1853).The History of the Roman Empire from the Time of Vespasian to the Extinction of the Western Empire. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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