Trajan (Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, September 18, 53-August 9, 117), ancient Roman EmpireEmperor, five good emperorsThe second place in the list. Trajan is remembered not only because of the Trajan Memorial Pillar standing on Trajan Square in Rome, but also because he was a generation of heroes who expanded the territory of the Roman Empire to its limits.

Trajan was born in a military family in Itarica, Spain. He grew up in the army with his father. He was a veritable "soldier" and gradually grew into an experienced general. He became commander of the regiment in 89 AD and served as consul in 91. For his achievements in fighting the Germans, he was awarded the honorary title of "Germanic Nikus". It is said that Trajan's character is kind, simple, resolute, decisive, bold and meticulous. He is almost a perfect person. He is not only deeply supported by the military, but also loved by the Roman people.

In 96 AD, Domitian, the Roman head of state, was killed in a coup because of his long-term contempt for the Senate and serious discord with the Senate. The Flavian Dynasty of the Roman Empire ended in blood. Nerva, a veteran senator, was elected head of state. Although Nerva had the support of the Senate, his throne was unstable due to his lack of power and prestige in the army. Therefore, he took a fancy to Trajan, who was in his prime years with great military achievements. In 1997, he took Trajan, then governor of Upper Germain, as his adopted son. The following year, Nerva fell, and Trajan became the chief.

Trajan's succession created two records. One was the first time that a provincial person served as the Roman head of state, and the other was the establishment of the "adopted son inheritance system", in which the head of state adopted a powerful figure as his son when he was old and inherited the throne. This system lasted throughout the Antonian Dynasty. The quality of the heads of state of the Antoninus Dynasty was significantly higher than that of other dynasties in the Roman Empire, and history shows that the "adopted son inheritance system" was a successful system.

After Trajan ascended the throne, he did not rush to return to Rome to hold the throne ceremony. Instead, he continued to inspect defense sites and camps on the front line, and only returned to Rome a year and a half later to receive the greetings of his subjects. He promised the Senate that no senator would be executed during his rule and that he would inform the Senate of any political affairs, which quickly dispelled the Senate's doubts about the military head of state. The unprecedented unity within Rome allowed him to freely deal with enemies on the border.

Three years after Trajan ascended the throne, he launched the famous Dasia War. The geographical scope of Dacia is roughly equivalent to that of present-day Romania. It is famous for its rich gold and silver. It has always been a major trouble for the Roman Empire. It has caused many losses to the Romans. It must also pay "annual coins" to Dacia every year. Trajan personally led his army to attack Dacia twice. The first time was in 101-102 AD. Trajan invested a total of 150,000 troops (including auxiliary troops). He also used unshakable morale and logistical supplies to make the mountain guerrilla tactics of Dacia's leader Dekebarus ineffective, forcing Dekebarus to cede territory, surrender, and allow Rome to garrison in exchange for temporary peace.

When Trajan discovered that De Kebarus was plotting to prepare for war against Rome, he resolutely led his army again and launched the Second Daxian War (104-105). The three armies divided into a joint attack on Samizejetusa, the capital of Daxian. After a beautiful siege, the city was captured. After De Kebarus fled, he was overtaken by the Roman army and committed suicide. The Daxian War was completely won. Trajan fully demonstrated his true nature as a "model soldier lover" in this war. Not only did he always take the lead, but he also became a good story because he personally tore his battle robe and bandaged the wounds of the soldiers.

The gold and silver obtained through the Darcia War improved the financial situation of the Roman Empire. Since then, the Romans colonized Dacia in large numbers, fundamentally changing the local ethnic composition and language. Today's Romania has strong Latin characteristics.

In 106, Trajan launched another war against the Nabataean Kingdom on the northwest tip of the Arabian Peninsula. This war also had certain economic purposes, because the Nabataean Kingdom was very prosperous as a trade intermediary between Rome and Parath. Trajan conquered it and established it as an Arabian province, controlling the main route of east-west trade.

In the end, Trajan directed the attack at his old enemy, the Baath Empire. In 113, he personally led his army to the Eastern Expedition. The following year, Armenia was captured. Later, along the south of the Tigris River, he defeated the so-called invincible Parthenian cavalry and annexed Upper Mesopotamia. In 116, the capital of Tasiphon was captured, and the troops reached the Persian Gulf (this was the largest period of the Roman Empire). Through this war, the Syria Desert, Armenian Plateau and Mesopotamia were all classified as Roman Empire provinces. The territory of the Roman Empire started from Mesopotamia in the east, to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, to West Asia and the British Islands in the north, and to the Sahara Desert in the south. It had reached the limit that a country could reach at that time.

Trajan was included among the most influential emperors not only because of martial arts, but also because of the series of policies he implemented in the country, which enabled him to win the support of the army and the Senate, and then the love of the people. The first is to follow the tradition of the Roman head of state building public facilities at his own expense, building bridges, ports, roads, squares, etc., and many still leave a mark in Rome. The other is to implement the "National Charity Fund" system. The specific method is that the state allocates certain financial allocations to certain towns. These towns use this as a fund and lend it to local owners, and use the annual interest collected as charity money to compensate the local poor.

Trajan's era began to absorb aristocrats from Eastern provinces to enrich the Senate, and his successors continued this practice, eventually gradually integrating Roman aristocrats and provincial aristocrats. Trajan's other policy was more controversial. He ordered all elders to use at least one-third of their wealth to buy land in Italy, artificially raising land prices. This accelerated the process of Italian land annexation, and the grand manor system flourished. After poorer Italians sold their land, they went to other provinces to buy cheaper land. However, land annexation weakened the ruling foundation of the Roman Empire and was not conducive to long-term development.

Trajan died of illness in Selinus in Asia Minor in 117 on his way back to his army. As the land he conquered exceeded the limits of what Rome could bear, it was gradually abandoned by his successors. But he accelerated the process of romanization in the Mediterranean region, and this influence will remain in history for a long time.

The Roman Empire was one of the most influential empires in world history. As a representative of the peak of this empire, Trajan was included in this ranking, ranking 56th.

Comments: As a ruler who launched a large-scale war, Trajan not only did not fall into the notoriety of "poor soldiers and fighting" and "wasting money", but also gained the reputation of "benevolent king" and was regarded as a model for a kind monarch. It is indeed worth learning from past rulers. His success was his ability to convince the people that he had launched the war for the collective good of the Romans, rather than to satisfy personal ambitions and desires.