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A respected senatorial lawyer, Nerva was appointed emperor on the assassination of Domitian
in 96. Although a gentle and humble man, eminently suited for the principate, he was distrusted by certain sections of the populace who believed him a catamite of
Domitian (he probably was), and by the army, who had been highly supportive of Domitian. Nerva
returned some credibility to the throne, and in 97, aware of his own unpopularity in certain quarters, adopted the general Trajan as his son and heir, probably his greatest gift to Rome. |
