Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 98 - 117

Possibly the finest of the Roman emperors. Trajan was adopted by the emperor Nerva, conscious of his own unpopularity with the army. Trajan was a famous general and well loved by the legions. He was the first non-Roman to become emperor, being of Spanish birth. His rule was wise and fair, leading the senate to proclaim him "optimo princeps"-  most excellent prince. He extended the empire (some have said unwisely) to include Dacia (modern Romania). Whatever his detractors say, Dacia remained a part of the empire until it was abandoned by Aurelian 150 years later, and to this day retains "Rome" as part of its name. He extended the empire to its greatest extent, as far as the river Euphrates. Roman emperors in the later empire were always to pray at their inauguration that they would be "more fortunate than Augustus, better than Trajan". His column, erected after the Dacian victories, still stands in Rome, albeit topped with a statue of Pope Sixtus V, who removed the statue of Trajan that originally adorned it.