How Important Were Hadrians Trips around the Empire in Establishing His Policies of Consolidation - Essay Example

THE ROLE OF HADRIAN’S TRIPS by 6 May The Role of Hadrian’s Trips for the Consolidation of Empire The fact of adopting Hadrian became a matter of the major political conflict in the Empire: Hadrian, despite his popularity and his political contributions had to fight plots and eliminate his enemies, to continue his politics of the prospering Empire. Needless to say, the years before Hadrian and the early years of his own ruling were marked with numerous territorial losses. The territories that still belonged to the Empire lacked integrity and lived in the atmosphere of the growing political dissent. Given the size of the Empire and the diversity of populations and territories in it, Hadrian’s trips became the turning point and the crucial element of the successful consolidation: Hadrian’s trips did not simply bring the territories and populations back to the political and social order, but under Hadrian’s leadership, the territories that had been separated before became one, cohesive and increasingly effective mechanism of the imperial domination. That the years of Hadrian’s political ruling were not easy is difficult to deny: Hadrian was met with the utmost displeasure on the side of other political leaders and the public itself. Hadrian had to abandon many territories and provinces won by Trajan and destroyed the theatre which Trajan had created in the Campus Martius (Anonymous 1921, P29). As the time passed, Hadrian was no longer capable of enduring the pressure of his political opponents and had to devise a strategy that would consolidate the empire and would, simultaneously, strengthen his political position. In the situation Hadrian was in, he did not see the way to consolidate the empire other than to set out on a trip across the imperial possessions. The fact is that Hadrian led his people not by violence but by dignity (Cassius Dio 1925, P437). Although “the Alexandrians had been rioting, and nothing would make them stop until they received a letter from Hadrian rebuking them, so true is it that an emperor’s word will have more force than arms” (Cassius Dio 1925, P441). Hadrian’s trips highlighted the turning point in the political and territorial development of the Empire: they put an end to the existing conflicts and began the new era of consolidation under Hadrian. Campania was the first on Hadrian’s way to consolidation. There, Hadrian aided the region by giving them gifts and benefactions (Anonymous 1921, P31). The role of Hadrian’s traveling to Campania is difficult to underestimate. He was able to choose and attach the most prominent men to his train of friends (Anonymous 1921, P31); in other words, he was able to create a consolidated political force which would support his ideas, pursue the goals he set for the region and would work the benefit of prosperity in accordance with the principles and values set by Hadrian himself. Hadrian view one of his major goals in exploring the life of Campania from the viewpoint of a private citizen – he would visit banquets and sick friends, regardless of their rank and position; he would invite them to his own banquets; he would bestow especial honor to his mother-in-law (Anonymous 1921, P31). As a result, Hadrian was not only able to see the life of Rome from within but he was able to identify its utmost needs and to provide resources necessary to meet those needs. Rome, however, was only the beginning of Hadrian’s journey to consolidation. The provinces of Gaul followed. Before that, he had also cancelled all debts in Rome and fixed a “period of fifteen years from the first to the last, on which the remission had to apply” (Cassius Dio 1925, P441). While in the provinces of Gaul, he again applied to generosity to relieve the burden of debts and difficulties in local communities (Anonymous 1921, P33). In Germany, Hadrian checked the efficiency and stability of his military force. Although Hadrian ruled his nation according to the principles of dignity and peace and did not consider violence as an effective means to withstand the political and military opposition, he “kept his soldiers in training as if the war were imminent” (Anonymous 1921, P33). Thus, Germany became one of the critical points in his journey. In Germany, Hadrian actively worked to revive and reestablish the military discipline (Anonymous 1921, P33). Before Hadrian, the discipline and the atmosphere in the military camps in Germany had become lax (Anonymous 1921, P33). Hadrian served an excellent example of the soldiery spirit and was eager to inspire his soldiers with his dedication to the common goals (Anonymous 1921, P33). For example, he would walk miles fully armed (Anonymous 1921, P33). He would visit sick soldiers in their quarters (Anonymous 1921, P33). He sought to obtain a precise information about the military stores, and examined with great care the receipts from provinces, to make sure that soldiers did not experience any form of deficit in any particular instance (Anonymous 1921, P33). Throughout his brief visit to Germany, Hadrian was not simply able to reform his army but he succeeded in reviving the spirit of soldiers: the army became consolidated, effective, professional, and disciplined. Upon his arrival to Britain, Hadrian initiated the major political restructuring. He removed from office “the prefect, the guard, and the imperial secretary with many other officials who, without Hadrian’s consent, conducted themselves to his wife in a more informal fashion than the etiquette required” (Anonymous 1921, P37). In simpler terms, Hadrian was displeased by the lack of subordination in Britain and the only way he deemed possible to reduce its negative consequences was through replacing the existing officials with the new ones. Again, as in case of Germany and Rome, Hadrian positioned himself as a private citizen and tried to explore the life of the British from within. He established numerous friendly connections and used those to pry into all secrets (Anonymous 1921, P37). He had access to the information which was critically important for the consolidation of the empire. The state of morality and etiquette in Britain were the issues of the primary Hadrian’s concern and only after he ensured that the relationships between people in Britain and their attitudes toward various life values improved, was he able to cross over to Gaul, to explore the reasons behind the riot in Alexandria (Anonymous 1921, P39). The riot in Alexandria rose because of Apis, “for Apis had been discovered again after an interval of many years, and was causing great dissension among the communities, each one earnestly asserting its claim as the place best fitted to be the seat of his worship” (Anonymous 1921, P39). Such internal dissensions were among the most serious obstacles against the stability and consolidation of the empire. Hadrian’s arrival to Alexandria put an end to the numerous conflicts and restored the atmosphere of peace and balance in the region. In Spain, Hadrian spent the whole winter at Tarragona and he restored the temple of Augustus (Anonymous 1921, P41) – that Hadrian invested heavily in the spiritual and moral development of his people showed him as a committed and conscious leader, who wanted to understand the needs of his people and to meet them. He was tolerant toward his enemies and tried to escape military violence by all possible means. Simultaneously, he would do everything necessary to protect his territories from the invaders – while he created artificial barriers against the barbarians he also checked and resolved the risks of new wars through personal conferences (Anonymous 1921, P41). In Greece, Hadrian sat as the head of the public games and bestowed many favors on the Athenians (Augusta P43). In Sicily, Hadrian climbed Mount Aetna to meet the sunrise, while in Africa he spent time showing the acts of kindness to the provinces (Anonymous 1921, P43). Hadrian travelled a lot from one province to another, checking and inspecting how they lived, what problems they faced, what they needed the most, and what could be done to improve their lives. Some of the provinces “he removed to more desirable places, some abolished, and even established the new ones” (Cassius Dio 1925, P443). He personally participated in all activities and investigated everything personally, being able to establish close relations with his people and to understand their lives from within. He taught people the values of morality and spirit with his own example. He did not leave foreign countries a single chance to invade Hadrian’s territories: the military force was always ready to fight any attack. That Hadrian personally participated in numerous events and visited his people strengthened his political position and gave people an opportunity to express their preferences and thoughts. Hadrian’s trips made the consolidation of the empire possible and justified, turning his territories into a single, cohesive, and well-performing mechanism of the imperial power. References Anonymous 1921, The Life of Hadrian, in Historia Augusta, accessed online, http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Hadrian/1*.html Cassius Dio 1925, Epitome of book LXIX, in Cassius Dio, Roman History, Loeb Classical Library Edition, accessed online, http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/69*.html Read More