and extended by
the succeeding princes.

*An era of internal peace.* With Nerva begins a period in the history of
the principate that is characterized by amicable relations between the
princeps and the Senate. The basis of this concord was the agreement by
the successive emperors to acknowledge the freedom of senators from the
imperial jurisdiction. There was no longer any question of an active
participation by the Senate as a whole in the administration, nevertheless
it continued to exercise its influence through the official posts reserved
for senators. In addition to the establishment of these harmonious
relations, the peaceful succession of a number of able rulers who were
designated by adoption and association in the powers of the principate has
caused this epoch to be regarded as one of the happiest periods of Roman
history.

Nerva died in January, 98 A. D., after a rule of less than two years, and
was succeeded by Trajan, who assumed office at Cologne.

*Trajan's character and policy.* Trajan was a native of the Roman colony
of Italica in Spain, and the first provincial to attain the principate.
His accession is evidence not only for the degree of romanization in the
Spanish provinces but also for the decline of the dominance of the
strictly Italian element within the empire and the transformation of the
Italian into an imperial nobility of wealth and office. The new princeps
was above all things a soldier, and the desire for military glory was his
chief weakness. At the same time he was an energetic and conscientious
administrator, and showed a personal interest in the welfare of Italy and
the provinces, as we see from his correspondence with the younger Pliny,
governor of Bithynia in 111-113 A. D. He respected the rights of the
Senate and repeated Nerva's oath not to condemn one of that body to death.

*The **conquest** of Dacia, 101-106 A. D.* In the third year of his rule
Trajan undertook the conquest of Dacia, for Domitian's agreement with
Decebalus was regarded as a disgrace and the existence of a strong Dacian
kingdom was a perpetual menace to the Danubian frontier. Decebalus was
still king of the Dacians and proved himself a valiant opponent, but in
two well-conducted campaigns (101-102 A. D.) Trajan forced him to sue for
peace. He was obliged to give up his engines of war with the Roman
engineers whom he had received from Domitian, to acknowledge Roman
overlordship and render military service to Rome.