Roman Empire

===''Pax Romana''===
{{Main|Pax Romana}}
{{Multiple image
|total_width=500
|header=The so-called "[[Five Good Emperors]]" of 96–180 AD
|image1=Nerva Tivoli Massimo.jpg
|caption1=[[Nerva]] ({{R.|96|98}})
|image2=Traianus Glyptothek Munich 72.jpg
|caption2=[[Trajan]] ({{R.|98|117}})
|image3=Bust Hadrian Musei Capitolini MC817.jpg
|caption3=[[Hadrian]] ({{R.|117|138}})
|image4=Antoninus Pius (Museo del Prado) 01.jpg
|caption4=[[Antoninus Pius]] ({{R.|138|161}})
|image5=(Toulouse) Buste cuirassé de Marc Aurèle agè - Musée Saint-Raymond Ra 61 b (cropped).jpg
|caption5=[[Marcus Aurelius]] ({{R.|161|180}})
}}

The 200 years that began with Augustus's rule is traditionally regarded as the ''[[Pax Romana]]'' ("Roman Peace"). The cohesion of the empire was furthered by a degree of social stability and economic prosperity that Rome had never before experienced. Uprisings in the provinces were infrequent and put down "mercilessly and swiftly".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Boatwright |first=Mary T. |title=Hadrian and the Cities of the Roman Empire |date=2000 |publisher=Princeton University Press |page=4 |author-link=Mary T. Boatwright}}</ref> The success of Augustus in establishing principles of dynastic succession was limited by his outliving a number of talented potential heirs. The [[Julio-Claudian dynasty]] lasted for four more emperors—[[Tiberius]], [[Caligula]], [[Claudius]], and [[Nero]]—before it yielded in 69 AD to the strife-torn [[Year of the Four Emperors]], from which [[Vespasian]] emerged as victor. Vespasian became the founder of the brief [[Flavian dynasty]], followed by the [[Nerva–Antonine dynasty]] which produced the "[[Five Good Emperors]]": [[Nerva]], [[Trajan]], [[Hadrian]], [[Antoninus Pius]], and [[Marcus Aurelius]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}