Description

The son of a former slave Pertinax was the Roman Emperor who proved that no matter how lowly your birth you could rise to the very top through hard work grit and determination

Born in AD 126 Pertinax made a late career change from working as a grammar teacher to a position in the army As he moved up the ranks and further along the aristocratic cursus honorum he took on many of the most important postings in the Empire from senior military roles in fractious Britain the Marcomannic Wars on the Danube to the Parthian Wars in the east He held governorships in key provinces and later consulships in Rome itself When Emperor Commodus was assassinated the Praetorian Guard alighted on Pertinax to become the new Emperor expecting a pliable puppet But Pertinax was nothing of the sort and when he then attempted to reform the Guard he was assassinated His death triggered the beginning of the Year of the Five Emperors from which Septimius Severus Pertinaxs former mentoree became the ultimate victor

This previously untold story brings a fascinating and important figure out of the shadows A selfmade everyman a man of principle and ambition a role model respected by his contemporaries Pertinaxs remarkable story offers a unique and panoramic insight into the late 2nd century AD Principate Empire