Who was Trajan, the Roman emperor born in Hispania?

Trajan, an emperor from Hispania

Trajano, un emperador hispano

98. Marcus Ulpius Traianus was born in 53 AD in Itálica, a Roman town near today's Seville, where his family, Italian in origin, had settled.

Where: Spain, Seville, Córdoba

What happened

Marcus Ulpius Traianus was born in 53 AD in Itálica, a Roman town near today's Seville, where his family, Italian in origin, had settled. In 98 he became emperor, the first from a family of the provinces, and under him the Roman Empire reached its greatest size. His successor Hadrian also came from a family of Itálica, though whether he was born there or in Rome is debated. By then Hispania was one of the most Roman parts of the empire, sending olive oil, wine and silver to Rome, and writers too: the philosopher Seneca was born in Córdoba.

Say it

Trajano nació en Itálica, cerca de Sevilla.

Trajan was born in Itálica, near Seville.

Why it matters

A Hispanic emperor shows how completely the provinces had become Roman within two centuries, the same process that made Latin, and so Spanish, the language of the peninsula.

Read about it

• Los romanos en Hispania — The Romans in Hispania

Connected

• The Romanisation of Hispania (218 BC–409)
• Augustus founds Mérida (25 BC)

• Before: Augustus founds Mérida
• After: The Visigoths become Catholic

Sources

1. Trajan — World History Encyclopedia
2. Hadrian (A.D. 117-138) — De Imperatoribus Romanis (Loyola University Chicago)
3. Seneca — World History Encyclopedia