''Felicior Augusto, melior Traiano'' or ''Sis felicior Augusto, melior Traiano'' (
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: "be more fortunate than
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
ndbetter than
Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
) was the formula delivered in the
Roman Senate
The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...
at the
inauguration
In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inaugu ...
of late
Roman emperors. The phrase refers to the perceived well-being of the empire during the reigns of Augustus and Trajan. Particularly, it recalls the
divine favour Augustus supposedly enjoyed and Trajan's title ''Optimus'' (Best),
expressing the senatorial memory of Trajan as the exemplar of imperial modesty.
After the setbacks of the
third century
The 3rd century was the period from 201 ( CCI) to 300 ( CCC) Anno Domini (AD) or Common Era (CE) in the Julian calendar..
In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, starting with the assassination of the Roman Emperor Severus Alexander i ...
, Augustus and Trajan became in the Later Roman Empire the paragon of the most positive traits of the Imperial order. The phrase was in use until at least the 4th century AD,
when the Roman Empire had dramatically changed in character from what it had been under Trajan's rule.
References
{{reflist
Latin political words and phrases
Augustus
Trajan
Roman emperors
Inauguration