Longing for Death

-134 AD- Hadrian was back in Italia, but his health was rapidly deteriorating.
   -Because of this, he began to seriously consider his successor.
   -Also, he apparently began to unravel mentally during this time.
      -Famous example is his feud with Apollodorus of Damascus, the famous Syrian-Greek genius engineer who had worked so brilliantly with Trajan.
         -The drama started when Hadrian had finished the completion of the Temple of Venus and Roma in Rome (from 121-135 AD, with additions later added by (future Roman emperor) Antoninus Pius).  Hadrian had designed it himself, and was super-proud of it.  However, he asked Apollodorus what he thought of it, but Apollodorus sent back an honest but brutal critique of it.
            -Allegedly they had disliked each other ever since the Dacian Wars, when Hadrian had tried to participate in the war discussions among Trajan, Apollodorus, and the other generals, and I guess everyone thought Hadrian was a noob.
               -Still though, Hadrian had apparently used Apollodorus to design anti-guerrilla war machines during the Bar Kokhba Revolt.
                  -Anyway, because of Apollodorus' critique, Hadrian had Apollodorus exiled and later executed!
                    -However, it's entirely possible that this was just made up and that Apollodorus had died of natural causes around this time, and Hadrian's enemies had used it as anti-Hadrian propaganda.
-136 AD- more or less completion of the Mausoleum of Hadrian in Rome.
-Before Hadrian's death, the only living male relative of Hadrian was Gnaeus Pedanius Fuscus Salinator, husband of Hadrian's niece, Julia.
   -However, Hadrian had judged that Fuscus was unfit to be heir, as he was too petty and decadent ("a Nero in the making").
      -Originally, it had been expected that Fuscus was going to be chosen as heir, but this turned out to be not so; this especially pissed off Fuscus' grandfather-in-law, the politician Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus (also Hadrian's brother-in-law).
         -Servianus himself had also at one point been considered for heir to Hadrian.
-138 AD- Hadrian announced that he was adopting the consul Lucius Ceionius Commodus as heir- theories range wildly as to why he did this.
   -Lucius Commodus then changed his name to Lucius Aelius Caesar to reflect this.
   -Lucius Commodus was seen as an odd choice because he was always sick.
      -Was Hadrian playing 4D chess?  Some scholars think so.
         -It is likely that ultimately Hadrian was actually aiming for the grandson of Marcus Annius Verus, one his advisers (grandson had the same name, but he would be known in history as (future emperor) Marcus Aurelius!).
            -Hadrian saw this boy as remarkably intelligent, mature, and studious.
               -Hadrian also had it arranged that Marcus was engaged to Lucius Caesar's daughter immediately after naming Lucius heir.
                  -Lucius did also have a son, but he was too  young, so it made sense that Hadrian was expecting the sickly Lucius to croak before he came of age, setting up Marcus as the next in line by default.  For now, though, Marcus was still too young to be adopted as Hadrian's heir.
-Hadrian naming Lucius as heir was too much for Servianus and Fuscus!
   -They immediately began to conspire to overthrow Hadrian and take power for themselves. 
      -Of course, Hadrian quickly found out about this and had Fuscus and Servianus executed.
         -According to legend, before dying Servianus cursed Hadrian by saying something like- "May you long for death, but be unable to die!"
   -At this point, it's unclear as to what exactly went down- did Hadrian have Servianus, Fuscus, and possibly others (including his own wife, Sabina!) executed on trumped-up charges?
      -It's possible that Hadrian was getting paranoid, but it's also possible that the Senate was demonizing him.
-Meanwhile, Lucius died on New Year's Day, 138 AD, after returning from his governorship in Pannonia Superior. 
   -Quickly, Hadrian named the senator Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antoninus as heir (future emperor Antoninus Pius).
      -Antoninus was born in 86 AD near Rome.
         -Grandson (and son) of a consul who had served under Domitian and was a former military commander.
            -Family (Aurelius) had originally come from southern Gaul, but had relocated to Italy at some point.
            -Father had died early on, so Antoninus was adopted by his maternal grandfather's clan (hence, why his name is so long).  Antoninus was well-connected (e.g. he was close friends with Pliny the Younger).
            -Early in his life he married Annia Galeria Faustina, daughter of an aristocratic family and granddaughter of Marcus Annius Verus.
               -Because of this, Antoninus found himself as a courtier of Hadrian's when Hadrian assumed power.
                 -Hadrian liked Antoninus and awarded him with various high offices and shit.
   -It's clear at this point that Hadrian had seriously been considering Marcus as heir becuase he allowed for Antoninus to be his heir on the sole condition that Antoninus adopt both Marcus AND Lucius Ceionius Commodus (son of Lucius Caesar). 
      -Antoninus acccepted, and he changed his name to Titus Aelius Caesar Antoninus.
-July 10, 138 AD- Hadrian finally croaks, and Antoninus becomes the next emperor!
   -Hadrian had developed congestive heart failure, which was extremely painful.  This resulted in Hadrian trying (and failing) to kill himself on multiple occasions!  So maybe Servianus' (alleged) curse turned out to come true!