Having been proclaimed emperor solely on the initiative of the Senate , Nerva had to introduce a number of measures to gain support among the Roman populace . As was custom by this time , a change of emperor was expected to bring with it a generous payment of gifts and money to the people and the army . Accordingly , a congiarium of 75 denarii per head was bestowed upon the citizens , while the soldiers of the Praetorian Guard received a donativum which may have amounted to as much as 5000 denarii per person . This was followed by a string of economic reforms intended to alleviate the burden of taxation from the most needy Romans .