Publius Helvius Pertinax ( ; 1 August 126 - 28 March 193) was Roman emperor for the first three months of 193, succeeding Commodus and becoming the first ruler of the turbulent Year of the Five Emperors.

The son of a freedman, Pertinax rose from modest origins through a military career. He distinguished himself in the Roman-Parthian War of 161-166