October 12, 166 CE: Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus (better known simply as Commodus), son of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (the Stoic philosopher-king), is made Caesar with his younger brother Marcius Annius Verus. Verus died shortly thereafter, leaving Commodus as the sole heir. Aurelius was the last in the line of the Five Good Emperors, a period begun by Nerva in which succession was determined by adopting the most qualified person. He was the last because he brought it to an end and restored dynastic rule by naming his biological son as his successor. The reign of Commodus, 180-192 CE, was a brief period of insanity and civil war. His greatest passion was gladiatorial combat, and he trained himself as such. He took his turn to fight in the ring and won fairly. He was very likely insane. He believed he was the reincarnation of Hercules and even dressed as the mythological hero, wearing lion skin and carrying a huge club. He renamed Rome “Commodia” in his own honor. He considered himself the living Hercules and had no real interest in performing what his Stoic father would call the emperor’s duty to make Rome a better place. He wasted his entire reign on frivolous pursuits and alienated the one group that was NOT to be alienated – the army. He was not a commander of any sort and they turned against him. He was assassinated in 192 CE after twelve years of reign. The soldiers were afraid of directly confronting a trained and successful gladiator, so another trained gladiator was found and paid to strangle him.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 07:12:05 +0000
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