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On March 17, 180, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius died leaving his son Commodus as sole emperor. From the article:
"Commodus
Commodus was Roman emperor from 180 to 192 CE. With the death of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in March of 180 CE, the long reign of the five good emperors came to an end and with it so did the Pax Romana (the Roman Peace). Those emperors who followed for the next century would witness a time of both chaos and decline. The first of these inept emperors was Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius, who, according to most historians, was not only debauched and corrupt but also a megalomaniac, seeing himself as the reincarnation of the Greek god Hercules.
Early Life
Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born to the philosopher/king and Faustina the Younger at Lanuvium, a city fourteen miles southeast of Rome on August 31, 161 CE. He was the tenth of fourteen children and the only son to survive - his twin brother Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antonius died at the age of four. He would be the first emperor born while his father was the emperor and the last to inherit the throne as the previous five emperors (including Marcus) had obtained the throne through adoption.
Commodus As Emperor
It did not take long for the future emperor to become a disappointment to his father for although he enjoyed the benefits of a quality education, Commodus inherited none of his father's work ethic and would find government life tedious and some believed this gave evidence that he was illegitimate, owing to his mother's supposed affairs. After serving alongside Marcus in battle on the northern frontier in 178 and 179 CE, Commodus returned to Rome in 180 CE after his father's death (he was only eighteen) and negotiated a peace settlement, a peace surprisingly favorable to Rome. Eventually, he would leave the reins of power in the hands of others while he devoted his time to worldly pleasures. One of the first to assume some of the emperor's responsibility was Saoterus whose relationship with Commodus would soon incur the ire of those in both the Senate and imperial household.
Eventually, Commodus would leave the reins of power in the hands of others while he devoted his time to worldly pleasures.
Although Commodus considered his twelve-year-reign a new “golden age,” his lack of concern for political matters together with his life of leisure and extreme paranoia brought about what others might consider a reign of terror. Historian Cassius Dio, who called it the kingdom of “iron and rust,” wrote, “This man was not naturally wicked, but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. His great simplicity, however, together with his cowardice, missed the better life and then was led on into lustful and cruel habits, which soon became second nature.” Because he relied on others to rule in his place, those around him realized that he could be easily manipulated, allowing for a number of conspiracies against his life to develop - one was even initiated by his older sister Lucilla and a number of senators in 182 CE.
Lucilla believed she and her husband Lucius Verus had been passed over by Marcus Aurelius as potential heirs to the throne. The plot was simple enough: Claudius Pompeianus Quintianus, her nephew, was to lie in wait until the emperor entered the Colosseum and then stab him; however, the assassination was bungled when Quintianus raised his dagger and instead of quickly stabbing Commodus he shouted “This is what the senate has sent you.” Before he could complete his sentence, he was seized by the Praetorian Guard. This foiled attempt upon his life, together with the recent death of the emperor's trusted chamberlain Saoterus, caused Commodus to take decisive action - those implicated in the plot were all executed. Contrary to some authors, Lucilla was not immediately executed; instead, she was exiled and executed much later. Commodus also took the opportunity to execute Paternus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, who had been implicated in both Saoterus' assassination as well as Lucilla's plot.
During this traumatic time in Commodus's life, Tigidius Perennis, who had served as the joint commander of the Praetorian Guard with Paternus, seized the opportunity and began to get closer to the vulnerable emperor, assuming considerable governmental power, something that allowed Commodus to pursue other interests. After his sister's plot, the emperor refused to appear in public and all communication went through the new chamberlain. Perennis took his new role seriously and proved to be both brutal and efficient, eliminating any rivals to his authority while making numerous enemies along the way. As he amassed great wealth and Commodus pulled further away from governmental responsibilities, he began to believe himself to the true emperor, not Commodus, even going so far as to plot to do away with the emperor and prepare his own sons for succession. Herodian, in his History of the Roman Empire, wrote, “Perennis assumed full personal charge of the empire, driven by his insatiable lust for money, his contempt for what he had, and his greedy longing for what was not yet his.” Unfortunately, he had made one enemy, the former slave and member of the imperial household, Cleander, who would bring him to ruin. In 185 CE, through a group of 1500 soldiers returning from Britain, Cleander leaked information to Commodus of Perennis's plot to overthrow him and assume power - Perennis's execution (and that of his sons) was immediately ordered.
Cleander stepped in as the emperor's new chamberlain, and as with Perennis, Commodus was freed to return to his life of pleasure, and as with his predecessor, Cleander destroyed all opposition. Everything was for sale - senatorial seats as well as governorships, and, of course, a portion of the money went to Commodus. However, like Perennis, Cleander would not remain for long. In 190 CE a grain supply shortage would bring him down. The grain commissioner, Papeirius Dionysius, cut off all grain to the populace, blaming Cleander and his greed - Cleander has supposedly bought all the grain. The people were incensed and a few days later, while gathered at the Circus Maximus, a riot erupted. The people cried for the head of Cleander and they marched through the streets to the emperor's residence at the Villa of the Quintilli. Commodus feared for his life and when attempts to quell the mob failed, Commodus gave them what they wanted - the head of Cleander which was placed on a pole and marched through the street of Rome. Afterwards, Commodus realized that he would have to take over the reins of government himself.
Commodus As Hercules
A new Commodus emerged, one that saw himself as a reborn Hercules who appeared in public wearing a cloak made out of the hide of a lion over his head (a reference to the Nemean Lion of Hercules's Twelve Labors). The Senate was even made to declare him a living god. Herodian wrote, “First he discarded his family name and issued orders that he was to be called not Commodus, son of Marcus, but Hercules, son of Zeus. Abandoning the Roman and imperial mode of dress, he donned the lion skin, and carried the club of Hercules. … He erected statues of himself throughout the city …. for he wished even his statues to inspire fear of him.” Next, he renamed the twelve months, and after a fire in 191 CE destroyed much of the city (including the Temple of Peace and Temple of Vesta) he seized the opportunity to completely rebuild Rome. Because he considered himself the new founder, he renamed Rome Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana; the people became known as Commodiani. To the surprise of everyone, he even took part in gladiatorial contests, fighting against the physically handicapped and an array of beasts from a raised platform which included a tiger, an elephant and even a hippo.
Death
When he decided to fight in the arena on New Year's Day in 193 CE to celebrate the city's rebirth, his mistress Marcia (his wife Bruttia Crispina had been banished and executed in 191 CE) as well as his new chamberlain (Electus) and new commander of the Praetorian Guard (Quintas Aemilius Laetus) realized he had gone too far. After they failed to talk him out of his ridiculous plans, he became incensed and threatened to add their names to a long list of people he wanted executed. Later, as usual, Marcia brought Commodus a glass of wine prior to his bath; however, this time it was laced with poison. When the poison failed, Commodus's fitness coach, Narcissus (a professional wrestler by trade) entered and choked him to death. Although many wanted to drag his body through the streets of Rome, Pertinax (who oddly enough would succeed Commodus) seized the body, prevented its desecration and, finally, Commodus was laid to rest in Hadrian's Mausoleum."
"Commodus
Commodus was Roman emperor from 180 to 192 CE. With the death of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius in March of 180 CE, the long reign of the five good emperors came to an end and with it so did the Pax Romana (the Roman Peace). Those emperors who followed for the next century would witness a time of both chaos and decline. The first of these inept emperors was Commodus, the son of Marcus Aurelius, who, according to most historians, was not only debauched and corrupt but also a megalomaniac, seeing himself as the reincarnation of the Greek god Hercules.
Early Life
Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born to the philosopher/king and Faustina the Younger at Lanuvium, a city fourteen miles southeast of Rome on August 31, 161 CE. He was the tenth of fourteen children and the only son to survive - his twin brother Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antonius died at the age of four. He would be the first emperor born while his father was the emperor and the last to inherit the throne as the previous five emperors (including Marcus) had obtained the throne through adoption.
Commodus As Emperor
It did not take long for the future emperor to become a disappointment to his father for although he enjoyed the benefits of a quality education, Commodus inherited none of his father's work ethic and would find government life tedious and some believed this gave evidence that he was illegitimate, owing to his mother's supposed affairs. After serving alongside Marcus in battle on the northern frontier in 178 and 179 CE, Commodus returned to Rome in 180 CE after his father's death (he was only eighteen) and negotiated a peace settlement, a peace surprisingly favorable to Rome. Eventually, he would leave the reins of power in the hands of others while he devoted his time to worldly pleasures. One of the first to assume some of the emperor's responsibility was Saoterus whose relationship with Commodus would soon incur the ire of those in both the Senate and imperial household.
Eventually, Commodus would leave the reins of power in the hands of others while he devoted his time to worldly pleasures.
Although Commodus considered his twelve-year-reign a new “golden age,” his lack of concern for political matters together with his life of leisure and extreme paranoia brought about what others might consider a reign of terror. Historian Cassius Dio, who called it the kingdom of “iron and rust,” wrote, “This man was not naturally wicked, but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. His great simplicity, however, together with his cowardice, missed the better life and then was led on into lustful and cruel habits, which soon became second nature.” Because he relied on others to rule in his place, those around him realized that he could be easily manipulated, allowing for a number of conspiracies against his life to develop - one was even initiated by his older sister Lucilla and a number of senators in 182 CE.
Lucilla believed she and her husband Lucius Verus had been passed over by Marcus Aurelius as potential heirs to the throne. The plot was simple enough: Claudius Pompeianus Quintianus, her nephew, was to lie in wait until the emperor entered the Colosseum and then stab him; however, the assassination was bungled when Quintianus raised his dagger and instead of quickly stabbing Commodus he shouted “This is what the senate has sent you.” Before he could complete his sentence, he was seized by the Praetorian Guard. This foiled attempt upon his life, together with the recent death of the emperor's trusted chamberlain Saoterus, caused Commodus to take decisive action - those implicated in the plot were all executed. Contrary to some authors, Lucilla was not immediately executed; instead, she was exiled and executed much later. Commodus also took the opportunity to execute Paternus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, who had been implicated in both Saoterus' assassination as well as Lucilla's plot.
During this traumatic time in Commodus's life, Tigidius Perennis, who had served as the joint commander of the Praetorian Guard with Paternus, seized the opportunity and began to get closer to the vulnerable emperor, assuming considerable governmental power, something that allowed Commodus to pursue other interests. After his sister's plot, the emperor refused to appear in public and all communication went through the new chamberlain. Perennis took his new role seriously and proved to be both brutal and efficient, eliminating any rivals to his authority while making numerous enemies along the way. As he amassed great wealth and Commodus pulled further away from governmental responsibilities, he began to believe himself to the true emperor, not Commodus, even going so far as to plot to do away with the emperor and prepare his own sons for succession. Herodian, in his History of the Roman Empire, wrote, “Perennis assumed full personal charge of the empire, driven by his insatiable lust for money, his contempt for what he had, and his greedy longing for what was not yet his.” Unfortunately, he had made one enemy, the former slave and member of the imperial household, Cleander, who would bring him to ruin. In 185 CE, through a group of 1500 soldiers returning from Britain, Cleander leaked information to Commodus of Perennis's plot to overthrow him and assume power - Perennis's execution (and that of his sons) was immediately ordered.
Cleander stepped in as the emperor's new chamberlain, and as with Perennis, Commodus was freed to return to his life of pleasure, and as with his predecessor, Cleander destroyed all opposition. Everything was for sale - senatorial seats as well as governorships, and, of course, a portion of the money went to Commodus. However, like Perennis, Cleander would not remain for long. In 190 CE a grain supply shortage would bring him down. The grain commissioner, Papeirius Dionysius, cut off all grain to the populace, blaming Cleander and his greed - Cleander has supposedly bought all the grain. The people were incensed and a few days later, while gathered at the Circus Maximus, a riot erupted. The people cried for the head of Cleander and they marched through the streets to the emperor's residence at the Villa of the Quintilli. Commodus feared for his life and when attempts to quell the mob failed, Commodus gave them what they wanted - the head of Cleander which was placed on a pole and marched through the street of Rome. Afterwards, Commodus realized that he would have to take over the reins of government himself.
Commodus As Hercules
A new Commodus emerged, one that saw himself as a reborn Hercules who appeared in public wearing a cloak made out of the hide of a lion over his head (a reference to the Nemean Lion of Hercules's Twelve Labors). The Senate was even made to declare him a living god. Herodian wrote, “First he discarded his family name and issued orders that he was to be called not Commodus, son of Marcus, but Hercules, son of Zeus. Abandoning the Roman and imperial mode of dress, he donned the lion skin, and carried the club of Hercules. … He erected statues of himself throughout the city …. for he wished even his statues to inspire fear of him.” Next, he renamed the twelve months, and after a fire in 191 CE destroyed much of the city (including the Temple of Peace and Temple of Vesta) he seized the opportunity to completely rebuild Rome. Because he considered himself the new founder, he renamed Rome Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana; the people became known as Commodiani. To the surprise of everyone, he even took part in gladiatorial contests, fighting against the physically handicapped and an array of beasts from a raised platform which included a tiger, an elephant and even a hippo.
Death
When he decided to fight in the arena on New Year's Day in 193 CE to celebrate the city's rebirth, his mistress Marcia (his wife Bruttia Crispina had been banished and executed in 191 CE) as well as his new chamberlain (Electus) and new commander of the Praetorian Guard (Quintas Aemilius Laetus) realized he had gone too far. After they failed to talk him out of his ridiculous plans, he became incensed and threatened to add their names to a long list of people he wanted executed. Later, as usual, Marcia brought Commodus a glass of wine prior to his bath; however, this time it was laced with poison. When the poison failed, Commodus's fitness coach, Narcissus (a professional wrestler by trade) entered and choked him to death. Although many wanted to drag his body through the streets of Rome, Pertinax (who oddly enough would succeed Commodus) seized the body, prevented its desecration and, finally, Commodus was laid to rest in Hadrian's Mausoleum."
Commodus
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Commodus: Emperor, Gladiator, Madman
The only person that loved Commodus more than Ridley Scott was... Commodus. Subscribe for new videos four times per week.https://www.youtube.com/c/biographi...
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on March 17, 180 AD
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius died leaving his son Lucius Aurelius Commodus as sole Roman Emperor.
Commodus: Emperor, Gladiator, Madman
https://youtu.be/5yxX5bFa2uk?t=50
Images:
1. Emperor Commodus Bust - dressed as Hercules
2. A marble head of Commodus, end of 2nd century AD, from Rome. (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome)
3. AR denarius of Commodus. Obverse has laureate head r., M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG. Reverse has Liberalitas l. with counting-board and cornucopia
4. Empress Crispina, wife of Commodus, C. AD 18
Background from {{https://rome.us/roman-emperors/commodus.html]}
Emperor Commodus
HOME / ROMAN EMPERORS /
Commodus, or Lucius Aurelius Commodus, was Roman emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 to his father’s death in 180, and alone until 192. When he was a ruler along with his father, he accompanied Marcus Aurelius during the Marcomannic Wars in 172 and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. Moreover, he was the youngest consul in Roman history in 177. Later, that year he became the co-emperor with his father.
It was the first case when a son succeeded his biological father since Titus and Vespasian in 79 AD
During his solo reign, the ancient Roman Empire experienced a period of reduced military conflict with a dictatorial style of rule. His assassination in 192 marked the end of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty.
Contents
1 Early Life
2 Emperor
2.1 New Life
3 Interesting Facts
4 Death
1. Early Life
Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born to the Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger in Lanuvium, a city fourteen miles southeast of Rome in 161. He was the tenth of fourteen children and the only surviving son. Commodus received an upbringing from his father’s physician, Galen, who treated many of his illnesses. Moreover, there were may teachers who participated in education of young Commodus with a focus on intellectual education. Among his teachers were Onesicrates, Antistius Capella, Titus Aius Sanctus, and Pitholaus.
During the Marcomannic Wars in 172, Commodus was at Carnuntum. There he was given the victory title Germanicus, which suggests that he was present at his father’s victory over the Marcomanni. Later, in 175, he started his education in the College of Pontiffs, which became the starting point of a career in public life.
Marcus Aurelius was the first emperor since Vespasian to have a biological son. In 176, he granted Commodus the rank of “Imperator” and later, in 177, the title “Augustus,” which meant the formal sharing of power with his son
2. Emperor
As an emperor, Commodus soon became a disappointment to Marcus Aurelius. Despite his education, he did not inherit any of his father’s work. After serving in battle on the northern frontier in 178 and 179, together with Aurelius, Commodus returned to Rome in 180 after his father’s death. During that period of time he was only 18 years old and started to negotiate a peace settlement. Later, Commodus left the reins of power in other hands most of the time, while enjoyed his time full of leisure.
Commodus had lack of concern for political matters and suffered from paranoia
Since the emperor relied on help of others to rule the Empire, there were many conspiracies against his life. He was considered to be easily manipulated. Moreover, one of the conspiracies was made by his older sister Lucilla and several senators in 182. She believed that her husband Lucius Verus had to be the next emperor after Marcus Aurelius. For this plan, Lucilla was exiled and executed after some time. Also, Paternus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, was executed because of his connection to Saoterus’ assassination and to Lucilla’s plan.
Tigidius Perennis, who had served as the joint commander of the Praetorian Guard with Paternus, decided to use the opportunity and become closer to Commodus during his time full of difficulties. He wanted to gain a governmental power. After the case with Lucilla, Commodus refused to give any public speeches and started to communicate to people only through the new chamberlain. Thus, public speaking role was transferred to Perennis, who took it seriously. He eliminated any rivals to his authority, but gained many enemies. Perennis became a wealthy man with many governmental responsibilities, so he started to consider himself as the true emperor. However, his main enemy became Cleander, the ex slave and member of the imperial household. In 185, Cleander leaked information to Commodus about the plan of Perennis to get the whole power and make his sons the future emperors. Commodus immediately ordered the execution of Perennis and his sons.
Cleander became a member of the emperor’s chamberlain. However, Commodus decided to return again to his life full of pleasures by leaving the right of rule in hands of Cleander this time, who eventually had the same story as his predecessor. Cleander destroyed the system, where senatorial seats, governorships and almost everything was for sale. Of course, some part of money went to Commodus. Cleander wouldn’t remain for long time. In 190, people gathered at the Circus Maximus for the riot. They cried for the head of Cleander and marched through the streets to the residence of Commodus at the Villa of Quintilli. Commodus feared for his life and gave people the head of Cleander, which was placed on a pole and marched through the streets of Rome. Only this situation made Commodus understand that he has to rule himself.
2.1.New Life
Commodus became another person. He saw himself as a reborn Hercules, who appeared in public wearing a cloak created from the hide of a lion over hishead. This sign was a reference to the Nemean Lion of Hercules’s Twelve Labors.
The Senate declared Commodus a living god
Commodus discarded his family name and issued orders to call him Hercules. He started to wear the lion skin and erected statues of himself in different parts of Rome. Moreover, he renaimed the twelve months and rebuilt Rome after a fire in 191. He changed the name of the city to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana, where citizens became known as Commodiani. Commodus even participated in gladiatorial contests against the physically handicapped and an array of wild animals from a raised platform.
3. Interesting Facts
1. In compare to son, Commodus’ father, Marcus Aurelius, was considered as one of the wisest emperors
2. It was the first case when a son succeeded his biological father since Titus and Vespasian in 79 AD
3. Commodus was nearly assassinated at the beginning of his reign by the plan of his sister, Lucilla
4. Commodus participated in gladiatorial contests against the physically handicapped and an array of wild animals from a raised platform
5. He changed the name of the city to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana, where citizens became known as Commodiani
6. He suffered from paranoia
7. Commodus was actually popular among Rome’s citizens during most of his reign because he cut taxes and set lots of games. However, the Senate hated him
8. After the death of Marcus Aurelius, Commodus gravitated toward tyranny and dictatorship
9. His main aim was to spend life full of leisure
10. There were many conspiracies against the emperor and his enemies considered him as easily manipulated
4. Death
On 1st of January in 193, Commodus decided to celebrate the Rome’s rebirth by fighting in the arena. His mistress Marcia, new chamberlain Electus and new commander of the Praetorian Guard understood that he had gone too far. When they tried to talk to Commodus about his strange plans, he became angry on them and added their names to the long list of people he wanted to execute.
One day Marcia brought Commodus a glass of wine with poison prior to his bath. However, the poison failed and Commodus’ fitness coach, Narcissus, entered and choked him to death. People wanted to drag his body through the streets of Rome, but Pertinax, who succeeded Commodus, seized the body and placed it in the Hadrian’s Mausoleum.'
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Denny Espinosa SSG Stephen Rogerson SPC Matthew Lamb LTC (Join to see)Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) SSG Franklin Briant SPC Woody Bullard TSgt David L. SMSgt David A Asbury SPC Michael Terrell SFC Chuck Martinez CSM Charles Hayden
Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius died leaving his son Lucius Aurelius Commodus as sole Roman Emperor.
Commodus: Emperor, Gladiator, Madman
https://youtu.be/5yxX5bFa2uk?t=50
Images:
1. Emperor Commodus Bust - dressed as Hercules
2. A marble head of Commodus, end of 2nd century AD, from Rome. (Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome)
3. AR denarius of Commodus. Obverse has laureate head r., M COMMODVS ANTONINVS AVG. Reverse has Liberalitas l. with counting-board and cornucopia
4. Empress Crispina, wife of Commodus, C. AD 18
Background from {{https://rome.us/roman-emperors/commodus.html]}
Emperor Commodus
HOME / ROMAN EMPERORS /
Commodus, or Lucius Aurelius Commodus, was Roman emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 to his father’s death in 180, and alone until 192. When he was a ruler along with his father, he accompanied Marcus Aurelius during the Marcomannic Wars in 172 and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. Moreover, he was the youngest consul in Roman history in 177. Later, that year he became the co-emperor with his father.
It was the first case when a son succeeded his biological father since Titus and Vespasian in 79 AD
During his solo reign, the ancient Roman Empire experienced a period of reduced military conflict with a dictatorial style of rule. His assassination in 192 marked the end of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty.
Contents
1 Early Life
2 Emperor
2.1 New Life
3 Interesting Facts
4 Death
1. Early Life
Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born to the Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger in Lanuvium, a city fourteen miles southeast of Rome in 161. He was the tenth of fourteen children and the only surviving son. Commodus received an upbringing from his father’s physician, Galen, who treated many of his illnesses. Moreover, there were may teachers who participated in education of young Commodus with a focus on intellectual education. Among his teachers were Onesicrates, Antistius Capella, Titus Aius Sanctus, and Pitholaus.
During the Marcomannic Wars in 172, Commodus was at Carnuntum. There he was given the victory title Germanicus, which suggests that he was present at his father’s victory over the Marcomanni. Later, in 175, he started his education in the College of Pontiffs, which became the starting point of a career in public life.
Marcus Aurelius was the first emperor since Vespasian to have a biological son. In 176, he granted Commodus the rank of “Imperator” and later, in 177, the title “Augustus,” which meant the formal sharing of power with his son
2. Emperor
As an emperor, Commodus soon became a disappointment to Marcus Aurelius. Despite his education, he did not inherit any of his father’s work. After serving in battle on the northern frontier in 178 and 179, together with Aurelius, Commodus returned to Rome in 180 after his father’s death. During that period of time he was only 18 years old and started to negotiate a peace settlement. Later, Commodus left the reins of power in other hands most of the time, while enjoyed his time full of leisure.
Commodus had lack of concern for political matters and suffered from paranoia
Since the emperor relied on help of others to rule the Empire, there were many conspiracies against his life. He was considered to be easily manipulated. Moreover, one of the conspiracies was made by his older sister Lucilla and several senators in 182. She believed that her husband Lucius Verus had to be the next emperor after Marcus Aurelius. For this plan, Lucilla was exiled and executed after some time. Also, Paternus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard, was executed because of his connection to Saoterus’ assassination and to Lucilla’s plan.
Tigidius Perennis, who had served as the joint commander of the Praetorian Guard with Paternus, decided to use the opportunity and become closer to Commodus during his time full of difficulties. He wanted to gain a governmental power. After the case with Lucilla, Commodus refused to give any public speeches and started to communicate to people only through the new chamberlain. Thus, public speaking role was transferred to Perennis, who took it seriously. He eliminated any rivals to his authority, but gained many enemies. Perennis became a wealthy man with many governmental responsibilities, so he started to consider himself as the true emperor. However, his main enemy became Cleander, the ex slave and member of the imperial household. In 185, Cleander leaked information to Commodus about the plan of Perennis to get the whole power and make his sons the future emperors. Commodus immediately ordered the execution of Perennis and his sons.
Cleander became a member of the emperor’s chamberlain. However, Commodus decided to return again to his life full of pleasures by leaving the right of rule in hands of Cleander this time, who eventually had the same story as his predecessor. Cleander destroyed the system, where senatorial seats, governorships and almost everything was for sale. Of course, some part of money went to Commodus. Cleander wouldn’t remain for long time. In 190, people gathered at the Circus Maximus for the riot. They cried for the head of Cleander and marched through the streets to the residence of Commodus at the Villa of Quintilli. Commodus feared for his life and gave people the head of Cleander, which was placed on a pole and marched through the streets of Rome. Only this situation made Commodus understand that he has to rule himself.
2.1.New Life
Commodus became another person. He saw himself as a reborn Hercules, who appeared in public wearing a cloak created from the hide of a lion over hishead. This sign was a reference to the Nemean Lion of Hercules’s Twelve Labors.
The Senate declared Commodus a living god
Commodus discarded his family name and issued orders to call him Hercules. He started to wear the lion skin and erected statues of himself in different parts of Rome. Moreover, he renaimed the twelve months and rebuilt Rome after a fire in 191. He changed the name of the city to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana, where citizens became known as Commodiani. Commodus even participated in gladiatorial contests against the physically handicapped and an array of wild animals from a raised platform.
3. Interesting Facts
1. In compare to son, Commodus’ father, Marcus Aurelius, was considered as one of the wisest emperors
2. It was the first case when a son succeeded his biological father since Titus and Vespasian in 79 AD
3. Commodus was nearly assassinated at the beginning of his reign by the plan of his sister, Lucilla
4. Commodus participated in gladiatorial contests against the physically handicapped and an array of wild animals from a raised platform
5. He changed the name of the city to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana, where citizens became known as Commodiani
6. He suffered from paranoia
7. Commodus was actually popular among Rome’s citizens during most of his reign because he cut taxes and set lots of games. However, the Senate hated him
8. After the death of Marcus Aurelius, Commodus gravitated toward tyranny and dictatorship
9. His main aim was to spend life full of leisure
10. There were many conspiracies against the emperor and his enemies considered him as easily manipulated
4. Death
On 1st of January in 193, Commodus decided to celebrate the Rome’s rebirth by fighting in the arena. His mistress Marcia, new chamberlain Electus and new commander of the Praetorian Guard understood that he had gone too far. When they tried to talk to Commodus about his strange plans, he became angry on them and added their names to the long list of people he wanted to execute.
One day Marcia brought Commodus a glass of wine with poison prior to his bath. However, the poison failed and Commodus’ fitness coach, Narcissus, entered and choked him to death. People wanted to drag his body through the streets of Rome, but Pertinax, who succeeded Commodus, seized the body and placed it in the Hadrian’s Mausoleum.'
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D GySgt Thomas Vick SGT Denny Espinosa SSG Stephen Rogerson SPC Matthew Lamb LTC (Join to see)Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) SSG Franklin Briant SPC Woody Bullard TSgt David L. SMSgt David A Asbury SPC Michael Terrell SFC Chuck Martinez CSM Charles Hayden
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LTC Stephen F.
Top 18 Reasons Why Commodus Was Rome’s Known Depraved Emperor
Any historian asked to name the most crazed of the Emperors of Rome has no shortage of candidates to choose from. But arguably, Lucius Aurelius Commodus has ...
Top 18 Reasons Why Commodus Was Rome’s Known Depraved Emperor
Any historian asked to name the most crazed of the Emperors of Rome has no shortage of candidates to choose from. But arguably, Lucius Aurelius Commodus has the strongest claim to the title. He’s as fascinating now as he was back in the 2nd century, when he ruled over the Empire and was the most powerful man in the world. But it’s not his political reforms or even military triumphs that fascinate us so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I15vcJuvtQo
Images:
1. The Emperor Commodus Leaving the Arena at the Head of the Gladiators (detail) by Edwin Howland Blashfield (1848–1936),(cropped)
2. A bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be
3. 'Thumb turned Down' by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872, via Phoenix Art Museum
4. Commodus painted by Reubens
Background from {[https://allthatsinteresting.com/emperor-Commodus-gladiator-true-story
"Commodus: The True Story Of The Mad Roman Emperor Immortalized In ‘Gladiator’
By Gina Dimuro
Published December 30, 2018
Updated May 30, 2019
A paranoid megalomaniac who played gladiator and thought he was a god, Commodus was even more outrageous than Hollywood could ever depict.
The long line of Roman emperors is marked with a strange pattern: Almost every exceptionally brilliant emperor was succeeded by an exceptionally mad one.
A bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be.
The benevolent emperor Claudius who improved Rome with public works was followed by his stepson Nero, who infamously burnt it to the ground. The emperor Titus Flavian completed the Colosseum and endeared himself to the public with his generosity only to have his good works undone by his brother Domitian, who was assassinated by his own court.
And the wise Marcus Aurelius, known as the “Philosopher” and the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” would be succeeded by his son Commodus, whose descent into madness would be immortalized throughout the millennia (including a heavily fictionalized account in the popular 2000 film Gladiator).
As Edward Gibbon noted in his famous Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in the intervening years between the death of Domitian and the reign of Commodus, “the vast extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom.” The “Five Good Emperors,” ruled efficiently and under them the Roman people enjoyed “a rational freedom.” However, just when the days of the mad emperors seemed long gone, Commodus brought the madness roaring back.
Commmodus Takes The Throne
Lucius Aurelius Commodus, born 161 A.D., was appointed co-emperor by his father Marcus Aurelius in 177 A.D. when he was just 16 years old. Contemporary Roman writer Cassius Dio describes the young heir as “rather simple-minded,” but he ruled agreeably with his father and joined Marcus Aurelius in the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes along the Danube, which the emperor had been waging for several years.
But once Marcus Aurelius died in 180 A.D. (of natural causes, not at his son’s own hand, as depicted in Gladiator), Commodus hastily made peace with the tribes so he could return to Rome “to enjoy the pleasure of the capital with the servile and profligate youths whom Marcus had banished, but who soon regained their station and influence about the emperor.”
Despite his unusual personal tastes, Commodus at first behaved more like a typical spoiled, rich youth than a bloody dictator. Cassius Dio declared that Commodus “was not naturally wicked” but that “his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions.”
He kept most of the advisers from his father’s regime in place and the first three years of his reign ran as smoothly as that of his father with the added benefit that Rome was no longer fighting any wars. In fact, the rule of Commodus might have gone down as quite unremarkable in the history of Rome were it not for one unfortunate incident.
Assassination Attempt And Descent Into Madness
In 182 A.D., Commodus’ sister Lucilla organized an attempt on her brother’s life. Sources diverge on the origins of the conspiracy, with some claiming Lucilla was jealous of Commodus’ wife Crispina (incest between Commodus and Lucilla is suggested in Gladiator) while others maintain she saw the first warning signs of her brother’s mental instability.
Whatever its roots, the conspiracy failed and the incident aroused an insane paranoia in Commodus, who began seeing plots and treachery everywhere. He executed the two would-be assassins along with a group of prominent senators who were also allegedly involved while Lucilla was exiled to Capri before also being killed on her brother’s orders a year later.
The assassination attempt marked a turning point in Commodus’ reign, for “once [he had] tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse.” He began executing people without regard for rank, wealth, or sex. Anyone who caught the emperor’s attention risked also inadvertently invoking his wrath.
The emperor eventually decided to abandon “the reins of the empire” and chose to give “himself up to chariot-racing and licentiousness and performed scarcely any of the duties pertaining to his office.” He appointed a series of his favorites to manage the administration of his empire, each of whom seemed crueler and more incompetent than the last.
However, even these favorites were not safe from his fury. The first, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, Commodus put to death after becoming convinced he was conspiring against him. The second, the freeman Cleander, he allowed to be torn apart by a mob who were outraged at the freeman’s abuses.
Megalomania In The Colosseum
Under Commodus, Rome had descended “from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust.” Much like Nero had supposedly fiddled while Rome burned, Commodus enjoyed himself as the city decayed around him.
The executions of the senators had whet his appetite for blood and he devoted himself “to combats of wild beasts and of men.” Not merely content to hunt in private, the emperor began to perform in the Colosseum itself, competing as a gladiator to the delight of the crowds and horror of the senate, as depicted in Gladiator. Commodus would “enter the arena in the garb of Mercury and casting aside all his other garments, would begin his exhibition wearing only a tunic and unshod.”
As disgusted as the senators were by the sight of their emperor running around half-naked in the sands of the amphitheater, they were too terrified to do anything but play along. Cassius Dio recorded one incident where, after becoming tired out, Commodus ordered a cup of chilled wine to him and “drank it at one gulp.” In an amusing anecdote, Dio continued, “At this both the populace and we senators all immediately shouted out the words so familiar at drinking-bouts, ‘Long life to you!'”
The megalomania of Commodus was not limited to the Colosseum. “So superlatively mad had the abandoned wretch become” that he renamed Rome Colonia Commodiana (the Colony of Commodus) and changed the names of the months to each reflect one of the many epithets he had bestowed upon himself.
He also declared himself to be an incarnation of the god Hercules and forced the senate to recognize his divinity. Statues were erected of the emperor depicted as the mythological hero all over the city, including one made of solid gold and weighing in at nearly 1,000 pounds.
In one final act of madness, Commodus ordered the head of the Colossus of Nero to be replaced with his own and added the inscription “the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times (as I recall the number) one thousand men.”
By 192 A.D., the Roman people had had enough. “Commodus was a greater curse to the Romans than any pestilence or any crime” and the city had descended into bankruptcy and chaos. A small group of conspirators, including the emperor’s chamberlain and mistress, Marcia, decided to kill him. The first attempt used poisoned meat, but Commodus vomited it up.
Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. They then sent in an athlete to strangle the 31-year old emperor in his bath. It worked and the Nerva-Antonine dynasty which had ruled Rome for nearly a century had come to an end and the city soon descended into civil war. Commodus ruled with chaos and left chaos in his wake.'
FYI Sgt John H. SGM Bill FrazerCSM (Join to see)SSG Jeffrey LeakeSSG Paul HeadleeCPL Michael PeckSgt (Join to see)PO1 Steve Ditto SPC Michael Terrell CPL Douglas ChryslerSP5 Geoffrey Vannerson SSG Michael Noll SSG William Jones Maj Marty Hogan LT Brad McInnisSPC Michael Oles SRLTC Stephan PorterTSgt George RodriguezPO3 Charles StreichSSgt Marian Mitchell
Any historian asked to name the most crazed of the Emperors of Rome has no shortage of candidates to choose from. But arguably, Lucius Aurelius Commodus has the strongest claim to the title. He’s as fascinating now as he was back in the 2nd century, when he ruled over the Empire and was the most powerful man in the world. But it’s not his political reforms or even military triumphs that fascinate us so much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I15vcJuvtQo
Images:
1. The Emperor Commodus Leaving the Arena at the Head of the Gladiators (detail) by Edwin Howland Blashfield (1848–1936),(cropped)
2. A bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be
3. 'Thumb turned Down' by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872, via Phoenix Art Museum
4. Commodus painted by Reubens
Background from {[https://allthatsinteresting.com/emperor-Commodus-gladiator-true-story
"Commodus: The True Story Of The Mad Roman Emperor Immortalized In ‘Gladiator’
By Gina Dimuro
Published December 30, 2018
Updated May 30, 2019
A paranoid megalomaniac who played gladiator and thought he was a god, Commodus was even more outrageous than Hollywood could ever depict.
The long line of Roman emperors is marked with a strange pattern: Almost every exceptionally brilliant emperor was succeeded by an exceptionally mad one.
A bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be.
The benevolent emperor Claudius who improved Rome with public works was followed by his stepson Nero, who infamously burnt it to the ground. The emperor Titus Flavian completed the Colosseum and endeared himself to the public with his generosity only to have his good works undone by his brother Domitian, who was assassinated by his own court.
And the wise Marcus Aurelius, known as the “Philosopher” and the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” would be succeeded by his son Commodus, whose descent into madness would be immortalized throughout the millennia (including a heavily fictionalized account in the popular 2000 film Gladiator).
As Edward Gibbon noted in his famous Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in the intervening years between the death of Domitian and the reign of Commodus, “the vast extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom.” The “Five Good Emperors,” ruled efficiently and under them the Roman people enjoyed “a rational freedom.” However, just when the days of the mad emperors seemed long gone, Commodus brought the madness roaring back.
Commmodus Takes The Throne
Lucius Aurelius Commodus, born 161 A.D., was appointed co-emperor by his father Marcus Aurelius in 177 A.D. when he was just 16 years old. Contemporary Roman writer Cassius Dio describes the young heir as “rather simple-minded,” but he ruled agreeably with his father and joined Marcus Aurelius in the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes along the Danube, which the emperor had been waging for several years.
But once Marcus Aurelius died in 180 A.D. (of natural causes, not at his son’s own hand, as depicted in Gladiator), Commodus hastily made peace with the tribes so he could return to Rome “to enjoy the pleasure of the capital with the servile and profligate youths whom Marcus had banished, but who soon regained their station and influence about the emperor.”
Despite his unusual personal tastes, Commodus at first behaved more like a typical spoiled, rich youth than a bloody dictator. Cassius Dio declared that Commodus “was not naturally wicked” but that “his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions.”
He kept most of the advisers from his father’s regime in place and the first three years of his reign ran as smoothly as that of his father with the added benefit that Rome was no longer fighting any wars. In fact, the rule of Commodus might have gone down as quite unremarkable in the history of Rome were it not for one unfortunate incident.
Assassination Attempt And Descent Into Madness
In 182 A.D., Commodus’ sister Lucilla organized an attempt on her brother’s life. Sources diverge on the origins of the conspiracy, with some claiming Lucilla was jealous of Commodus’ wife Crispina (incest between Commodus and Lucilla is suggested in Gladiator) while others maintain she saw the first warning signs of her brother’s mental instability.
Whatever its roots, the conspiracy failed and the incident aroused an insane paranoia in Commodus, who began seeing plots and treachery everywhere. He executed the two would-be assassins along with a group of prominent senators who were also allegedly involved while Lucilla was exiled to Capri before also being killed on her brother’s orders a year later.
The assassination attempt marked a turning point in Commodus’ reign, for “once [he had] tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse.” He began executing people without regard for rank, wealth, or sex. Anyone who caught the emperor’s attention risked also inadvertently invoking his wrath.
The emperor eventually decided to abandon “the reins of the empire” and chose to give “himself up to chariot-racing and licentiousness and performed scarcely any of the duties pertaining to his office.” He appointed a series of his favorites to manage the administration of his empire, each of whom seemed crueler and more incompetent than the last.
However, even these favorites were not safe from his fury. The first, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, Commodus put to death after becoming convinced he was conspiring against him. The second, the freeman Cleander, he allowed to be torn apart by a mob who were outraged at the freeman’s abuses.
Megalomania In The Colosseum
Under Commodus, Rome had descended “from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust.” Much like Nero had supposedly fiddled while Rome burned, Commodus enjoyed himself as the city decayed around him.
The executions of the senators had whet his appetite for blood and he devoted himself “to combats of wild beasts and of men.” Not merely content to hunt in private, the emperor began to perform in the Colosseum itself, competing as a gladiator to the delight of the crowds and horror of the senate, as depicted in Gladiator. Commodus would “enter the arena in the garb of Mercury and casting aside all his other garments, would begin his exhibition wearing only a tunic and unshod.”
As disgusted as the senators were by the sight of their emperor running around half-naked in the sands of the amphitheater, they were too terrified to do anything but play along. Cassius Dio recorded one incident where, after becoming tired out, Commodus ordered a cup of chilled wine to him and “drank it at one gulp.” In an amusing anecdote, Dio continued, “At this both the populace and we senators all immediately shouted out the words so familiar at drinking-bouts, ‘Long life to you!'”
The megalomania of Commodus was not limited to the Colosseum. “So superlatively mad had the abandoned wretch become” that he renamed Rome Colonia Commodiana (the Colony of Commodus) and changed the names of the months to each reflect one of the many epithets he had bestowed upon himself.
He also declared himself to be an incarnation of the god Hercules and forced the senate to recognize his divinity. Statues were erected of the emperor depicted as the mythological hero all over the city, including one made of solid gold and weighing in at nearly 1,000 pounds.
In one final act of madness, Commodus ordered the head of the Colossus of Nero to be replaced with his own and added the inscription “the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times (as I recall the number) one thousand men.”
By 192 A.D., the Roman people had had enough. “Commodus was a greater curse to the Romans than any pestilence or any crime” and the city had descended into bankruptcy and chaos. A small group of conspirators, including the emperor’s chamberlain and mistress, Marcia, decided to kill him. The first attempt used poisoned meat, but Commodus vomited it up.
Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. They then sent in an athlete to strangle the 31-year old emperor in his bath. It worked and the Nerva-Antonine dynasty which had ruled Rome for nearly a century had come to an end and the city soon descended into civil war. Commodus ruled with chaos and left chaos in his wake.'
FYI Sgt John H. SGM Bill FrazerCSM (Join to see)SSG Jeffrey LeakeSSG Paul HeadleeCPL Michael PeckSgt (Join to see)PO1 Steve Ditto SPC Michael Terrell CPL Douglas ChryslerSP5 Geoffrey Vannerson SSG Michael Noll SSG William Jones Maj Marty Hogan LT Brad McInnisSPC Michael Oles SRLTC Stephan PorterTSgt George RodriguezPO3 Charles StreichSSgt Marian Mitchell
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LTC Stephen F.
Commodus has become one of the most infamous emperors in history. The tales of his exploits and his megalomania have spread far and wide, even seeing depicti...
Commodus (180 - 192)
Commodus has become one of the most infamous emperors in history. The tales of his exploits and his megalomania have spread far and wide, even seeing depictions in popular culture. But this traditional telling may be more propaganda and fiction than fact. Commodus’s story forces us to examine our own biases and question all of our information on a fundamental level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wiung3fsnZA
Images:
1. Engraving showing Commodus killing a leopard in the arena, attributed to Adriaen Collaert, 1594-98, via Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
2. Silver Denarius featuring obverse portrait of Marcus Aurelius and reverse portrait of young Commodus, 175 AD
3. An illustration of the murder of Commodus by Commodus’ fitness coach, Narcissus
4. Silver Denarius of Commodus with reverse scene of the emperor addressing his troops, 184-85 AD, via the British Museum, London
Background from {[ https://allthatsinteresting.com/emperor-Commodus-gladiator-true-story
"Commodus: The True Story Of The Mad Roman Emperor Immortalized In ‘Gladiator’
By Gina Dimuro
Published December 30, 2018
Updated May 30, 2019
A paranoid megalomaniac who played gladiator and thought he was a god, Commodus was even more outrageous than Hollywood could ever depict.
The long line of Roman emperors is marked with a strange pattern: Almost every exceptionally brilliant emperor was succeeded by an exceptionally mad one.
The benevolent emperor Claudius who improved Rome with public works was followed by his stepson Nero, who infamously burnt it to the ground. The emperor Titus Flavian completed the Colosseum and endeared himself to the public with his generosity only to have his good works undone by his brother Domitian, who was assassinated by his own court.
And the wise Marcus Aurelius, known as the “Philosopher” and the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” would be succeeded by his son Commodus, whose descent into madness would be immortalized throughout the millennia (including a heavily fictionalized account in the popular 2000 film Gladiator).
As Edward Gibbon noted in his famous Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in the intervening years between the death of Domitian and the reign of Commodus, “the vast extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom.” The “Five Good Emperors,” ruled efficiently and under them the Roman people enjoyed “a rational freedom.” However, just when the days of the mad emperors seemed long gone, Commodus brought the madness roaring back.
Commmodus Takes the Throne
Lucius Aurelius Commodus, born 161 A.D., was appointed co-emperor by his father Marcus Aurelius in 177 A.D. when he was just 16 years old. Contemporary Roman writer Cassius Dio describes the young heir as “rather simple-minded,” but he ruled agreeably with his father and joined Marcus Aurelius in the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes along the Danube, which the emperor had been waging for several years.
But once Marcus Aurelius died in 180 A.D. (of natural causes, not at his son’s own hand, as depicted in Gladiator), Commodus hastily made peace with the tribes so he could return to Rome “to enjoy the pleasure of the capital with the servile and profligate youths whom Marcus had banished, but who soon regained their station and influence about the emperor.”
Despite his unusual personal tastes, Commodus at first behaved more like a typical spoiled, rich youth than a bloody dictator. Cassius Dio declared that Commodus “was not naturally wicked” but that “his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions.”
He kept most of the advisers from his father’s regime in place and the first three years of his reign ran as smoothly as that of his father with the added benefit that Rome was no longer fighting any wars. In fact, the rule of Commodus might have gone down as quite unremarkable in the history of Rome were it not for one unfortunate incident.
Assassination Attempt and Descent Into Madness
In 182 A.D., Commodus’ sister Lucilla organized an attempt on her brother’s life. Sources diverge on the origins of the conspiracy, with some claiming Lucilla was jealous of Commodus’ wife Crispina (incest between Commodus and Lucilla is suggested in Gladiator) while others maintain she saw the first warning signs of her brother’s mental instability.
Whatever its roots, the conspiracy failed and the incident aroused an insane paranoia in Commodus, who began seeing plots and treachery everywhere. He executed the two would-be assassins along with a group of prominent senators who were also allegedly involved while Lucilla was exiled to Capri before also being killed on her brother’s orders a year later.
The assassination attempt marked a turning point in Commodus’ reign, for “once [he had] tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse.” He began executing people without regard for rank, wealth, or sex. Anyone who caught the emperor’s attention risked also inadvertently invoking his wrath.
The emperor eventually decided to abandon “the reins of the empire” and chose to give “himself up to chariot-racing and licentiousness and performed scarcely any of the duties pertaining to his office.” He appointed a series of his favorites to manage the administration of his empire, each of whom seemed crueler and more incompetent than the last.
However, even these favorites were not safe from his fury. The first, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, Commodus put to death after becoming convinced he was conspiring against him. The second, the freeman Cleander, he allowed to be torn apart by a mob who were outraged at the freeman’s abuses.
Megalomania in the Colosseum
Under Commodus, Rome had descended “from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust.” Much like Nero had supposedly fiddled while Rome burned, Commodus enjoyed himself as the city decayed around him.
The executions of the senators had whet his appetite for blood and he devoted himself “to combats of wild beasts and of men.” Not merely content to hunt in private, the emperor began to perform in the Colosseum itself, competing as a gladiator to the delight of the crowds and horror of the senate, as depicted in Gladiator. Commodus would “enter the arena in the garb of Mercury and casting aside all his other garments, would begin his exhibition wearing only a tunic and unshod.”
As disgusted as the senators were by the sight of their emperor running around half-naked in the sands of the amphitheater, they were too terrified to do anything but play along. Cassius Dio recorded one incident where, after becoming tired out, Commodus ordered a cup of chilled wine to him and “drank it at one gulp.” In an amusing anecdote, Dio continued, “At this both the populace and we senators all immediately shouted out the words so familiar at drinking-bouts, ‘Long life to you!'”
The megalomania of Commodus was not limited to the Colosseum. “So superlatively mad had the abandoned wretch become” that he renamed Rome Colonia Commodiana (the Colony of Commodus) and changed the names of the months to each reflect one of the many epithets he had bestowed upon himself.
He also declared himself to be an incarnation of the god Hercules and forced the senate to recognize his divinity. Statues were erected of the emperor depicted as the mythological hero all over the city, including one made of solid gold and weighing in at nearly 1,000 pounds.
In one final act of madness, Commodus ordered the head of the Colossus of Nero to be replaced with his own and added the inscription “the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times (as I recall the number) one thousand men.”
By 192 A.D., the Roman people had had enough. “Commodus was a greater curse to the Romans than any pestilence or any crime” and the city had descended into bankruptcy and chaos. A small group of conspirators, including the emperor’s chamberlain and mistress, Marcia, decided to kill him. The first attempt used poisoned meat, but Commodus vomited it up.
Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. They then sent in an athlete to strangle the 31-year old emperor in his bath. It worked and the Nerva-Antonine dynasty which had ruled Rome for nearly a century had come to an end and the city soon descended into civil war. Commodus ruled with chaos and left chaos in his wake.'
FYI Sgt John H. SGM Bill FrazerCSM (Join to see)SSG Jeffrey LeakeSSG Paul HeadleeCPL Michael PeckSgt (Join to see)PO1 Steve Ditto SPC Michael Terrell CPL Douglas ChryslerSP5 Geoffrey Vannerson SSG Michael Noll SSG William Jones Maj Marty Hogan LT Brad McInnisSPC Michael Oles SRLTC Stephan PorterTSgt George RodriguezPO3 Charles StreichSSgt Marian Mitchell
Commodus has become one of the most infamous emperors in history. The tales of his exploits and his megalomania have spread far and wide, even seeing depictions in popular culture. But this traditional telling may be more propaganda and fiction than fact. Commodus’s story forces us to examine our own biases and question all of our information on a fundamental level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wiung3fsnZA
Images:
1. Engraving showing Commodus killing a leopard in the arena, attributed to Adriaen Collaert, 1594-98, via Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
2. Silver Denarius featuring obverse portrait of Marcus Aurelius and reverse portrait of young Commodus, 175 AD
3. An illustration of the murder of Commodus by Commodus’ fitness coach, Narcissus
4. Silver Denarius of Commodus with reverse scene of the emperor addressing his troops, 184-85 AD, via the British Museum, London
Background from {[ https://allthatsinteresting.com/emperor-Commodus-gladiator-true-story
"Commodus: The True Story Of The Mad Roman Emperor Immortalized In ‘Gladiator’
By Gina Dimuro
Published December 30, 2018
Updated May 30, 2019
A paranoid megalomaniac who played gladiator and thought he was a god, Commodus was even more outrageous than Hollywood could ever depict.
The long line of Roman emperors is marked with a strange pattern: Almost every exceptionally brilliant emperor was succeeded by an exceptionally mad one.
The benevolent emperor Claudius who improved Rome with public works was followed by his stepson Nero, who infamously burnt it to the ground. The emperor Titus Flavian completed the Colosseum and endeared himself to the public with his generosity only to have his good works undone by his brother Domitian, who was assassinated by his own court.
And the wise Marcus Aurelius, known as the “Philosopher” and the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” would be succeeded by his son Commodus, whose descent into madness would be immortalized throughout the millennia (including a heavily fictionalized account in the popular 2000 film Gladiator).
As Edward Gibbon noted in his famous Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in the intervening years between the death of Domitian and the reign of Commodus, “the vast extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom.” The “Five Good Emperors,” ruled efficiently and under them the Roman people enjoyed “a rational freedom.” However, just when the days of the mad emperors seemed long gone, Commodus brought the madness roaring back.
Commmodus Takes the Throne
Lucius Aurelius Commodus, born 161 A.D., was appointed co-emperor by his father Marcus Aurelius in 177 A.D. when he was just 16 years old. Contemporary Roman writer Cassius Dio describes the young heir as “rather simple-minded,” but he ruled agreeably with his father and joined Marcus Aurelius in the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes along the Danube, which the emperor had been waging for several years.
But once Marcus Aurelius died in 180 A.D. (of natural causes, not at his son’s own hand, as depicted in Gladiator), Commodus hastily made peace with the tribes so he could return to Rome “to enjoy the pleasure of the capital with the servile and profligate youths whom Marcus had banished, but who soon regained their station and influence about the emperor.”
Despite his unusual personal tastes, Commodus at first behaved more like a typical spoiled, rich youth than a bloody dictator. Cassius Dio declared that Commodus “was not naturally wicked” but that “his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions.”
He kept most of the advisers from his father’s regime in place and the first three years of his reign ran as smoothly as that of his father with the added benefit that Rome was no longer fighting any wars. In fact, the rule of Commodus might have gone down as quite unremarkable in the history of Rome were it not for one unfortunate incident.
Assassination Attempt and Descent Into Madness
In 182 A.D., Commodus’ sister Lucilla organized an attempt on her brother’s life. Sources diverge on the origins of the conspiracy, with some claiming Lucilla was jealous of Commodus’ wife Crispina (incest between Commodus and Lucilla is suggested in Gladiator) while others maintain she saw the first warning signs of her brother’s mental instability.
Whatever its roots, the conspiracy failed and the incident aroused an insane paranoia in Commodus, who began seeing plots and treachery everywhere. He executed the two would-be assassins along with a group of prominent senators who were also allegedly involved while Lucilla was exiled to Capri before also being killed on her brother’s orders a year later.
The assassination attempt marked a turning point in Commodus’ reign, for “once [he had] tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse.” He began executing people without regard for rank, wealth, or sex. Anyone who caught the emperor’s attention risked also inadvertently invoking his wrath.
The emperor eventually decided to abandon “the reins of the empire” and chose to give “himself up to chariot-racing and licentiousness and performed scarcely any of the duties pertaining to his office.” He appointed a series of his favorites to manage the administration of his empire, each of whom seemed crueler and more incompetent than the last.
However, even these favorites were not safe from his fury. The first, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, Commodus put to death after becoming convinced he was conspiring against him. The second, the freeman Cleander, he allowed to be torn apart by a mob who were outraged at the freeman’s abuses.
Megalomania in the Colosseum
Under Commodus, Rome had descended “from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust.” Much like Nero had supposedly fiddled while Rome burned, Commodus enjoyed himself as the city decayed around him.
The executions of the senators had whet his appetite for blood and he devoted himself “to combats of wild beasts and of men.” Not merely content to hunt in private, the emperor began to perform in the Colosseum itself, competing as a gladiator to the delight of the crowds and horror of the senate, as depicted in Gladiator. Commodus would “enter the arena in the garb of Mercury and casting aside all his other garments, would begin his exhibition wearing only a tunic and unshod.”
As disgusted as the senators were by the sight of their emperor running around half-naked in the sands of the amphitheater, they were too terrified to do anything but play along. Cassius Dio recorded one incident where, after becoming tired out, Commodus ordered a cup of chilled wine to him and “drank it at one gulp.” In an amusing anecdote, Dio continued, “At this both the populace and we senators all immediately shouted out the words so familiar at drinking-bouts, ‘Long life to you!'”
The megalomania of Commodus was not limited to the Colosseum. “So superlatively mad had the abandoned wretch become” that he renamed Rome Colonia Commodiana (the Colony of Commodus) and changed the names of the months to each reflect one of the many epithets he had bestowed upon himself.
He also declared himself to be an incarnation of the god Hercules and forced the senate to recognize his divinity. Statues were erected of the emperor depicted as the mythological hero all over the city, including one made of solid gold and weighing in at nearly 1,000 pounds.
In one final act of madness, Commodus ordered the head of the Colossus of Nero to be replaced with his own and added the inscription “the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times (as I recall the number) one thousand men.”
By 192 A.D., the Roman people had had enough. “Commodus was a greater curse to the Romans than any pestilence or any crime” and the city had descended into bankruptcy and chaos. A small group of conspirators, including the emperor’s chamberlain and mistress, Marcia, decided to kill him. The first attempt used poisoned meat, but Commodus vomited it up.
Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. They then sent in an athlete to strangle the 31-year old emperor in his bath. It worked and the Nerva-Antonine dynasty which had ruled Rome for nearly a century had come to an end and the city soon descended into civil war. Commodus ruled with chaos and left chaos in his wake.'
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