However, he always spared their lives. In addition to Galens medical attention and treatment, Commodus was also highly educated, with little focus on military training. Corrections? In 186 he had his chief minister executed in order to appease the army; three years later he allowed the ministers successor to be killed by a rioting crowd. Then, discover the most fascinating facts from the entirety of ancient history. Commodus reign is commonly regarded as the beginning of the Roman Empires decline, and he is a natural choice for the primary antagonist of Gladiator. Commodus received extensive tutoring by a multitude of teachers with a focus on intellectual education. The character is, however, portrayed fictionally in Gladiator, and. In 177 Lucius was made coruler and heir to his father, the emperor Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161180). [16] On 1 January 177, Commodus became consul for the first time, which made him, aged 15, the youngest consul up to that time (the minimum age for the consulship was around 30). Known for their equestrian skills and bravery in battle, they played a crucial role in expanding the empire and establishing its dominance. To "accept kinship with Commodus the bluntly pragmatic decision was taken to deify the former emperor, thus legitimizing Severus' seizure of power. Top Image: Bust of Commodus, 17th Emperor of the Roman Empire. He is viewed as having been an inept emperor, his megalomaniac tendencies leading to odd behaviors which frustrated and upset the Roman people. We'll explain. The Death of Commodus, from a history book published in 1900. He is best known to history as the assassin of the Roman Emperor Commodus, by whom he was employed as a wrestling partner[2][3] and personal trainer in order to train Commodus for his self-indulgent appearances in the Colosseum as a gladiator. In the famous words of noted historian Dio Cassius, Commoduss lack of interest in political affairs was the starting point for the decline of the Roman Empire, leaving Commodus responsible for initiating Romes decline "from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust. schizoform/ CC BY 2.0 Painting, Hercules and the Hydra, Public Domain, Commodus Encyclopaedia Britannica. Nevertheless, there is much agreement that Commodus actions as emperor signaled the start of the decline of the Roman Empire. After repeated attempts on Commodus's life, Roman citizens were often killed for making him angry. Thereafter his rule became increasingly arbitrary and vicious. [4] Commodus was supposedly in a drunken stupor after Marcia had poisoned him [1] and Narcissus proceeded to strangle his master in his bathtub [1] or, according to Herodian, in his bed. Moreover, as Hercules, he could claim to be the son of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman pantheon. Ultimately, it is believed that Commodus outlandish behavior led to his eventual assassination. Maximus : You would fight me? His tale was not believed and he was immediately put to death. Pompeianus retired from public life. Commodus was also known for fighting exotic animals in the arena, often to the horror and disgust of the Roman populace. However, in private practice fights, Commodus would slay his opponents. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. The following year, Commodus became Aurelius co-emperor, and they reigned together from then until Aurelius death in 180. This assassination attempt was successful, and both Commodus reign as Roman Emperor, and his life, ended on the final day of 192. Commodus, in full Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, original name (until 180 ce) Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus, (born August 31, 161 ce, Lanuvium, Latium [now Lanuvio, Italy]died December 31, 192), Roman emperor from 177 to 192 (sole emperor after 180). Maximus : You would fight me? It appears that Aurelius was desperate to have a son of his own bloodline succeed him. Roman artwork, 191 - 192 AD. In April 175, Avidius Cassius, Governor of Syria, declared himself emperor following rumours that Marcus Aurelius had died. But wait, wasn't Commodus killed by a Gladiator? 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. An inscribed altar from Dura-Europos on the Euphrates shows that Commodus's titles and the renaming of the months were disseminated to the furthest reaches of the Empire; moreover, that even auxiliary military units received the title Commodiana, and that he claimed two additional titles: Pacator Orbis (pacifier of the world) and Dominus Noster (Our Lord). Commodus' famous gesture, which he gives when deciding the fate of defeated gladiators Commodus orders 150 days of gladiatorial combat, ostensibly to commemorate his late father, while in reality attempting to distract the populace from the Senate's corruption and the rampant plague epidemics. Commodus Roman Emperor In Power Nov 27, 176 - Dec 31, 192 Born Aug 31, 161Lanuvium, Italy Died Dec 31, 192 (aged 31)Rome, Italy Wife Bruttia Crispina Father Marcus Aurelius Mother Faustina the Younger Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born in Lanuvium, near Rome, on August 31, 161. The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. She has earned Read More. With each breathtaking scene, the complex culture of world that created and adored these bloody games between man and beast comes into clear focus. Husband of Ceionia Fabia: Levick (2014), p. 164. The Libyan-born Septimius Severus has gone down in history as the first African Emperor of Rome . [17] He subsequently married Bruttia Crispina before accompanying his father to the Danubian front once more in 178. Commodus took the loss of Saoterus badly, and Perennis now seized the chance to advance himself by implicating Paternus in a second conspiracy, one apparently led by Publius Salvius Julianus, who was the son of the jurist Salvius Julianus and was betrothed to Paternus's daughter. Bestowing the imperial title of Caesar upon Commodus at such a young age further shows Aurelius desperation for Commodus to be viewed and treated as royalty. Intro: 0:00. As a result, Commodus appeared even more rarely in public, preferring to live on his estates. Striking story! He also had the head of the Colossus of Nero adjacent to the Colosseum replaced with his own portrait, gave it a club, placed a bronze lion at its feet to make it look like Hercules Romanus, and added an inscription boasting of being "the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times one thousand men".[23]. [5] He was the son of the reigning emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and Aurelius's first cousin, Faustina the Younger, the youngest daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius, who had died only a few months before. 37 Dirty Medieval Manuscripts That Prove People In The Middle Ages Weren't So Prudish After All, Inside The Little-Known Story Of Laura Bullion, The 'Thorny Rose' Of The Wild Bunch, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Intrigues and conspiracies abounded, leading Commodus to revert to an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership, culminating in his creating a deific personality cult, with his performing as a gladiator in the Colosseum. 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. Commode-Hercule et l'anthropologie hercalenne,", M.P. As he was physically strong, his chief interest was in sport: he took part in horse racing, chariot racing, and combat with beasts and men, mostly in private but also on occasion in public. Commodus was a spoiled, narcissistic young man who was something of an embarrassment to his father. Quadratus and Quintianus were executed. Commodus (/kmds/;[4] 31 August 161 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. First, she attempted to kill him by poisoning his food. Aurelius pushed for Commodus to be a leader from a very young age. Disappointment aside, Aurelius continued to promote Commodus through the ranks. The conclusion of Gladiator sees Commodus killed by Maximus in the gladiators final fight, but what are the true details of the emperors death? Condianus and Maximus were executed on the pretext that while they were not implicated in any plots, their wealth and talent would make them unhappy with the current state of affairs. Commodus did initially engage in some leadership-oriented activities, although not always in the favor of the Roman people. Far from celebrating his descent from Marcus Aurelius, the actual source of his power, he stressed his own personal uniqueness as the bringer of a new order, seeking to re-cast the empire in his own image. The movie doesn't answer this, and we never got to see "Gladiator 2." Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. During 191, the city of Rome was extensively damaged by a fire that raged for several days, during which many public buildings including the Temple of Pax, the Temple of Vesta, and parts of the imperial palace were destroyed. He kept most of the advisers from his fathers 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. Upon his death, the Senate declared him a public enemy (a de facto damnatio memoriae) and restored the original name of the city of Rome and its institutions. Didius Julianus, the future emperor and a relative of Salvius Julianus, was dismissed from the governorship of Germania Inferior. In 180 AD, Marcus Aurelius died, leaving Commodus as sole Emperor of Rome. Cookies help us deliver our Services. His family is murdered, and he becomes a slave, and then sold off to become a gladiator. His death, however, was the result of an assassination plot in 192, culminating with Narcissus killing him in the bath. Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. He negotiated a peace settlement in Romes favor. . War broke out in Dacia: few details are available, but it appears two future contenders for the throne, Clodius Albinus and Pescennius Niger, both distinguished themselves in the campaign. [33] Cassius Dio and the writers of the Augustan History say that Commodus was a skilled archer, who could shoot the heads off ostriches in full gallop, and kill a panther as it attacked a victim in the arena. During his solo reign, the Roman Empire enjoyed reduced military conflict compared with the reign of Marcus Aurelius. "Commodus' progeny will rule Rome!" 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