Commodus - The Mad Emperor Documentary

The Man known to history as Commodus was born Lucius alius aelius Commodus on the 31st of August 1061 a in lanuvium an ancient city near Rome which was also the birthplace of his maternal grandfather Emperor antoninus pus his father was Marcus Aurelius who had become Roman emperor in early 161 ad following the death of antoninus pus Marcus aelius is traditionally seen as one of the most capable men to have held the Imperial office as a stoic philosopher and author of The influential meditations of Marcus Aurelius Marcus embodied the ideal of the philosopher king in Plato's

Republic in the traditional historiography Marcus was the last of the five good Emperors who ruled the Roman Empire between 96 and 180 ad while his son Commodus is commonly seen as one of the worst Emperors in Roman history with Tales of his excesses found throughout the histories of his contemporaries casassus Dio and herodian as well as the Historia austa a collection of partly fictionalized biographies of Roman Empire Emperors from the 2 and 3D centuries a which is believed to have been written in the late 4th Century ad the historian Jeff Adams was cautioned against reading

these ancient literary sources uncritically arguing that they reflected the views of the senatorial class that suffered greatly during Commodus his Reign while the literary sources Remain the most important sources for Commodus biography a more comprehensive account of his life can be constructed from the buildings inscriptions and coins the date from his Reign Commodus his mother was FAA the younger the youngest daughter of antoninus pasus who ruled as Emperor from 138 to 161 ad FAA was around 15 years old when she married her cousin Marcus aurelus in 145 ad and the couple would go on to

have at least 14 children though many would die in infancy the couple had already had eight children by the time fala gave birth to Commodus and his Elder twin Titus Aurelius fulvus antoninus who died at the age of four in 165 ad the Historia austa refers to a theory that Commodus was not the son of Marcus celus but of a gladiator who whom FAA had fallen in love with however such a theory may have Arisen as an attempt to absolve Marcus aurelus of any blame for Commodus his personality and the historical evidence otherwise suggests that

Marcus aurelus and FAA were a devoted couple Commodus was born at a time when the Roman Empire was experiencing a golden age he was a member of the NVA anonine Dynasty which came to the throne in 96 ad when the elderly Senator Marcus corus nerva was elected by his peers to succeed the assassinated Emperor ditian while NAA was not a direct ancestor of Commodus his appointment of Commodus his paternal great-grandfather Marcus anus verus as consol in 97 ad signaled the rise of the family's political fortunes although nevera reigned for less than 2 years He restored

political order to the Empire and secured the vital support of the army by adopting the general Marcus Ulus trius who succeeded him as the emperor traan trun enjoys a reputation as one of Rome's greatest Emperors both for his military conquests in DEA modern-day Romania and his commitment to Justice and Order In Rome while Tran's adoptive son and successor hadrien was unpopular among Roman Elites for the execution of senators for conspiring against him he was praised for his generous welfare programs his interest in Greek philosophy and his policy of consolidating the Empire's domains by constructing border

walls at the Frontiers this policy was continued by his successor antoninus pasus Commodus his grandfather whose two decades on the imper IAL Throne were associated with economic Prosperity throughout the Empire and general Tranquility on the Frontiers the brief accounts of Commodus early life in the literary sources serve to foreshadow the corruption of his later life the contrast between Commodus and his father Marcus aurelus is a main theme of kodus childhood and youth the theories around Commodus parentage are intended to dis associate him from his exemplary father Marcus aurelus prior to presenting the theories around Commodus

illegitimacy the author of Marcus aurelius's biography in the Historia Augusta writes of Marcus that had he been truly fortunate he would not have left a son the claim that Commodus was the son of a gladiator may be interpreted as an attempt by the author of Historia austa to come up with a logical explanation for how the son and successor of Marcus aurelus ended up as an individual who debased his Imperial dignity by fighting as a gladiator in the arena before Marcus aurelus the Emperors of the nerva anonine dynasty had chosen to adopt younger men who

had already demonstrated their abilities as administrators and leaders as their sons and successors this was partly done out of necessity as Nar traan and hadrien never had any children while antonin's two sons had already died by the time of his adoption by hadrien nevertheless family considerations remained important as the chosen successors were often related to the emperor by blood or marriage even though they were not direct biological descendants shortly before his death in 138 ad hadrien looked ahead two generations by instructing antoninus pasus to adopt the future Marcus aurelus as his son as a condition

of his own adoption by hadrien in its discussion of Commodus his paternity the Historia Augusta makes reference to this Arrangement claiming that Marcus aurelus refused to divorce his wife after being informed about her supposed infidelity by saying if we send our wife away we must also return her dowy the the Historia Augusta goes on to explain that fala's Dary was the Empire which after he had been adopted at the wish of hadrien he had inherited from his father-in-law pasus accordingly even had Commodus not been Marcus celas's son as the grandson of antoninus pasus he had

a strong claim to the succession in October 166 A Marcus aurelus B bestowed the title of Caesar upon 5-year-old Commodus and his three-year-old younger brother Marcus anus verus designating them as co-s to the Empire according to the Historia austa the initiative came from Lucius verus Marcus aurelius's adoptive brother and co-emperor who had just returned Victorious from his campaigns in the Middle East against the parthians from present day Iran B born Lucius konus Commodus in 130 ad Lucius Veris was the son of Lucius IAS Caesar whom hadrien had adopted as his successor in 136 ad but

died in January 138 ad without becoming Emperor following his father's death the young Lucius was adopted by antoninus alongside Marcus aelius and took the name Lucius Ias aelius as Commodus when antoninus died in 161 ad Marcus and Lucius took the throne as joint Emperors and Lucius exchanged his own family name of Commodus for Marcus's family name verus when the future Emperor Commodus was born several months later Marcus named him Commodus in honor of his co-emperor between 162 ad and 166 ad vys had been away on campaign and when he returned to Rome to celebrate his

Triumph the young Commodus and his siblings took part in the procession through the city in his meditations Marcus aurelus expressed his relief that my children are not without intelligence nor physically deformed a statement that was hardly an enthusiastic expression of paternal affection nevertheless mark was Keen to ensure that his children were well educated as a Young Man Marcus himself had shadowed his adoptive father antoninus in his Imperial duties and gradually assumed greater responsibilities in antonin's later years given his intellectual interests and his political upbringing Marcus was Keen to ensure that Commodus was well prepared to

become emperor and noted in his meditations that I had no lack of suitable teachers for my children herodian describes how Marcus invited to Rome from all over the Empire men renowned for learning in their own countries and paid them handsomely to instruct his son Commodus the Historia Augusta gives the names of three of his teachers on secretes for Greek literature antias capella for Latin and atus Sanctus in rhetoric while the first two teachers are not mentioned elsewhere in the historical record the last has been identified as Titus Aus Sanctus a Roman of equestrian class who

attained senatorial Rank and was a talented orator according to the influential Greek physician galin Commodus his education was supervised by a man named pulos both herodian and the author of historica austa are Keen to stress that Marcus aelia stopped at nothing to ensure that Commodus had the best education possible it seemed to have any impact on the young child who ignored everything his tutors said and showed greater interest in less reputable activities such as singing dancing and gladiatorial combat in order to show that Commodus debauchery began at a young age the Historia austa claims that

when the boy was 12 years old he complained that his bath water was too cold and ordered a slave to throw the bathke keeper into the furnace the slave spared the bathke keeper by burning a sheep skin instead later in the biography of Commodus the Historia Augusta states that while a youth he disgraced every class of men in his company and was disgraced in turn by them which appears to be a reference to homosexuality in 69 ad Commodus his younger brother and co- Caesar Marcus anus Veris died at the age of seven leaving Commodus as

Marcus aurelius's sole surviving Heir Commodus his health became an even greater priority for the emperor and galin was often in attendance to the young boy on one occasion when Commodus was in his teens he returned from the wrestling school with a heavy fever prompting petto leus to to summon galin to attend to the boy pus was surprised to see Galen diagnosed an inflammation of the tonsils by simply taking Commodus his pulse but the diagnosis proved accurate The Physician prescribed a solution of rosew waterer and honey and within 3 days the fever passed to promote his

dynastic Ambitions Marcus aurelus commissioned statues in the late 160s ad and early 170s ad all over the Empire asserting Commodus his role as Marcus's Heir Marcus was also Keen to ensure that his son enjoyed the Army support during the mid 160s ad several hostile Germanic tribes in the danub region invaded Roman territory in 168 ad the co-emperors Marcus aurelus and Lucius verus marched North to reinforce the legions on the frontier but varys's death in January 169 ad compelled Marcus to return to Rome to oversee the ferary rights of his adoptive brother now so Emperor Marcus

left Rome in the Autumn but his army struggled to resist a Germanic Coalition led by Bomar ruler of the marani in around 170 ad a Roman arm Army Was Defeated near carum a large city on the danub between what is now Vienna and Bratislava which served as the capital of the province of panonia superior after making peace with several Germanic tribes in 171 ad Marcus went on the offensive and defeated the mar Mani in 172 ad following his military success Marcus assumed the Victory Title of germanicus the Historia austa states that Commodus was also given

the same title on the 15th of October 1072 ad suggesting that he accompanied his father on campaign Marcus aurelius's biographer Anthony Burley notes that a dedication to Marcus and Commodus at the sanctuary of Jupiter at gunum dated the 11th of June 172 a indicates that kodus was with his father on that day after defeating the Marco Mani Marcus remained in carnuntum to supervise military operations against other Germanic tribes including the quadi and the i aages in January 175 a when Commodus was 14 years old he entered the College of priests an ancient body which in

addition to its religious functions served to elevate the public Prof file of young political leaders since the days of the Roman Republic the Historia austa states that before coming of age Commodus made a conarium or monetary donation to The People an act intended to ingratiate him with the masses after coming of age in July he was appointed Prince of the youths a ceremonial position often bestowed upon future Emperors Commodus is coming of age was also celebrated in coins issued by Marcus aurelus in 175 to 176 ad bearing his son's image the teenager is depicted in

various guises both military and civil and is also associated with several Gods including Jupiter the ruler of the Roman Pantheon and the patron deity of the Roman emperors Commodus is coming of age coincided with a major Rebellion against Marcus aurelus led by avidius casus a military leader from Syria who distinguished himself serving under Lucius verus in the parean wars his military exploits earned him a Consul ship in 166 ad and by the early 170s ad he was supreme commander of Roman forces in the East the rebellion was prompted by rumors that Marcus IUS had died

of illness while on campaign according to casassus Dio Empress fala had informed aidus casus that her husband was seriously ill and persuaded him to take the throne as she believed Commodus was too young and immature to inherit the Empire and that political disorder would arise as a result without awaiting confirmation of Marcus's death avidius casus declared himself emperor in early 107 75 ad while the Historia austa mentions fala's role it also sets out an alternative theory that avidius cassus personally instigated the rumors about Marcus's death to justify his usurpation even after avidius found out that

Marcus had recovered from his illness he continued to call himself Emperor with the support of armies in Syria and Egypt although Marcus did not take the Rebellion seriously initially he was soon compelled to address the troops to strengthen their morale Marcus lamented the uprising telling his men that a plot has been formed against me by my dearest friend and I have been forced into a conflict against my will he went on to say that he would have been prepared to give up the throne to casus but the latter had shown he could not be trusted

as he prepared to lead his Army East to confront the usurper Marcus reminded his Legions that they not only enjoyed a significant numerical Advantage but were much better soldiers than casas's Legions at the same time Marcus did not wish to see cassus killed and hoped that he could reconcile with his Earth while friend in order to promote his dynastic interests Marcus summoned Commodus from Rome to join him in serium the capital of panon inferior now located in Northwestern Serbia Commodus left Rome in the middle of May and would have been at his father's headquarters by

early June his Coming of Age ceremony was brought forward to the 7th of July an important date in the Roman Calendar commemorating the day when Rome's legendary founder Romulus was raised to heaven to join the gods by holding Commodus is coming of age ceremony in front of the panonian legions Marcus aurelus was sending a message to the Army to acknowledge Commodus as his successor before leaving serium Marcus received news that casassus had been murdered by one of his men according to Casio Dio The Revolt lasted little more than 3 months despite the death of the

usurper the emperor decided that it was still necessary for him to make the journey to the east to ensure the loyal y of his soldiers and subjects after making peace agreements with the Germanic tribes Marcus began his journey in Late July accompanied by his wife fala and his son Commodus while the Imperial party was traveling through Central turkey late in the year the empress died around 45 years old following fala's death Marcus and Commodus turned South into Syria but purposely avoided Antioch the capital of the province which had served as avidus casas's headquarters for a

decade in early 176 ad they went through Palestine to Egypt which Marcus was inclined to treat leniently despite their declaration in casio's favor earlier in the year Marcus had made a point of being magnanimous towards casio's former supporters throughout the Empire and insisted that none of the rebellious Senators should be put to death on the return journey to Rome Marcus and Commodus visited Asia Minor before traveling to Athens the intellectual capital of the empire in September the emperor and his son were initiated into the eluc inian Mysteries the secret ancient cult with the goddess deita

and pany by the late Autumn of 176 ad Marcus and Comm were back in Rome the emperor had been absent from the capital for8 years and celebrated his return by Distributing eight pieces of gold to a crowd of people who gathered to welcome him Marcus planned to Stage a triumphal procession later in the year to celebrate his victories over the Germanic tribes and intended for Commodus to share the honor on the 27th of November 176 ad the Senate awarded Commodus the title of imperator an honorific traditionally bestowed upon Victorious commanders on campaign prior to their

Triumph in Rome as Commodus had never been on the field of battle this was a further manifestation of marcus' efforts to associate his son with his exploits and to position him as his successor according to the biography of Marcus aurelus in the Historia austa when the Triumph was celebrated on the 23rd of December while Commodus sat in the triumphal Chariot and drove the horses his father chose to run alongside it as a gesture of humility before the people of Rome on New Year's Day 177 ad Commodus began his first consulship at the age of 15

serving alongside Marcus pedus plautius quintillus a prominent Senator closely related to the Imperial family by virtue of being the nephew of Lucius verus and the husband of Commodus elder sister fadila during the Roman Republic the two consoles had been the most powerful political leaders in Rome and the provinces when Augustus became emperor in 27 BC he continued to pay respect to the old Republican magistracies and the consulship continued to be a prestigious political office during the first two centuries of the Roman Empire the minimum age for the consulship under Roman law was set at 30

and Roman political leaders were expected to hold lesser appointments such as quor or pror before being considered worthy of the consulship in the Empire these requirements were occasionally set aside to enable the advancement of a member of the Imperial family and the emperor Nero had become consul for the first time at the age of 17 in 55 a after the death of his stepfather Claudius the previous year when Commodus became Consul at 15 he was the youngest Consul in Roman history to date and had to be granted an exemption by the Senate by 177 ad

Rome had experienced just over two centuries of Imperial Rule and the Roman senate had lost much of the political power it enjoyed during the Republic nevertheless the NAA anonine Emperors with the exception of hadrien had generally been respectful towards the Senate and recognized that they could govern most effectively with their support antonus Pius in particular was known for his deference to the Senate and Marcus aurelus continued in his adoptive father's tradition the fact that the Senate agreed to exempt Commodus from the age limit for the consulship indicates that they considered him a suitable successor to

his father on the same day he began his consulship Commodus was also awarded the tribun Nikia protestas granting him the powers of a Tribune which included the right to veto any Senate decisions later that year he was granted the title of Augustus alongside other titles and Powers associated with an emperor thus by 177 ad Commodus was officially co-emperor alongside his father with all the powers that Lucius verus had enjoyed between 161 and 169 ad while Marcus aurelus remained the driving force behind Roman Imperial policy Commodus his name appeared alongside his father in Imperial rescripts and

inscriptions while coins were issued in the teenager's own name Marcus recognized that his son lacked the experience to exercise the functions of a Roman Emperor and while Commodus continued to receive instruction from his tutors in particular from the orator a Sanctus he spent more time in his father's company and could see him at work during this period Marcus also promoted several younger capable men to bring stability to the government and help Commodus administer the empire in the event of Marcus's death most of these men were married to Marcus's daughters and were Commodus his brothers-in-law such

as his conil colleague plautius quintillus the most influential of the group was an older brother-in-law Tiberius Claudius pompe anus married to lucila who was also Lucius varys's Widow pompeius had been Marcus aurelius's senior leftenant during the marcom manic Wars and would be in a position to help commodor Crush any potential challenges to his succession to the Imperial Throne the ancient literary sources provide little information about what Commodus did during the 3-year period when he was Junior Emperor to his father Casio Dio presents Commodus as a simple-minded individual who preferred to indulge in debauchery rather than

attend to Affairs of State while herodian emphasizes Marcus celas's anx xiety about the prospect of his son becoming sole ruler upon his death according to herodian Marcus was concerned not only that his son was unsuited to become emperor and risked becoming a tyrant like Nero or detian but that his succession would encourage a further Rebellion among the Germanic tribes on the danu frontier however while Marcus may have disapproved of some of his son's personality traits numismatic evidence from coins and epigraphic evidence from inscriptions dating from this period indicates that Commodus was being depicted as Marcus's

equal and associated with the deities of military power and economic Prosperity even though Commodus does not appear to have been given any specific administrative role Marcus's efforts to instruct his son in political administration were disrupted by the resumption of hostilities on the frontier although a Roman army commanded by the cousins quintius Maximus and quintilius conus the younger achieved victory in battle over a rebel Army in 177 ad which was celebrated in the streets of Rome by Marcus's 9th Triumph and Commodus is second the quintili were unable to pacify the region and Marcus decided to return

to the frontier and take personal command in 178 ad as Marcus intended to take Commodus with him and there was no knowing when they would return to Rome Marcus decided it was time for his son to get married in the summer of 178 ad the 16-year-old Commodus married the 12-year-old brua crispina the daughter of bruus precin a Roman Aristocrat who had served as Consul in 153 a and was designated to hold a second Consul ship for 180 ad Commodus and Marcus left Rome in August 178 ad but by the time they arrived at the front

the campaigning season was coming to an end while there are coins from this period showing Commodus as a military commander there is otherwise little evidence that he led troops in battle in 179 ad the Roman Commander puus tarus pus won a decisive Victory against the body enabling Marcus and Commodus to celebrate another joint Triumph the battle may have taken place near La garito present day trenin in Slovakia near the Czech border where an inscription records the presence of the second Legion under Marcus Valerius maximianus during the winter of 179 to 180 ad Marcus aurelius's plans

incorporate the Marco mani and the quadi into the Empire within the new province of marom mania were coming to fruition but in March 180 ad the emperor fell seriously ill and died on the 17th of March either in vindobona now Vienna or at serium casassus Doo mentions that Marcus had been suffering from a disease which affected his chest and stomach but that his fatal illness was unrelated blaming the EMP Emperor's Physicians for hastening his death as a means of showing favor to Commodus according to Marcus aurelius's biography in the Historia austa a few days before

his death Marcus summoned Commodus to his side but the latter did not wish to remain in attendance for long and cited his own health as an excuse to depart between 166 and 180 ad the Empire had been ravaged by the so-called anonine plag plague which is believed to have been spread by Roman soldiers on campaign the plague may have accounted for Lucius varus's death back in 169 ad and the account in the Historia austa strongly suggests that Marcus arilus was suffering from the plague and Commodus wished to avoid catching the disease from his father both

the Historia austa and herodian suggest that a couple of days before his death marus summoned a group of close friends to his side and bade them to support his son according to herodian the dying Emperor told them here is my son whom you yourselves have educated approaching the prime of Youth and as it were in need of Pilots for the stormy seas ahead I fear that he tossed to and fro by his lack of knowledge of what he needs to know may be dashed to pieces on the rocks of evil evil practices you therefore together

take my place as his father looking after him and giving him wise counsel no amount of money is large enough to compensate for a tyrant successes nor is the protection of his bodyguards enough to Shield the ruler who does not possess the Good Will of his subjects these words closely foreshadow Commodus his actions during his reign as sole Emperor and along with other passages in IUS Dio and the Historia austa suggest that marus sensed that Commodus would become a tyrant and regretted that he was to succeed him however as Jeff Adams has observed Marcus aurelus

had been positioning Commodus as his successor as early as 166 ad and after his father's death Commodus faced little trouble in asserting himself as the sole Emperor Commodus had already been Augustus for 3 years and the only additional title he inherited from his father was that of pontifex Maximus which made him Rome's chief priest and Head of the State religion at the time of Marcus aurelius's death Commodus was not yet 19 years old since the age of five his father had been preparing him for the throne but it was not until aidus casas's Revolt of

175 ad that Marcus personally took control of his political upbringing and by 177 ad Commodus was named co-emperor the period of joint rule lasted Less Than 3 years and much of this time was spent outside Rome on campaign and Commodus was still extremely inexperienced and underprepared to take on the responsibilities of office according to herodian Commodus was initially willing to take the advice from his father's advisers and in the days after Marcus's death he addressed the troops praising their exploits and vowing to continue the campaign however it did not take long for a group of

his younger friends to persuade him that there was no point staying at the inhospitable frontier and it was far better to return to Rome likewise casassus Doo claims that Commodus his companions appealed to his Indulgence and encouraged him to return to the capital herodian claimed that after Commodus informed his senior advisers of his intention to return to Rome pompe anus made a persuasive speech urging the young Emperor to continue the campaign and complete the task that his father had left unfinished once the Germanic peoples were subjugated Commodus could return to Rome as a triumphant military

leader according to herodian following this powerful rebuke Commodus no longer called on his advisers and in instead identified himself more closely with his young companions although casassus Doo suggests that the marom mani and cadii were so weak that Commodus could have extracted better terms by continuing with the campaign as part of the peace deal Commodus ensured the return of prisoners of War an annual tribute of grain and a contingent of Marco mani and CI to serve in the Roman army neverthe Les Commodus abandoned the frontier outposts established by his father leaving a small strip of

territory north of the danu comodas continued to maintain a significant military force on the danu frontier and herodian rights that the soldiers complained because not all of them could return to Rome with the emperor those that remained helped to quell a rebellion by the dacians in 183 ad little is known about the campaign though casus Doo claims that the generals Claudius albinus and pesus ner who would challenge for the throne after Commodus his death distinguished themselves during the campaign while the ancient sources are critical of Commodus his decision to make peace with the marom Mani

against the advice of the men appointed by his father Jeff Adams argues that it was justifiable for Commodus to return to Rome to to secure his political position and present himself before the people and the Senate following his father's death even though his succession was widely acknowledged there was no shortage of ambitious senators in Rome who might have taken advantage of a political vacuum in the capital there was no particular need for the emperor to be with the Army and the well-respected antoninus Pius spent nearly the entirety of his reign in Italy leaving his gen

to take care of military Affairs although Commodus was blamed for the subsequent loss of Roman influence in Germany his Frontier policy resembled those of hadrien and antoninus Pius and with the exception of uprisings in Britain and daa the Frontiers remained peaceful during Commodus his rule following his father's death Commodus had taken the name Marcus aurelus antoninus Commodus in honor of both his late father and his grandfather antoninus pasus herodian cites Commodus is impressive dynastic Heritage as the reason for the enthusiastic welcome he received in Rome where he celebrated a Triumph on the 22nd of October

180 ad the adoring crowd hoped that the young Emperor would follow the example of his predecessors and herodian further remarked on the Striking image presented by comodas whose commanding eyes flashed like lightning while his hair naturally blonde and curly gleamed in the sunlight as if it were on fire in spite of his youth after becoming sole Emperor comodas began presenting himself as a bearded man on coins and statues to Signal his maturity and Associate himself with the images of his late father and grandfather several public monuments were constructed in honor of Marcus aurelus following his

death the best known of these is the column of Marcus aurelus which continues to stand in the center of Rome although the edifice celebrates marcus' victories over the marom mani and the neighboring tribes and construction may have begun in 176 ad when Marcus and Commodus celebrated their joint Triumph since the colum was not completed until 193 ad Commodus would have influenced its design and decoration which was inspired by Tran's column celebrating his victories over the dasci following Marcus aurelius's death the Temple of the Divine Marcus aurelus was built close to the column as a further

gesture from Commodus to honor his deified father the ancient sources indicate that after becoming so Emperor Commodus had little interest in administration and left the government in the hands hands of a series of favorites according to the Historia Augusta the first of these was a palace Chamberlain saus who began Life as a Greek slave the sensationalized account claims that saus accompanied Commodus in his Chariot during his triumphal entry into Rome and the emperor occasionally turned to kiss him in front of the crowds the Historia austa goes on to say that kdus spent his time visiting

taverns and brothel and in a later passage Commodus is said to have requested funds for a journey to Africa but once he received the money he spent it on Banquets and games in Rome instead Commodus is blamed for ruining the Imperial finances by holding gladiatorial shows chariot races and distributing large amounts of money to the people casassus doo claims that Commodus gave 140 silver daeri to each man on each occasion while the Historia Augusta cites a much higher figure of 725 daeri these actions led him to devalue the currency which caused shortages of grain in

Rome however Jeff Adams cites analysis of Roman coinage in the British museum which indicates that any depreciation during Commodus rign was gradual and the continuation of trends that existed under his predecessors and and any decline in economic activity was due to factors beyond the emperor's control in 182 ad Commodus faced the first crisis of his Reign when he was the target of a conspiracy masterminded by his sister lucila the Historia austa claims that lucila and her Associates were disgusted by Commodus is corruption while casus Doo states that she instigated the plot to be R of

her husband pompe anus whom she detested herodian on the other hand suggests that Commodus initially showed restraint and avoided taking action against the Senators who had been his father's advisers and that lucila's conspiracy was due to her resentment at being superseded in the court hierarchy by Commodus Empress chrispa both casus Dio and the Historia austa relate how pompe us walked up to Commodus with a drawn sword and declared see this is what the Senate has sent you and was easily apprehended in herodian account pomponis was not involved at all and lucila's co-conspirator was Marcus umus

quadratus ananus a nephew of Marcus aurelus who was rumored to be her lover according to herodian the man who bungled the assassination was not pompe panus but his nephew quintus while the Elder pompus went into Exile quintus and quadratus were both put to death lucila was initially banished to the island of Capri and executed later in the year casassus Doo writes that Commodus was guilty of many unseemly deeds and killed a great many people including many high-ranking aristocratic men and women who had been influential during the reign of Marcus celus the killing of senators without

the approval of their peers had always been a source of tension between the Senate and the emperor and herodian argues that following the events of 182 ad the emperor considered the entire Senate his Collective enemy Jeff Adams questions this view arguing that Commodus continued to count on the support of a large part of the body citing the Consular lists during Commodus sole Reign which include the names of many senators while this may be explained by the sale of political offices by Commodus favorites as alleged in the ancient sources Adams argues that the individuals who were

chosen were distinguished men worthy of the honor due to their aristocratic background or their military exploits these included Lucius Septimus seus a General from North Africa who was consol in 190 ad and would eventually restore political order as Emperor after Commodus his death according to the Historia austa not long after the failed conspiracy Commodus is favorite salus was assassinated by tarus paternus the soldier who had won a great victory over the quadi in 179 ad and served as the Comm commander of the petorian Guard the elite army unit that was officially responsible for protecting the

emperor but which also had a reputation for overthrowing them paternus blamed SAS for the emperor's corruption and licentiousness and brought about his death once Commodus heard of his companion's demise he arrested paternus and executed him pes's colleague seus idus penis took advantage of the situation to frame several of his political Rivals including the general salvus julianus as well as members of the quintili family who had fought with distinction under Marcus aurelus during the marom manic Wars all of whom were put to death at the emperor's command Commodus confiscated The Villa of the quintili outside Rome

and expanded it by building luxurious baths and enlarging the entertainment spaces [Music] between 182 and 185 ad idus penis was the most powerful man in Rome and controlled access to comodas and read all of the Imperial correspondence before they reached the emperor the ancient literary sources state that penis enabled Commodus to indulge in his Pleasures including Chariot racing lavish feasts and various acts of depravity involving both saxes as the power behind the throne penis was able to secure influential military appointments for his sons in the provinces according to herodian penis secretly instructed his sons to

strengthen their forces so that he could overthrow Commodus and become emperor in his place in herodian account penis's plot was exposed when an unknown man appeared in the theater before the emperor and warned him that petorian prefect was intending to kill him and take the throne although nobody believed the man and he was swiftly put to death by penis his warning encouraged Commodus his close companions to voice similar accusations about penis which were proven when some soldiers serving under the command of the younger penis went to Rome and produced coins with penis's image on them

Commodus duly executed penus and his sons for plotting against him casassus Dio and the Historia Augusta present an alternative version of penis's downfall connected to events in Britain in 180 ad tribes from northern Britain rebelled and broke through Hadrian's Wall prompting hadrien to dispatch the general opulus marcelus to suppress the Rebellion by 184 ad marcelus had defeated the Rebels and drove them back to the line of the anonine wall the frontier briefly established by antoninus pus between the fourth and the Clyde in Scotland as a result of the successful campaign in Britain Commodus assumed the

Victory Title of britannicus in 184 ad however the troops in Britain resented marcellus's harsh disciplinary methods and staged a mutiny by proclaiming an officer named priscus as emperor even though the latter declined the troops continued to defy Imperial Authority according to cus Dio 1,500 soldiers from Britain who held penis ultimately responsible for their ill treatment marched to Rome and informed Commodus that penis was plotting against him Commodus was persuaded to deliver up penis to the mutinous soldiers and the latter made no effort to mobilize his own command and was Torn to Pieces along with his

sons penis's downfall in 185 a enabled Marcus aurelus cleander to fill the political vacuum cleander had succeeded sa terus as Commodus his Chamberlain and like his predecessor he was a former slave from Greece who served the Imperial family and grew up with commodos according to casassus Dio cleander had been one of the men behind sas's death and was also responsible for persuading the emperor to be rid of penis like penes cleander used his position to accumulate power and wealth for himself but he had done so to a greater degree than his predecessors although Commodus initially

sought to protect himself from the petorian guard by constantly replacing its Commander by 188 ad cleander elim minated the petorian prefect and took command of the guard in 190 ad the city of Rome suffered from a severe famine according to herodian Canda manipulated the grain market by buying up large amounts of grain to drive prices up and intending to distribute large amounts of grain to the masses in order to win their support casassus Dio writes that the grain Supply was further restricted by the the grain commissioner papirius dionisius so that cleander would be blamed for

the famine a deadly plague coincided with the famine and Commodus was staying at lentum to the southwest of Rome a Roman mob left the city seeking an audience with the emperor to demand kander's execution but the latter sent the Imperial Cavalry to Ambush them in herodian account the Cavalry pursued the unarmed mob back to the gates of Rome where the people barricaded themselves inside their houses and began to hurl projectiles against the cavalryman from their rooftops forcing them to retreat herodian and casassus Dio indicate that the Roman infantry took the side of the people against

cander Commodus remained in his Palace ignorant of all that had been going on until a woman either his mistress might I or his sister fadila entered the palace and informed him of the disturbances and urged him to get rid of cander afraid that the mob would come after him the emperor summoned cleander and put him to death along with his sons other members of his family and many of his associates although herodian states that Commodus received an enthusiastic welcome from the people when he returned to Rome after kander's death he trusted no one and put

to death anyone accused of conspiring against him not long after kander's fall Commodus exiled his wife crispina to Capri and executed her while his motivations are unclear he might have been influenced by Maria whom he treated as his Empress in all but [Music] name the ancient sources suggest that from 190 ad onwards Commodus depravity reached a new level and he showed signs of insanity and megalomania he Associated himself with Hercules the semi- Divine Son Of Jupiter who was known for his extraordinary strength and the emperor commissioned many statues depicting him in the guise of Hercules

carrying a club and wearing a lion skin cloak Roman emperors before Commodus often Associated themselves with various deities while Jupiter as king of the Gods was the most common Association the Emperor Augustus showed particular favor to the goddess Venus from whom the family of his adopted father Julius Caesar claimed descend Commodus himself was a strong man and considered himself a warrior while the ancient sources claimed that he routinely killed wild beasts with his bare hands in the amphitheater and on his private estate States the association with Hercules was therefore a natural one for him to

make though he continued to observe the worship of the Olympian gods and erected a statue honoring his parents as Mars and Venus in an illustration of Commodus megal Mania casus Dio claims that over the course of his Reign the emperor accumulated a host of honorific titles which he added to his name and by 191 ad he referred to himself as Caesar Lucius IAS aelius Commodus Augustus pasus Felix sarmaticus germanicus maximus britanicas in addition to these names he often assumed the names of Hercules and exup atorus or conqueror not long after the plague and famine a

third disaster be fell Rome in 191 ad as a fire destroyed large parts of the city including the Temple of Peace facing the Coliseum and the Temple of Vesta in the Forum home to the sacred flame of the Vestal virgins the fire burned for several days and while casuso states that Commodus directed soldiers and civilians to fight the fire with water it was only extinguished following a heavy downpour of rain herodian claims that it was the fire which was interpreted as a sign of divine punishment that caused the emperor to lose popular support in Rome

and casassus doo claims that Commodus renamed the imperial capital kodana both herodian and Dio claimed that Commodus altered the Colossus that stood in front of the Coliseum by replacing the head with his own likeness the Monumental statue had originally been erected by Nero and following his death was rededicated to the sun god Soul Jeff Adams questions whether the Colossus would still have been standing during Commodus his Reign and suggests that the anecdote was a literary device used by the ancient historians to link Commodus to the tyrannical Emperor Nero the tale of a debauched Emperor profiting

from a fire in Rome also closely resembles the tal surrounding Nero and the fire of 64 ad Commodus is best known in modern times for his love of gladiatorial combat thanks in large part to the 2000 film Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott while many Roman emperors enjoyed holding gladiatorial fights and chariot races at the Coliseum and the circus maximus in Rome as a means of winning popular support Commodus is Accused not only of wasting money by staging games with much greater frequency than his predecessors but also for degrading his Imperial dignity by participating in the

entertainments as a combatant in one section the Historia austa claims that Commodus fought in 735 gladiatorial bouts but later on it states that he fought 365 times during his father's Reign and as Emperor he won enough bouts to bring the total number above a thousand though most of these early combats may have taken place in private on the Imperial Estates Commodus is most memorable games was staged in November 192 ad and lasted for 14 days the emperor himself played a starring role and Casas Doo writes that he was a witness to the spectacle as all

the senators were forced to attend the emperor's performance on the first day he killed a 100 bears by shooting them with javelins from a raised platform in what herodian called a display of skill rather than of Courage herodian presents Commodus as a skillful Hunter since he managed to hit the target with each shot leaving no wasted javelins on occasion Commodus descended into the arena to dispatch Tamer animals such as deer and during the demonstration he also killed a tiger a hippopotamus an elephant and possibly a rhinos OS the people were impressed by the emperor's abilities

and in a further demonstration of his prowess Commodus killed ostriches by decapitating them at the top of the neck so they could continue to run around casassus Dio recalls seeing the emperor approaching the Senators holding up the bloody head of a decapitated ostrich and grinning at them without saying a word Dio claims that he and his colleagues found the threat so amusing that they only prevented themselves from bursting into laughter by chewing on the Laurel leaves from their garlands after retiring for lunch the emperor returned in the afternoon and entered the arena to fight as

a gladiator Commodus had trained to fight as a secutor a type of gladiator armed with a short sword large helmet and a heavy Shield the seo's usual opponent was the retiarius a gladiator with a trident and net who made up for his limited armor with greater agility according to cioo Commodus exposed himself to minimal danger in this public demonstration armed only with a wooden sword in his left hand while his opponents were armed with sticks the petorian prefect Imus lus and the Chamberlain eclectus stood next to the emperor ready to intervene should anything happen these

bouts were therefore something of a farce and after the emperor failed his opponent he would raise them up he then retired to the stands and sat with the Senators to watch the regular Gladiator bouts Commodus had the authority to determine the fates of the defeated Gladiators and he often deferred to the wishes of the bloodthirsty crowd following his latest demonstration Commodus desired to leave the Imperial Palace and live with the Gladiators in their Barracks as the New Year approached and with it the appointment of two new consoles koders planned to participate in the procession in

the armor of a gladiator rather than his purple Imperial robes when he announced his intentions to his closest companions his mistress Maria his Chamberlain eclectus and the prefect lus all of them were horrified and urged him to reconsider when Commodus refused the three decided they had to kill the emperor before he killed them on the night of the 31st of December 192 ad Marcia poisoned Commodus his food and wine but the emperor did not react immediately and sunk into his usual drunken stuper not long afterwards Commodus began to vomit the conspirators were afraid that the

emperor would expel all the poison and decided to send a young athlete named narcissus to strangle him casassus Dio claims that Commodus was murdered in his b while herodian suggests the emperor was killed while lying on his couch the Emperor Commodus was dead at the age of 31 after reigning for 13 years a sole Emperor and the nerva anonine dynasty died with him following Commodus his death the Senate condemned his memory by destroying his statues and moving inscriptions that carried his name Commodus his death brought further disorder to the Empire and the year 1193 a

is known as the year of the five Emperors the first pertina lasted three months before he was assassinated by the petorian guard his ally Septimus seus soon declared himself Emperor and soon eliminated the petorian candidate didius julianus but it was not until 197 ad that he vanquished his remaining Rivals Claudius albinus and pescennius ner and restored order to the Empire enabling him to establish his own seign Dynasty as part of his efforts to secure the favor of the surviving members of the former Imperial family septimius rehabilitated Commodus in 195 a and persuaded the Senate to

deify him of the 111 known statue bases featuring inscriptions dedicated to Commodus 20 were erected after his death suggesting that he remained popular in certain parts of the Empire despite his reputation and the Senate's efforts to eradicate his name Commodus leaves behind a legacy as one of the most notorious Emperors in the history of the Roman Empire his debauched lifestyle and his vulgar tastes were in marked contrast to his father Marcus aurelus despite the latter's efforts to train him as his successor by hiring distinguished men to tutor him although Marcus intensified his efforts to prepare

his son for the duties of Imperial office following the avidus cassus Rebellion by the time he died on campaign in 180 ad the 18-year-old Commodus was still inexperienced and unprepared while he was criticized for a abandoning his father's final campaign the empire was mostly at peace during his sole Reign domestically Commodus his Reign was characterized by the corruption of powerful favorites who exercised power on his behalf although Commodus is likely to have played a more proactive role in the government than the ancient sources suggest his personality and his approach to government were diametrically opposed to

the expectations of the senatorial class and he was subject to several assassination attempts which reinforced his sense of insecurity and encouraged him to order more political executions although his Reign was associated with poor Administration corruption and tyranny it was his inappropriate desire to present himself as a gladiator rather than an emperor which caused him to be murdered by his closest companions what do you think of Emperor Commodus was he a tyrant who neglected state affairs to indulge in debauchery and Corruption while eliminating political opponents without a second thought or was he more of an egalitarian

ruler who favored the Common People by offering generous monetary donations and regular entertainments at the expense of the conservative Elites enabling him to retain popular support for much of his Reign please let us know in the comment section and in the meantime thank you very much for watching all h [Music] oh so e