Chapters
| Name | Lucius Aurelius Commodus |
|---|---|
| Ruled as | Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus |
| Reign | 17 March 180 – 31 December 192 CE |
| Born | 31 August 161 CE |
| Died | 31 December 192 CE |
Commodus was born on August 31, 161 CE as Lucius Aurelius Commodus in Lanuvium. He was the son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and Faustina. He had a twin brother, Aurelius Antonin, who died at the age of four. His wife was Bruttia Crispina, with whom he had no child. This was the first case of a son inheriting his father’s imperial position in many years, the first since Titus.
Commodus was the Roman emperor in the years 180-192 CE. He tried to establish absolute power, he demanded divine worship as the earthly incarnation of Hercules. He is known primarily from the movie “Gladiator”; he was remembered as a despot emperor.
Family and path to power
The nickname Commodus belonged to gens Ceionii and meant “pleasant”. This nickname was held by Lucius Ceionius Commodus, who was adopted by Emperor Hadrian and was planned as a successor. Ceionius, however, died young and was replaced by Antoninus Pius. Ceionius’ son was Lucius Verus, who was appointed co-ordinator by Marcus Aurelius. In his honour, the nickname Commodus was given to his son Lucius Aurelius, known in history as Commodus.
Emperor Marcus Aurelius, apart from Commodus, had more offspring, but almost died because of the unknown epidemic that came from the east with Emperor Verus. Apparently, young Commodus also suffered from illness, but he was cured by the famous doctor Galen. Aurelius, therefore, was only Commodus. No wonder the emperor greatly valued and worshipped his only heir. On the adolescence of the future emperor, the ancients convey a little vague judgment. Most probably already at that time Commodus showed great cruelty and ruthlessness as well as simply rudeness. But no one dared to open Aurelius’s eyes, blindly staring at his only son.
Marcus Aurelius never tried to hide that it was Commodus who would succeed him. In 166 CE, Lucius Commodus and his younger twin brother Aurelius Annius received the titles of Caesars during the triumph of Marcus Aurelius and Verus because of victories in the East. However, little Annius died 169 CE and only Lucius Commodus could succeed the emperor-philosopher. Aurelius guaranteed his only son the best education and the best teachers. He gave him great affection and protection.
Commodus was not yet 15 years old when he became a member of priesthood colleges in 175 CE On July 7 of the same year, he put on a men’s gown and later received the title of a youth leader.
From 176 CE, Commodus officially co-ruled with his father; received the office of people’s tribune. In the same year, together with his father, he took part in the expedition to the East against Avidius Cassius (governor of the whole East, who in 175 CE declared himself emperor – this happened after receiving false news about the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius). In 177 CE he was appointed a co-coordinator with the title of Augusta. He also received the office of a high priest and father of the country. In the spring of 178 CE, Commodus, by the will of his father, married Bruttia Crispina, a girl from aristocratic spheres. He took part in the expedition against Marcomanni to create new provinces: Markomancy and Sarmacja. Unexpectedly, Marcus Aurelius died in 180 CE during the almost-ended war with the Germans (he passed away for natural reasons, although there were rumours in antiquity that his son had his fingers in the death of his father). Commodus immediately made peace and left the occupied lands (roughly Czech territory). However, this was not a sign of the peaceful disposition of the new ruler. The 19-year-old emperor simply wanted to be in Rome as soon as possible, offering numerous entertainment that was not in the wild forests of Central Europe. With his decision, Commodus ruined his father’s many years of effort and the sacrifice of thousands of soldiers. At that time Commodus in 180 CE became the actual and sole ruler of Rome.
Reign
Commodus, returning to Rome, only dealt with state affairs, in fact, his advisers ruled. In Rome, the ruler of the empire could enjoy the pleasures of life. His rule was mainly to watch the performances of clowns, actors and dancers, gladiator duels, and chariot races. Commodus took part in orgies, visited brothels and took part in hunting wild animals and other revellers that took him whole days. This did n