Cleander was in fact the person who had murdered Saoterus. [27] Another event, as recorded by the historian Aelius Lampridius, took place at the Roman baths at Terme Taurine, where the emperor had an attendant thrown into an oven after he had found his bathwater to be lukewarm. In 187, one of the leaders of the deserters, Maternus, came from Gaul intending to assassinate Commodus at the Festival of the Great Goddess in March, but he was betrayed and executed. However, he always spared their lives. Commodus : The general who became a slave. Early Life - Chapter I: 1:03. In addition to Galens medical attention and treatment, Commodus was also highly educated, with little focus on military training. In 182 A.D., Commodus sister Lucilla organized an attempt on her brothers life. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. Commodus was born on August 31, 161 AD in Lanuvium, 14 miles (22.5 km) southeast of Rome. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. He also declared himself to be an incarnation of the god Hercules and forced the senate to recognize his divinity. [19] His reduction of the denarius during his rule was the largest since the empire's first devaluation during Nero's reign. His tale was not believed and he was immediately put to death. Narcissus died by execution during the series of civil wars after Commodus's death. The pivotal 2000 historical drama follows the betrayed general, Maximus, on a quest for revenge against Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the usurper emperor of Rome, who murdered his wife and son. He was appointed co-emperor of Rome and ruled alongside his father when he Marcus Aurelius is famed for various accomplishmentshis title as the last of the Five Good Emperors; his extensive study of and literary accomplishments in the field of Stoicism; and, last but not Long bouts of bad weather have been blamed as a cause for the downfall of ancient civilizations around the world. Papirius Dionysius was executed, too. [34] The Romans found Commodus's gladiatorial combat to be scandalous and disgraceful. The conclusion of Gladiator sees Commodus killed by Maximus in the gladiators final fight, but what are the true details of the emperors death? 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To "accept kinship with Commodus the bluntly pragmatic decision was taken to deify the former emperor, thus legitimizing Severus' seizure of power. Commodus, the son of the famous Emperor Marcus Aurelius, lived an interesting life, combining 15 years of rule alongside his father with 16 years of chaos. Disdaining the more philosophic inclinations of his father, Commodus was extremely proud of his physical prowess. [40][41] For each appearance in the arena, he charged the city of Rome a million sesterces, straining the Roman economy. AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. The megalomania of Commodus was not limited to the Colosseum. Other victims at this time were the praetorian prefect Julius Julianus, Commodus's cousin Annia Fundania Faustina, and his brother-in-law Mamertinus. 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. [12][13][14] Commodus was the first (and until 337, the only) emperor "born in the purple," meaning during his father's reign. It is of particular interest that Aurelius craved succession by one of his sons so much because there hadnt been an emperor who had been succeeded by his own son since Titus succeeded Vespasian in 79. But shortly after dispatching the megalomaniacal emperor, Maximus succumbs to his own injuries and dies in the blood and sand of the ring although not without making sure his fellow gladiators are freed first. Lucilla was over ten years his senior and held the rank of Augusta as the widow of her first husband, Lucius Verus. Cassius, however, was killed by one of his centurions before the campaign against him could begin. 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. Whatever its roots, the conspiracy failed and the incident aroused an insane paranoia in Commodus, who began seeing plots and treachery everywhere. Sporting critical wounds after enacting his vengeance at the end of Gladiator, Maximus dies moments after Commodus. All the months of the year were renamed to correspond exactly with his (now twelve) names: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, and Pius. Commodus was a terrible ruler by virtually any standard. First, she attempted to kill him by poisoning his food. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena? Man in Peru Caught Out Drinking With an 800-year-old Mummy! Wikimedia CommonsEmperor Commodus lust for power is widely credited with bringing an end to the fabled Pax Romana. However, the following year, a detachment of soldiers from Britain (they had been drafted to Italy to suppress brigands) also denounced Perennis to the emperor as plotting to make his own son emperor (they had been enabled to do so by Cleander, who was seeking to dispose of his rival), and Commodus gave them permission to execute him as well as his wife and sons. [28][29], His original name was Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus. 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 brothers orders a year later. "Exsuperatorius" (the supreme) was a title given to Jupiter, and "Amazonius" identified him again with Hercules. Maximus : You would fight me? Now at the zenith of his power, Cleander continued to sell public offices as his private business. On 27 November 176, Marcus Aurelius bestowed the title of Imperator on Commodus and in summer 177 he made him a full joint emperor by giving him the title of Augustus. Commodus remained with the Danube armies for only a short time before negotiating a peace treaty with the Danubian tribes. When Marcia found a list of people Commodus intended to have executed, she discovered that she, the prefect Laetus and Eclectus were on it. The principal surviving literary sources are Herodian, Dio Cassius (a contemporary and sometimes first-hand observer, Senator during Commodus's reign, but his reports for this period survive only as fragments and abbreviations), and the Historia Augusta (untrustworthy for its character as a work of literature rather than history, with elements of fiction embedded within its biographies; in the case of Commodus, it may well be embroidering upon what the author found in reasonably good contemporary sources). It's a great story of revenge but the character of Maximus is entirely made up. [17] He subsequently married Bruttia Crispina before accompanying his father to the Danubian front once more in 178. [38] Cassius Dio claimed that citizens of Rome who were missing their feet through accident or illness were taken to the arena, where they were tethered together for Commodus to club to death while pretending they were giants. This ancient Roman biographical article is a stub. He also devalued Roman currency, reducing the weight of the denarius and reducing the purity of silver. The Romans were outraged when Commodus would order wounded soldiers and amputees into the arena to be slayed. On this channel we focus on Roman History and right now we're doing a video on every Roman Emperor, if you're interested in that subscribe or watch the playlist here: https://bit.ly/32CUA2g. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Interestingly, it took Scott a while to realize that, like a sadistic emperor at a gladiatorial display, the ending demanded Maximus's death. Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) takes power and strips rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor and father, Empero Commodus would also slay exotic animals, such as lions, ostriches, hippos, elephants, and giraffes. She has earned Read More. ", Roman coins featuring Commodus. In 182 Commoduss sister Lucilla conspired with a group of senators to assassinate him. Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. Mudlarker Finds Bronze Age Shoe on a UK Riverbank Dated 2,800 Years Old! In December, he announced his intention to inaugurate the year 193 as both consul and gladiator on 1 January. Die ''Terme Taurine'' von Civitavecchia ein rmisches Heilbad. Roman Emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus was a corrupt ruler who was not well-received by the Roman people during his reign. Commodus also had a passion for gladiatorial combat, which he took so far as to take to the arena himself, dressed as a secutor. Conveniently, both of these goals are achieved by killing Commodus. Also, in Britain in 184, the governor Ulpius Marcellus re-advanced the Roman frontier northward to the Antonine Wall, but the legionaries revolted against his harsh discipline and acclaimed another legate, Priscus, as emperor. This rumor was further fueled by Commodus love for engaging in gladiator battles as an adult, which led to speculation that his father was indeed a gladiator with whom Faustina had an affair. Omissions? Speidel, "Commodus the God-Emperor and the Army,", This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 22:16. A bust of Commodus as a youth. [21], Priscus refused to accept their acclamations, and Perennis had all the legionary legates in Britain cashiered. He is based in the UK and studied English at Kings College London. Commode-Hercule et l'anthropologie hercalenne,", M.P. His father was Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius , and his mother was Faustina the Younger. The ending of "Gladiator" makes it seem like. Striking story! Did you realise that "Gladiator" was a revamp of the 1960's movie "THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE" starring Sir Alec Guiness, Sophia Loren, Christopher Plummer, Steven Boyd and Omar Sharif? wahrscheinlich aber erfand Commodus diese Geschichte selber, um seine Sonderrolle zu unterstreichen. Commodus : The general who became a slave. In 195, the emperor Septimius Severus, trying to gain favour with the family of Marcus Aurelius, rehabilitated Commodus's memory and had the Senate deify him. Commodus was made coruler when he was just 16 years old, and he was emperor before he turned 19. 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. Roman artwork, 191 - 192 AD. Thrown into the spotlight as Rome . [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. The Death of Commodus, from a history book published in 1900. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Despite his notoriety, and considering the importance of his reign, Commodus's years in power are not well chronicled. Instead, he devoted himself to his harem of 300 females and a like number of males, played gladiator at Rome's. Gladiator's Commodus death, therefore, is a pertinent conclusion to Maximus storyline in Gladiator, but it consequentially abstracts the film's historical basis. They then returned to Rome in the autumn of 176. From 180 to his death in 192, Commodus was the only emperor.. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded his father since Titus succeeded Vespasian in 79. Commodus: The general who became a slave. Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree. The first attempt used poisoned meat, but Commodus vomited it up. They then sent in an athlete to strangle the 31-year old emperor in his bath. Classic Villain: Commodus, representing Ambition and Envy. Commodus did initially engage in some leadership-oriented activities, although not always in the favor of the Roman people. Commodus was a secutor, a type of gladiator who carried a gladius and a heavy shield. Wife of M. Annius Libo: Levick (2014), p. 163. It's fair to say the audience is pretty attached to Maximus by the end of "Gladiator." [10] Among his teachers, Onesicrates, Antistius Capella, Titus Aius Sanctus, and Pitholaus are mentioned.[10][11]. Throughout his reign, Commodus entrusted the management of affairs to his palace chamberlain and praetorian prefects, named Saoterus, Perennis and Cleander. It appeared that he had no interest in being a leader, and only wanted to take advantage of his leadership powers to fulfill his own desires. Aside from the manner of his death in Gladiator, Commodus' onscreen depiction has a few other historical reworkings that help add spice to the plot, although some changes serve to tone down the character. The title suggests that Commodus was present at his father's victory over the Marcomanni. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. 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