Description

This post is also available in: Nederlands

Commodus (August 31, 161 – December 31, 192), born Lucius Aurelius Commodus, died as Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus, was Roman emperor along with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until the death of his father in 180, and ruled only until 192.

During his father’s reign, he accompanied Marcus Aurelius during the Marcomannian wars in 172 and during a tour of the eastern provinces in 176. He became the youngest consul in Roman history in 177 and later that year co-emperor with his father. His entry was the first time that a son succeeded his biological father since Titus was the successor of Vespasian in 79. He was also the first emperor who had both a father and a grandfather (who had adopted his father) as the two previous emperors. Commodus was the first (and up to 337, the only) emperor “born in purple,” which means during the reign of his father. During his reign, the empire enjoyed a period of reduced military conflict compared to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, but there were plenty of intrigues and conspiracies, causing Commodus to lean towards an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership, culminating in a God-like personality cult. His murder in 192 marked the end of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous year of the five emperors.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus