In 186 he further reduced the purity and silver weight to 74percent and 2.22grams respectively, being 108 to the Roman pound. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. During the preparations for the campaign against Cassius, Commodus assumed his toga virilis on the Danubian front on 7 July 175, thus formally entering adulthood. The plot failed, and Commodus retaliated by executing a number of leading senators. The following year, Commodus became Aurelius co-emperor, and they reigned together from then until Aurelius death in 180. [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.[3]. Gladiator: How Commodus Died In Real Life & Who Killed Him, Gladiator: What Happened To Every Historical Character In Real Life. Commodus is commonly regarded as being an inadequate and megalomaniacal emperor, but Gladiators distortion of history portrays him as exclusively and resolutely evil. Cassius, however, was killed by one of his centurions before the campaign against him could begin. 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. Ein Gladiator (lateinisch gladiator zu gladius fr . Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) is a Roman historical epic, considered to be one of Scott's directorial movie masterpieces. After repeated attempts on Commodus's life, Roman citizens were often killed for making him angry. Commodus was made coruler when he was just 16 years old, and he was emperor before he turned 19. The final fight of Ridley Scott's Gladiator is relatively short, but it works very well for the movie's somewhat historically accurate story. 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. Intro: 0:00. Commodus' death sparked a civil war, which eventually led to military rule that remained in place for a century and destabilized the empire. On December 31, 192, his advisers had him strangled by a champion wrestler, following his announcement the day before that he would assume the consulship, dressed as a gladiator. 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. Jack is a feature writer for Screen Rant. Heinz, W. (1986). [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. 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. Or, were the Romans protecting something even more valuable than silver? Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves . Roman Emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus was a corrupt ruler who was not well-received by the Roman people during his reign. Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree. Commodus accompanied his father during the Marcomannic Wars in 172, and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. Having been accepted as emperor by Syria, Judea and Egypt, Cassius carried on his rebellion even after it had become obvious that Marcus was still alive. His tumultuous reign as emperor was the starting point for a period of Roman history that is viewed as having been filled with chaos and decline. The three of them plotted to assassinate the emperor. Instead, he devoted himself to his harem of 300 females and a like number of males, played gladiator at Rome's. His family is murdered, and he becomes a slave, and then sold off to become a gladiator. Commodus brought an end to his father's campaign against the Germans. Commodus is known to have been at Carnuntum, the headquarters of Marcus Aurelius during the Marcomannic Wars, in 172. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. His death, however, was the result of an assassination plot in 192, culminating with Narcissus killing him in the bath. On 15 October 184 at the Capitoline Games, a Cynic philosopher publicly denounced Perennis before Commodus. Wikimedia CommonsA bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be. Although he's very well written, Maximus is more of a plot device to allow the . Commodus was a spoiled, narcissistic young man who was something of an embarrassment to his father. Commodus Takes The Throne In this scene from Gladiator, Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) murders his father to seize the throne for himself. Quadratus and Quintianus were executed. We'll explain. He gave Rome a new name, Colonia Commodiana (Colony of Commodus), and imagined that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow. The consensus was that it was below his office to participate as a gladiator. 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. 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. He is based in the UK and studied English at Kings College London. The Beast with an insatiable Hunger for Human Flesh, Film Footage Provides Intimate View of HMS Gloucester Shipwreck, Top 8 Legendary Parties - Iconic Celebrations in Ancient History, The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part II), The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I), Bloodthirsty Buddhists: The Sohei Warrior Monks of Feudal Japan, Legends Of The Oracle Of Delphi At The Centre Of The World. However, he always spared their lives. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Commodus was the tenth of fourteen children born to Aurelius and was ultimately the only surviving son. Despite Maximus being a fictional character, the athlete Narcissus is one of the multiple historical figures serving as the likely inspiration for Gladiator's protagonist. Commodus subsequently accompanied his father on a lengthy trip to the Eastern provinces, during which he visited Antioch. Thereafter his rule became increasingly arbitrary and vicious. Innumerable statues around the empire were set up portraying him in the guise of Hercules, reinforcing the image of him as a demigod, a physical giant, a protector, and a warrior who fought against men and beasts (see "Commodus and Hercules" and "Commodus the Gladiator" below). As a result, Commodus appeared even more rarely in public, preferring to live on his estates. Unfortunately, the damage to Rome was already done. The Death of Commodus, from a history book published in 1900. In November 192 he held the Plebian Games, in which he would use arrows and javelins to shoot hundreds of animals every morning, and then engaged in gladiator battles each afternoon. He wanted to avenge the deaths of his wife and son, as well as clear the way for the Senate to restore order in Rome. [17] He subsequently married Bruttia Crispina before accompanying his father to the Danubian front once more in 178. After this look at Commodus, check out these interesting facts about Ancient Rome. One of these is Commodus' relationship with his sister Lucilla. The activities which held Commodus attention and with which he spent his time were primarily surrounding gladiatorial combat. He would take to the arena and engage in combat, which the Romans viewed as being scandalous and disgraceful. This assassination attempt was successful, and both Commodus reign as Roman Emperor, and his life, ended on the final day of 192. Later that year he adopted as his full style Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus Augustus Herculeus Romanus Exsuperatorius Amazonius Invictus Felix Pius (the order of some of these titles varies in the sources). Sources diverge on the origins of the conspiracy, with some claiming Lucilla was jealous of Commodus wife Crispina (incest between Commodus and Lucilla is suggested in Gladiator) while others maintain she saw the first warning signs of her brothers mental instability. Be warned, though:If you thought Maximus's death was sad, you really won't like this. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! Wikimedia CommonsAn illustration of the murder of Commmodus. He also reduced the silver purity from 79percent to 76percent the silver weight dropping from 2.57grams to 2.34grams. Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred. The poison failed, so Narcissus entered Commodus's bedchamber. He was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His outrageous tactics, such as slaying people with disabilities and slaughtering wild beasts in the arena, brought much negative attention, and were believed to have played a role in his eventual assassination. In the story of Gladiator, the Roman general Maximus is betrayed by the evil Emperor Commodus. The Eastern Tour - Chapter II: 4:01. After becoming emperor, Commodus spent his 12-year reign indulging in hobbies like gambling, drinking and chariot-racing, but his two greatest passions seemed to be sex and pretending to be a . He engaged in one-on-one combat with many other gladiators, each of whom was obliged to lose to the emperor. Roman Artwork. 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. Dio Cassius 73.10.2, Loeb edition translated E. Cary. Statues of Commodus were demolished. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Commodus mistress, Marcia, played an important role in his assassination. The Emperor and his son then travelled to Athens, where they were initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries. Commodus, who is portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, was indeed the son of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and an emperor of Rome. The first, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, Commodus put to death after becoming convinced he was conspiring against him. Marcus Aurelius died there on 17 March 180, leaving the 18-year-old Commodus as sole emperor.[18]. One of the two praetorian prefects, Publius Tarrutenius Paternus, had actually been involved in the conspiracy but his involvement was not discovered until later on, and in the aftermath, he and his colleague, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, were able to arrange for the murder of Saoterus, the hated chamberlain. Die ''Terme Taurine'' von Civitavecchia ein rmisches Heilbad. The Syrian-born gladiator, who rose to fame under the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117 to 138 A.D.), is best known for the length of his career, and for being awarded his freedom four times . Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. He thought of himself as the reincarnation of Hercules, frequently emulating the legendary hero's feats by appearing in the arena to fight a variety of wild animals. One such notable event was the attempted extermination of the house of the Quinctilii. Maximus : You would fight me? Unlike Commodus, Maximus isn't driven by a desire for power but by loyalty to "the true emperor" whom Commodus murdered and to his family. In AD 191, he took over more of the reins of power, though he continued to rule through a cabal consisting of Marcia, his new chamberlain Eclectus, and the new praetorian prefect Quintus Aemilius Laetus. The most famous scene in "Gladiator" is the one that launched a thousand memes (to use a phrase from a different Ancient European society). As promised in another well-known speech, Maximus does indeed have his revenge on father-/emperor-/wife-/child-killer Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Dio Cassius 73.1.2, Loeb edition translated E. Cary, Dio Cassius 73.5.3, Loeb edition translated E. Cary. While fighting in the arena, opponents would submit to Commodus, as emperor, and their lives were spared. Now at the zenith of his power, Cleander continued to sell public offices as his private business. These tendencies now increased to megalomaniacal proportions. In November 192, Commodus held Plebeian Games, in which he shot hundreds of animals with arrows and javelins every morning, and fought as a gladiator every afternoon, winning all the fights. so Romans had no choice but to obey Commodus. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. On 20 January 175, Commodus entered the College of Pontiffs, the starting point of a career in public life. 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. [19] His reduction of the denarius during his rule was the largest since the empire's first devaluation during Nero's reign. He also had four surviving sisters, all of them with husbands who were potential rivals. It is uncertain whether Rupilia Faustina was Frugi's daughter by Salonia Matidia or another woman. The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. Commodus was a greater curse to the Romans than any pestilence or any crime and the city had descended into bankruptcy and chaos. In 182 Commoduss sister Lucilla conspired with a group of senators to assassinate him. Commodus lunged at the Senator. 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. [34] The Romans found Commodus's gladiatorial combat to be scandalous and disgraceful. The character is, however, portrayed fictionally in Gladiator, and his death during Maximus final fight in the Colosseum is an example of the films historical inaccuracy. 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? Anyone who caught the emperors attention risked also inadvertently invoking his wrath. Only a famous death will do. Commodus received extensive tutoring by a multitude of teachers with a focus on intellectual education. [7], He was looked after by his father's physician, Galen,[8][9] who treated many of Commodus's common illnesses. [12][13][14] Commodus was the first (and until 337, the only) emperor "born in the purple," meaning during his father's reign. Nevertheless, though the senatorial order came to hate and fear him, the evidence suggests that he remained popular with the army and the common people for much of his reign, not least because of his lavish shows of largesse (recorded on his coinage) and because he staged and took part in spectacular gladiatorial combats. The climax came in the year 190, which had 25 suffect consuls a record in the 1,000-year history of the Roman consulshipall appointed by Cleander (they included the future Emperor Septimius Severus). Commodus's death marked the end of the NervaAntonine dynasty. The film is based on real historical events, but . This ancient Roman biographical article is a stub. Gladiator movie clips: http://j.mp/1Je0zMpBUY THE MOVIE: http://amzn.to/v7o2YKDon't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6prCLIP DESCRIPTION:Afte. It seems likely that he was raised in an atmosphere of Stoic asceticism, which he rejected entirely upon his accession to sole rule. Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. Commodus was the son of marcus Marcus Aurelius and later Roman Emperor. Marcus Aurelius was the first emperor since Vespasian to have a legitimate biological son, though he himself was the fifth in the line of the so-called Five Good Emperors, also known as the Adoptive Emperors, each of whom had adopted his successor. Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. after executing a double-sword beheading on an unfortunate opponent, delivering an iconic moment in movie and internet history. Available from: http://www.roman-empire.net/highpoint/commodus.html, M R Reese is a writer and researcher with a passion for unlocking the mysteries of ancient civilizations. 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. Maximus is given a very clear ending, but what about the rest of Rome? An illustration of the murder of Commmodus. Marcus Aurelius. Commodus also had a passion for gladiatorial combat, which he took so far as to take to the arena himself, dressed as a secutor. So superlatively mad had the abandoned wretch become that he renamed Rome Colonia Commodiana (the Colony of Commodus) and changed the names of the months to each reflect one of the many epithets he had bestowed upon himself. 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). The movie is far from historically accurate. The emperor eventually decided to abandon the reins of the empire and chose to give himself up to chariot-racing and licentiousness and performed scarcely any of the duties pertaining to his office. He appointed a series of his favorites to manage the administration of his empire, each of whom seemed crueler and more incompetent than the last. On the other hand, the real Emperor Commodus was even more outlandish than Gladiator's version in some ways, as he renamed Rome "the Colony of Commodus" at one point. A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery. Commodus' death sparked a civil war, which eventually led to military rule that remained in place for a century and destabilized the empire. The film's ending a fight to the death between Maximus and Commodus, fixed beforehand by the latter literally stabbing him in the back is a magnificent fulfillment of the film's arc for . The long line of ancient Roman emperors is marked by a strange pattern: Almost every exceptionally brilliant emperor was succeeded by an exceptionally mad one. Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider, What is Shambhala? [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). However, just when the days of the mad emperors seemed long gone, Commodus brought the madness roaring back. [22], Thus, he presented himself as the fountainhead of the Empire, Roman life, and religion. Roman artwork, 191 - 192 AD. ( Louisonze/CC BY-SA 3.0 ). Interestingly, it took Scott a while to realize that, like a sadistic emperor at a gladiatorial display, the ending demanded Maximus's death. 1475); the hero wears his characteristic lionskin and wields a club. Moreover, as Hercules, he could claim to be the son of Jupiter, the supreme god of the Roman pantheon. 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. Well, kind of, but not really. He is viewed as having been an inept emperor, his megalomaniac tendencies leading to odd behaviors which frustrated and upset the Roman people. A more fun alternative would be having Maximus and the Senate recover control of Rome, while Maximus gets to experience a new family life with Lucilla (Connie Nielson) and her son Lucius (Spencer Treat Clark). A bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be. Disdaining the more philosophic inclinations of his father, Commodus was extremely proud of his physical prowess. The Romans were outraged when Commodus would order wounded soldiers and amputees into the arena to be slayed. 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. His reign is commonly thought of as marking the end of a golden period of peace in the history of the Roman Empire, known as the Pax Romana. In hindsight, he should have kept the tradition of adopting his successor, which would have resulted in an appointment based on merit. ", Roman coins featuring Commodus. In the same year, Pertinax unmasked a conspiracy by two enemies of Cleander Antistius Burrus (one of Commodus's brothers-in-law) and Arrius Antoninus. [32] As mentioned above, he ordered many statues to be made showing him dressed as Hercules with a lion's hide and a club. [39] Dio also wrote that it was Commodus's custom to privately use deadly weapons to fight, murdering and maiming his opponents. Early in 188, Cleander disposed of the current praetorian prefect, Atilius Aebutianus, and took over supreme command of the Praetorian Guard at the new rank of a pugione ("dagger-bearer"), with two praetorian prefects subordinate to him. 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. The historian Herodian, a contemporary, described Commodus as an extremely handsome man. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Carnac stones are an exceptionally dense collection of megalithic sites around the French village of Carnac, in Brittany, consisting of more than 3,000 prehistoric standing stones and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany. [25], Cassius Dio, a first-hand witness, describes him as "not naturally wicked but, on the contrary, as guileless as any man that ever lived. Emperor Commodus lust for power is widely credited with bringing an end to the fabled Pax Romana. 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. In the contest, Maximus is a victim of foul play as Commodus preemptively wounds him, then later produces a blade. This biographical article related to crime is a stub. But does this mean Lucius, who is only a child, will be the next emperor? By December of that year, he declared that he would inaugurate the New Year on January 1, 193 as a gladiator in the arena. Commoduss father was Marcus Aurelius, an emperor who presided over what has been regarded as one of ancient Romes golden ages. One of the ways he paid for his donatives (imperial handouts) and mass entertainments was to tax the senatorial order, and on many inscriptions, the traditional order of the two nominal powers of the state, the Senate and People (Senatus Populusque Romanus) is provocatively reversed (Populus Senatusque). The latter is what has made the movie timeless. Related: Gladiator: What Happened To Every Historical Character In Real Life. After the murder of the powerful Saoterus, Perennis easily took over the reins of government and Commodus found a new chamberlain and favourite in Cleander, a Phrygian freedman who had married one of the emperor's mistresses, Demostratia. The more philosophic inclinations of his centurions before the campaign against him could begin [ ]! As an extremely handsome man Maximus is betrayed by the Roman general, loved by the Roman people his was... General Maximus is a stub Commoduss father was Marcus Aurelius from 177 until father... 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