Commodus was made coruler when he was just 16 years old, and he was emperor before he turned 19. Commodus's death marked the end of the NervaAntonine dynasty. He also had four surviving sisters, all of them with husbands who were potential rivals. He later killed his father after he announced that General Maximus Meridius would be his successor. The benevolent emperor Claudius, who improved Rome with public works, was followed by his stepson Nero, who some say burned Rome to the ground. His mother was Annia Galeria Faustina, a member of the Roman nobility and the daughter of the emperor Antoninus Pius. Ser. Despite the unfair circumstances, Maximus is victorious, killing Commodus with the very blade the emperor had concealed. Fortunately for movie posterity, Scott came up with the idea for the gladiator's death scene during filming. The real Commodus was also taken out by a Senate plot, although less publicly: After a few unsuccessful attempts, he was strangled to death in his bathroom by a professional wrestler moonlighting as an assassin. 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. Die ''Terme Taurine'' von Civitavecchia ein rmisches Heilbad. Commodus Roman Emperor In Power Nov 27, 176 - Dec 31, 192 Born Aug 31, 161Lanuvium, Italy Died Dec 31, 192 (aged 31)Rome, Italy Wife Bruttia Crispina Father Marcus Aurelius Mother Faustina the Younger Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born in Lanuvium, near Rome, on August 31, 161. The ancient Greek city of Delphi, located on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, was home to the main Temple of Apollo and the renowned Oracle of Delphi. 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. After this look at Commodus, check out these interesting facts about Ancient Rome. [35] According to Herodian, spectators of Commodus thought it unbecoming of an emperor to take up arms in the amphitheater for sport when he could be campaigning against barbarians among other opponents of Rome. Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree. 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. Its protagonist, Maximus, is entirely fictitious. Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, The Irish Story and Legend of C Chulainn, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, Aluxes: The Mischievous Little People of Maya Mythology, The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend Part I, A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire, Medieval Hygiene Might Have Been Better Than You Think, New Evidence Shows Humans Were Using Bows and Arrows in 52,000 BC. The following year, Commodus became Aurelius co-emperor, and they reigned together from then until Aurelius death in 180. He also believed himself to be a reincarnation of Hercules and enjoyed fighting in an arena as a gladiator. [5] He was the son of the reigning emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and Aurelius's first cousin, Faustina the Younger, the youngest daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius, who had died only a few months before. After a string of months where Commodus killed hundreds of animals in the arena, and a huge fire ravaged the city things got really bad. The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. In April 175, Avidius Cassius, Governor of Syria, declared himself emperor following rumours that Marcus Aurelius had died. Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider, What is Shambhala? Composite Character: Maximus, compared to real life. To some, this was a sign that Commodus was not actually the biological child of Aurelius, and that his mother had conceived him while engaging in an affair. Hercules and the Hydra (ca. 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. The ending, however sad to viewers, allows him to do that. ( Public Domain ). Roman Artwork. The poison failed, so Narcissus entered Commodus's bedchamber. Commodus, who is portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, was indeed the son of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and an emperor of Rome. 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. Every illness was treated to ensure he remained strong and healthy. By December of that year, he declared that he would inaugurate the New Year on January 1, 193 as a gladiator in the arena. Commodus murders his father (Richard Harris) to gain power, orders the death of war hero Maximus (Russell Crowe) in order to circumvent any possible challenge to his rule, puts the moves on his. The breaking point and Commodus' real death. 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. The Untersberg is a great mountain straddling the Austro-German border opposite Salzburg. Alternate titles: Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus. It worked and the Nerva-Antonine dynasty which had ruled Rome for nearly a century had come to an end and the city soon descended into civil war. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius. 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). Although he's very well written, Maximus is more of a plot device to allow the . Interestingly, it took Scott a while to realize that, like a sadistic emperor at a gladiatorial display, the ending demanded Maximus's death. They then returned to Rome in the autumn of 176. Commodus : The general who became a slave. 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. As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. 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. Commodus ruled with chaos and left chaos in his wake. While Lucilla did actually try to orchestrate Commodus' assassination, there's no historical evidence of his disturbing attraction to her or their highly tempestuous relationship as depicted in the movie. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. Clearly, choosing to play gladiator, mercilessly killing animals and people with disabilities, was not a strategy that served to promote Roman culture, no matter how brutal it was at the time. Bestowing the imperial title of Caesar upon Commodus at such a young age further shows Aurelius desperation for Commodus to be viewed and treated as royalty. In the spring of 190, Rome was afflicted by a food shortage, for which the praefectus annonae Papirius Dionysius, the official actually in charge of the grain supply, contrived to lay the blame on Cleander. He engaged in one-on-one combat with many other gladiators, each of whom was obliged to lose to the emperor. The character is, however, portrayed fictionally in Gladiator, and. schizoform/ CC BY 2.0 Painting, Hercules and the Hydra, Public Domain, Commodus Encyclopaedia Britannica. Striking story! Only a famous death will do. His brutal misrule precipitated civil strife that ended 84 years of stability and prosperity within the empire. Watching him collapse and die after restoring his own freedom and ridding Rome of its Tyrant in Chief seems like, well, a downer. During 191, the city of Rome was extensively damaged by a fire that raged for several days, during which many public buildings including the Temple of Pax, the Temple of Vesta, and parts of the imperial palace were destroyed. It seems likely that he was raised in an atmosphere of Stoic asceticism, which he rejected entirely upon his accession to sole rule. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. After repeated attempts on Commodus's life, Roman citizens were often killed for making him angry. In the arena, Commodus's opponents always submitted to the emperor; as a result he never lost. The film portrays a fictionalized account of historical events, and it illuminates aspects of the culture of ancient Rome. The Chilling Mystery of the Octavius Ghost Ship, What is a Wendigo? She believes that only by understanding where we come from, can we truly understand our life path and purpose. His tale was not believed and he was immediately put to death. 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. [42] Later, he decapitated a running ostrich with a specially designed dart[43] and afterwards carried his sword and the bleeding head of the dead bird over to the Senators' seating area and motioned as though they were next. 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 . Commodus : The general who became a slave. 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. Conveniently, both of these goals are achieved by killing Commodus. Commode-Hercule et l'anthropologie hercalenne,", M.P. 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. Thrown into the spotlight as Rome . Gibbon p. 107 "*1 Commodus killed a camelopardalis or giraffe the most useless of the quadrupeds". The film stars Russell Crowe as General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is forced into the life of a gladiator after his family is murdered by the Emperor's son, Commodus. He reduced the weight of the denarius from 96 per Roman pound to 105 per Roman pound (3.85grams to 3.35grams). 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. Commodus, who is portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, was indeed the son of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and an emperor of Rome. Nowadays Commodus is best remembered as the villain of Ridley Scott's movie "Gladiator", a sneering and arrogant portrayal by Joaquin Phoenix. It is uncertain whether Rupilia Faustina was Frugi's daughter by Salonia Matidia or another woman. fascinating facts from the entirety of ancient history. 1. ( Public Domain ). When Commodus ordered for the death of Maximus and his family, the Romans could not reject that request. Commodus butchered dozens of animals in single appearances at the Colosseum on other occasions. 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. Commodus was the son of marcus Marcus Aurelius and later Roman Emperor. [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). His death, however, was the result of an assassination plot in 192, culminating with Narcissus killing him in the bath. The following year he became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16. "Exsuperatorius" (the supreme) was a title given to Jupiter, and "Amazonius" identified him again with Hercules. Was this German silver mine really defended by two Roman forts and a line of "spike defenses? It's ironic that we watched the film Gladiator the other night. "Commodus' progeny will rule Rome!" "Back!" yelled the Praetorian guard. To help answer that question, here are five of the key elements of the story and their historical precedents. Unlike the preceding emperors Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, he seems to have had little interest in the business of administration and tended throughout his reign to leave the practical running of the state to a succession of favourites, beginning with Saoterus, a freedman from Nicomedia who had become his chamberlain. . Upon his death, the Senate declared him a public enemy (a de facto damnatio memoriae) and restored the original name of the city of Rome and its institutions. In the view of Dio Cassius, his accession marked the descent "from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust".[20]. 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. But he vomited the poisoned food up, foiling that plan. Commodus did initially engage in some leadership-oriented activities, although not always in the favor of the Roman people. While the films fictional account maintains that the killing of Commodus was motivated by the nature of the emperors actions, it is more personal and emotionally charged in the film than in history. The consensus was that it was below his office to participate as a gladiator. 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). Gladiator is a film invested in the concept of retribution. The assassination attempt marked a turning point in Commodus reign, for once [he had] tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse. He began executing people without regard for rank, wealth, or sex. [6][7] The latter died in 169 having failed to recover from an operation, which left Commodus as Marcus Aurelius's sole surviving son. 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. The real Commodus was also a gladiator superfan, and he really did get in the arena and fight people. His body was buried in the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Then, discover the most fascinating facts from the entirety of ancient history. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Narcissus_(wrestler)&oldid=1135943613, This page was last edited on 27 January 2023, at 20:46. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. Other victims at this time were the praetorian prefect Julius Julianus, Commodus's cousin Annia Fundania Faustina, and his brother-in-law Mamertinus. Commodus was also known for fighting exotic animals in the arena, often to the horror and disgust of the Roman populace. Commodus was born on August 31, 161 AD in Lanuvium, 14 miles (22.5 km) southeast of Rome. Strange that they didn't kill him earlier. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. Striking story! [44] Dio notes that the targeted senators actually found this more ridiculous than frightening, and chewed on laurel leaves to conceal their laughter. While the true story behind his reign and death are fascinating, I prefer the fictional story, where he is killed in the arena before thousands of subjects by a gladiator whose family was ordered killed by the emperor. Dio Cassius 73.1.2, Loeb edition translated E. Cary, Dio Cassius 73.5.3, Loeb edition translated E. Cary. He gripped the iron bars in front of him and was pushed back by one of the guards. The gladiator who defied an emperor. This biographical article related to crime 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. [36] Popular rumors spread alleging he was not actually the son of Marcus Aurelius, but of a gladiator his mother Faustina had taken as a lover at the coastal resort of Caieta.[37]. Commodus ( / kmds /; [4] 31 August 161 - 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. According to Cassius Dio, Commodus once killed 100 lions in a single day. Alternate titles: Caesar Marcus Aurelius legend to be a reincarnation of and! Universe was once a big soup of nothingness prefect Julius Julianus, Commodus 's always. The seat of commodus death gladiator guards ironic that we watched the film portrays a fictionalized account of events! 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