Roman artwork, 191 - 192 AD. Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) takes power and strips rank from Maximus (Russell Crowe), one of the favored generals of his predecessor and father, Empero Statues were erected of the emperor depicted as the mythological hero all over the city, including one made of solid gold and weighing in at nearly 1,000 pounds. Commodus : The general who became a slave. Despite the fact that Commodus caused much anger and resentment during his reign, few written records were kept about his life. Nowadays Commodus is best remembered as the villain of Ridley Scott's movie "Gladiator", a sneering and arrogant portrayal by Joaquin Phoenix. He later killed his father after he announced that General Maximus Meridius would be his successor. Herodian's Roman History F.L. Commodus was a spoiled, narcissistic young man who was something of an embarrassment to his father. Thereafter his rule became increasingly arbitrary and vicious. Ivar the Boneless: Viking Warrior, Ruler and Raider, What is Shambhala? Suetonius a possible lover of Sabina: One interpretation of, Lover of Hadrian: Lambert (1984), p.99 and. He also had the head of the Colossus of Nero adjacent to the Colosseum replaced with his own portrait, gave it a club, placed a bronze lion at its feet to make it look like Hercules Romanus, and added an inscription boasting of being "the only left-handed fighter to conquer twelve times one thousand men".[23]. Intro: 0:00. Unlike Maximus, they all let him win, letting him injure them to a non-fatal degree and then conceding, per LA Times. The film is based on real historical events, but . 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. There was a general, Pertinax, who was a friend of Marcus Aurelius and succeeded Commodus, and there was a gladiator, Narcissus, who killed the narcissistic Commodus (actually his own master at arms, who murdered him at home, in his . Sister of Trajan's father: Giacosa (1977), p.7. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 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. The Death of Commodus, from a history book published in 1900. His great simplicity, however, together with his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions, and it was through them that he at first, out of ignorance, missed the better life and then was led on into lustful and cruel habits, which soon became second nature."[26]. The Horsemen of Oyo were legendary warriors who served the Oyo Empire of West Africa. Commodus was a terrible ruler by virtually any standard. 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 . [45] On other occasions, Commodus killed three elephants on the floor of the arena by himself,[46] and a giraffe.[47]. Maximus : You would fight me? ( Public Domain ). Heinz, W. (1986). Commodus did initially engage in some leadership-oriented activities, although not always in the favor of the Roman people. [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. 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. Indeed, director Ridley Scott's vision of Maximus slowly walking toward his family through the fields of their farm as he's dying is one of the most moving moments in movie history. Commodus remained with the Danube armies for only a short time before negotiating a peace treaty with the Danubian tribes. Strange that they didn't kill him earlier. Throughout his reign, Commodus entrusted the management of affairs to his palace chamberlain and praetorian prefects, named Saoterus, Perennis and Cleander. The character is, however, portrayed fictionally in Gladiator, and. The scene portrays the extent of Emperor Commodus malice and provides a realization of the vengeance sought by Maximus, following the crucifixion of his wife and child. Early Life - Chapter I: 1:03. He also had four surviving sisters, all of them with husbands who were potential rivals. According to Dio Cassius, Perennis, though ruthless and ambitious, was not personally corrupt and generally administered the state well.[21]. The movie doesn't answer this, and we never got to see "Gladiator 2." Top Image: Bust of Commodus, 17th Emperor of the Roman Empire. One such notable event was the attempted extermination of the house of the Quinctilii. 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. 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 had an elder twin brother, Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus, who died in 165. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Gladiator follows Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe), who is chosen by the ailing Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) to succeed him as the new Caesar.This doesn't sit well with Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the son of Marcus, who murders his . Crowe toldEmpire magazinein 2020 that originally, Maximus survived: Crowe said he used to joke that his character would "end up running a f****** pizzeria by the Colosseum." It's ironic that we watched the film Gladiator the other night. Record 10 significant and detailed observations about Rome that you noticed while watching the video. Her husband, Pompeianus, was not involved, but two men alleged to have been her lovers, Marcus Ummidius Quadratus Annianus (the consul of 167, who was also her first cousin) and Appius Claudius Quintianus, attempted to murder Commodus as he entered a theater. Watching him collapse and die after restoring his own freedom and ridding Rome of its Tyrant in Chief seems like, well, a downer. Commodus hired a wrestler to train him to be even better in the arena. To "accept kinship with Commodus the bluntly pragmatic decision was taken to deify the former emperor, thus legitimizing Severus' seizure of power. 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. His father was Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius , and his mother was Faustina the Younger. All Action 473K subscribers 86K 11M views 1 year ago #Gladiator #RidleyScott #AllAction Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) challenges Maximus (Russell Crowe) in combat in the hopes of killing him. After this look at Commodus, check out these interesting facts about Ancient Rome. He also devalued Roman currency, reducing the weight of the denarius and reducing the purity of silver. 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. 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. 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. First, she attempted to kill him by poisoning his food. Well, kind of, but not really. Related: Gladiator: What Happened To Every Historical Character In Real Life. Reigning from 180 to 192 A.D., Commodus all but ignored his official duties. Commodus never killed his gladiatorial adversaries, instead accepting their surrenders. The gladiator who defied an emperor. Commodus is known to have been at Carnuntum, the headquarters of Marcus Aurelius during the Marcomannic Wars, in 172. "Exsuperatorius" (the supreme) was a title given to Jupiter, and "Amazonius" identified him again with Hercules. "De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families", Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, "Tulane University "Roman Currency of the Principate", "Intrigue, Insanity, and the Reign of Commodus", "History Behind The Game Ryse: Son of Rome", "Box Set Binge: Roman Empire: Reign of Blood, The Path and Deutschland 83", "Imperial Elements in the Formula of the Roman Emperors during the First Two and a Half Centuries of the Empire", Ser. As Edward Gibbon noted in his famous Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in the intervening years between the death of Domitian and the reign of Commodus, the vast extent of the Roman empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom. The Five Good Emperors, ruled efficiently and under them the Roman people enjoyed a rational freedom.. Commodus was inaugurated in 183 as consul with Aufidius Victorinus for a colleague and assumed the title Pius. Cassius Dio declared that Commodus was not naturally wicked but that his cowardice, made him the slave of his companions.. The character is, however, portrayed fictionally in Gladiator, and his death during Maximus' final fight in the Colosseum is an example of the film's historical inaccuracy. 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 is based in the UK and studied English at Kings College London. [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. On 12 October 166, Commodus was made Caesar together with his younger brother, Marcus Annius Verus. 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. Aurelius physician, Galen, was tasked with looking after Commodus to ensure that he stayed healthy and well. 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However, he always spared their lives. Cleander was in fact the person who had murdered Saoterus. 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. As promised in another well-known speech, Maximus does indeed have his revenge on father-/emperor-/wife-/child-killer Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). In the story of Gladiator, the Roman general Maximus is betrayed by the evil Emperor Commodus. ", Roman coins featuring Commodus. Perhaps seeing this as an opportunity, early in 192 Commodus, declaring himself the new Romulus, ritually re-founded Rome, renaming the city Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. 1. [28][29], His original name was Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus. Despite his notoriety, and considering the importance of his reign, Commodus's years in power are not well chronicled. Commodus' famous gesture, which he gives when deciding the fate of defeated gladiators He reduced the weight of the denarius from 96 per Roman pound to 105 per Roman pound (3.85grams to 3.35grams). Striking story! Political influence then passed to the emperors mistress and two advisers. Now at the zenith of his power, Cleander continued to sell public offices as his private business. 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. [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. Lucius Aurelius Commodus, born 161 A.D., was appointed co-emperor by his father Marcus Aurelius in 177 A.D. when he was just 16 years old. In the famous words of noted historian Dio Cassius, Commoduss lack of interest in political affairs was the starting point for the decline of the Roman Empire, leaving Commodus responsible for initiating Romes decline "from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust. Sporting critical wounds after enacting his vengeance at the end of Gladiator, Maximus dies moments after Commodus. After a failed assassination attempt in 182, however, his rule became erratic and brutal, and he imagined himself to be Hercules. Commodus Takes The Throne In this scene from Gladiator, Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix) murders his father to seize the throne for himself. The 2000 film, directed by Ridley Scott, is steeped in the culture of ancient Rome. And the wise Marcus Aurelius, known as the Philosopher and the last of the Five Good Emperors, would be succeeded by his son Commodus, whose descent into madness would be immortalized throughout the millennia (including a heavily fictionalized account in the popular 2000 film Gladiator). Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. After those attempts on his life, Commodus spent much of his time outside Rome, mostly on the family estates at Lanuvium. 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 a particular fan of works by Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, and Martin Scorsese. He negotiated a peace settlement in Romes favor. He was the brother of Princess Lucilla, and uncle of Lucius. Speidel, "Commodus the God-Emperor and the Army,", This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 22:16. 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). Husband of Rupilia Faustina: Levick (2014), p. 163. The Libyan-born Septimius Severus has gone down in history as the first African Emperor of Rome . 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. Lucilla was exiled to Capri and later killed. Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred. I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about 5 Celebrity Gladiators of Bloodthirsty Ancient Rome, about Romes African Emperor: Septimius Severus and the Scottish Invasion, about Catastrophic Collapse: When Historic Good Governments Turned Bad, about Mimicking Gods and Gladiators: The Assassination Of Emperor Commodus, about The Philosopher-King of Ancient Rome: Marcus Aurelius' Imperium, about Fair-Weather Friends: A Weird Explanation for 20% of Roman Emperor Assassinations, The Lemon Grove Mummies: Ancient Corpses from Mexican Cave Found in California Garage, The Curious Apparitions of Pagan Goddesses to the German Knights Templar, Caesars Savage Human Skewers Unearthed In German Fort, The Warriors Who Shaped African History: The Horsemen of Oyo. A gladiator, a god to his people, and eventually the man behind the collapse of over 80 years of Roman peace, Commodus was anything but one strict thing. The latter eventually would be used as a conventional title by Roman emperors, starting about a century later, but Commodus seems to have been the first to assume it.[31]. It was reputed in local legend to be the seat of the god Wotan and to be haunted. The ending of "Gladiator" makes it seem like. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Commodus (/kmds/;[4] 31 August 161 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. Papirius Dionysius was executed, too. Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his heir over his own son, Commodus, and a power struggle leaves . Narcissus died by execution during the series of civil wars after Commodus's death. The breaking point and Commodus' real death. 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). In 182 A.D., Commodus sister Lucilla organized an attempt on her brothers life. An inscribed altar from Dura-Europos on the Euphrates shows that Commodus's titles and the renaming of the months were disseminated to the furthest reaches of the Empire; moreover, that even auxiliary military units received the title Commodiana, and that he claimed two additional titles: Pacator Orbis (pacifier of the world) and Dominus Noster (Our Lord). It appears that Aurelius was desperate to have a son of his own bloodline succeed him. so Romans had no choice but to obey Commodus. In the view of Dio Cassius, his accession marked the descent "from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust".[20]. It was three years later that Verus died, leaving Commodus as the only surviving son. [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]. Julia Balbilla a possible lover of Sabina: A. R. Birley (1997). As Greek mythology goes, the universe was once a big soup of nothingness. A bust of Roman Emperor Commodus, styled as if he were a reincarnation of Hercules, which is precisely what he believed himself to be. Meanwhile, Commodus was lapsing into insanity. [17] He subsequently married Bruttia Crispina before accompanying his father to the Danubian front once more in 178. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena? Commodus was a secutor, a type of gladiator who carried a gladius and a heavy shield. While co-emperor, Commodus became the youngest consul up until that point in Roman history. When Marcia found a list of people Commodus intended to have executed, she discovered that she, the prefect Laetus and Eclectus were on it. 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. By 192 A.D., the Roman people had had enough. An illustration of the murder of Commmodus. Maximus : You would fight me? Its protagonist, Maximus, is entirely fictitious. [34] The Romans found Commodus's gladiatorial combat to be scandalous and disgraceful. Commodus was made coruler when he was just 16 years old, and he was emperor before he turned 19. Contemporary Roman writer Cassius Dio describes the young heir as rather simple-minded, but he ruled agreeably with his father and joined Marcus Aurelius in the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes along the Danube, which the emperor had been waging for several years. He is best known to history as the assassin of the Roman Emperor Commodus, by whom he was employed as a wrestling partner[2][3] and personal trainer in order to train Commodus for his self-indulgent appearances in the Colosseum as a gladiator. 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? Wikimedia CommonsEmperor Commodus lust for power is widely credited with bringing an end to the fabled Pax Romana. The Emperor Commodus Leaving the Arena at the Head of the Gladiators (detail) by Edwin Blashfield (18481936), Hermitage Museum and Gardens, Norfolk, Virginia. And what could be more glorious than to challenge the Emperor himself in the great arena? Non-military citizens who had lost their feet due to injury or illness would be tied together for Commodus to club to death. 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. Disappointment aside, Aurelius continued to promote Commodus through the ranks. Commoduss father was Marcus Aurelius, an emperor who presided over what has been regarded as one of ancient Romes golden ages. Statues of Commodus were demolished. Commodus ruled with chaos and left chaos in his wake. These tendencies now increased to megalomaniacal proportions. He was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. He kept most of the advisers from his fathers regime in place and the first three years of his reign ran as smoothly as that of his father with the added benefit that Rome was no longer fighting any wars. The final fight of Ridley Scott's Gladiator is relatively short, but it works very well for the movie's somewhat historically accurate story. A grateful Senate proclaimed a new emperorthe city prefect, Publius Helvius Pertinaxbut the empire quickly slipped into civil war. Hercules and the Hydra (ca. Ulpius Marcellus was replaced as governor of Britain by Pertinax; brought to Rome and tried for treason, Marcellus narrowly escaped death. 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. Commodus (Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus, 31 August 161 - 31 December 192) was Roman emperor from 177 to 192. The powerful ending of "Gladiator" makes it one of those movies guaranteed to make anyone cry, but it's also oddly satisfying. What is the origin of the legend of the Christed Son who was born of a virgin on December 25th? He also believed himself to be a reincarnation of Hercules and enjoyed fighting in an arena as a gladiator. In December, he announced his intention to inaugurate the year 193 as both consul and gladiator on 1 January. But now, the people want to know how the story ends. The plot failed, and Commodus retaliated by executing a number of leading senators. His mother was Annia Galeria Faustina, a member of the Roman nobility and the daughter of the emperor Antoninus Pius. In 186 he further reduced the purity and silver weight to 74percent and 2.22grams respectively, being 108 to the Roman pound. After repeated attempts on Commodus's life, Roman citizens were often killed for making him angry. 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