Commodus

1. BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

  • NAME:
    • Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus
  • COMMODUS’ DATES OF REIGN AS EMPEROR:
    • 176-180 CE with his father.
    • 180-192 CE alone.
  • FAMILY DYNASTY:
  • COMMODUS’ DATE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
    • 31 August 161 CE – 31 December 192 CE. Aged 31.
  • PLACE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
    • Born in Lanuvium, Italy. Died in Rome, Italy.
  • COMMODUS’ PREDECESSOR:
  • COMMODUS’ SUCCESSOR:
  • HEIR TO THE THRONE BECAUSE:
  • COMMODUS’ FATHER:
  • COMMODUS’ MOTHER:
    • Faustina the Younger
  • COMMODUS’ WIVES AND CHILDREN:
    • Bruttia Crispina
  • DIED PEACEFULLY OR ASSASSINATED:
    • Assassinated, first by poisoning then by strangulation in his bath.
  • WHERE BURIED:

2. GOOD OR BAD EMPEROR

  • COMMODUS’ CHARACTER:
    • Brought up in austerity by his Philosopher Father, he rejected that lifestyle after 180 CE. He became easily angered and notoriously cruel.
    • He was obsessed with Hercules and repeated his exploits in the Arena as a Gladiator.
  • COMMODUS’ POPULARITY:
    • He was hated by the Roman Senate and there were multiple plots against him, but he was liked by the Roman Army.
    • His Gladiatorial combats in the Arena were considered offensive and beneath the Office of Emperor.
  • COMMODUS WAS FAMOUS BECAUSE:
    • He regularly fought in the Arena as a Gladiator. His opponents always conceded, so he never lost a fight. Commodus charged one million Sestercii to the city of Rome for each of his appearances in the Arena.
  • FAMOUS QUOTES BY COMMODUS:

3. COMMODUS’ EARLY LIFE

4. REIGN OF COMMODUS

  • COMMODUS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ROMAN SENATE:

  • Saoterus (180-182 CE)

    • In 180 CE, Commodus chose his Saoterus, his Chamberlain, to run the Administration of the Empire, sidelining the two Praetorian Prefects, Perennis and Paternus.
    • In the Plot of 182 CE, his sister, Lucilla, organised a plot to assassinate Commodus at the age of 18, with two Senators Quadratus and Quintianus, which failed. They were executed and she was exiled to Capri then eventually executed.
    • The two Praetorian Prefects, Paternus and Perennis eliminated Commodus’ Chamberlain, Saoterus. Perennis then implicated Paternus, and Paternus and various Senators were executed.
    • Commodus replaced Saoterus as Chamberlain with Cleander and spent most of his time on his country estate away from Rome.

  • Cleander (185-190 CE)

    • Cleander succeeded in discrediting Perennis by accusing him of a plot, and Perennis was executed along with other Senators.
    • Cleander then reigned supreme for five years (185-190 CE). Cleander became all-powerful and enriched himself by auctioning off the top positions in the Civil Service such as Governorships, promotions to the Senate and Army commands. This caused discontent and rebellions erupted in Gaul and Germany, which were suppressed by the Legions.
    • In 187 CE two plots to assassinate Commodus were exposed.
    • In 188 CE, Cleander assumed the role of Praetorian Prefect. In 190 CE, he sold 25 Suffect Consulships, the most ever in one year of Rome’s history.
    • In 190 CE, a grain shortage affected Rome, and the mob blamed Cleander, who tried to suppress the riot by using the Praetorian Guard. Pertinax had become Prefect of Rome and opposed the Guard with the Vigiles Urbani. Cleander was forced to flee to Commodus, but when the mob followed him, Commodus had him executed.

  • Commodus now ruled as a deranged despot (190-192 CE)

    • Commodus then ruled the Empire directly, but was influenced by his new Chamberlain, Eclectus, his mistress Marcia and the new Praetorian Prefect, Laetus.
    • He associated himself with Hercules and fought in the Arena as a hunter of wild animals and as a Gladiator.

  • The Fire of Rome and the renaming of the City (191 CE)

    • After a Fire devastated Rome in 191 CE, Rome required reconstruction and in 192 CE, Commodus then decided to refound the city with a new name, Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana and also to rename himself Romulus.
    • The Legions were renamed Commodianae, the Egyptian Grain Fleet was renamed Alexandria Commodiana Togata, the People of Rome renamed Commodianus and the date of the changes was to be named Dies Commodianus.
  • COMMODUS’ MILITARY CAMPAIGNS/ REFORMS:
    • Germania:
      • After his Father’s death, Commodus signed a Treaty with the Marcomanni avoiding War.
    • Dacia:
    • Britannia:
  • COMMODUS’ DOMESTIC POLICY: TAXATION
    • Commodus taxed the Senators whenever he required extra funds.
  • COMMODUS AND THE PROVINCES:
    • In 184 CE, The Governor in Britannia, Ulpius Marcellus, pushed the Frontier with Scotland back to the Antonine Wall. The Legions then rebelled and proclaimed Priscus as Emperor but he refused and Perennis dismissed all the senior Legionary Legates in Britannia. Ulpius Marcellus was recalled to Rome but survived an investigation, he was replaced as Governor by Pertinax.
  • COMMODUS’ RELIGIOUS REFORMS:
  • NOTABLE EVENTS DURING COMMODUS’ REIGN:
    • 191 CE A Fire in Rome caused extensive damage and required major reconstruction.

5. COMMODUS’ PERSONAL LIFE

  • CHILDHOOD:
  • PERSONAL LIFE:
  • PERSONAL INTERESTS:
    • Gladiatorial Combat (occasionally in public), horse racing and chariot racing in private.
  • LANGUAGES SPOKEN:
    • Latin and Greek.

6. CONSEQUENCES OF COMMODUS’ REIGN

  • EXPANSION OR CONTRACTION OF THE EMPIRE:
    • Unchanged but weakened by internal dissent due to the corruption of his Chamberlain, Cleander.
  • ENRICHMENT OR BANKRUPTCY OF THE STATE:
    • Economy weakened.
  • COMMODUS’ MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS:

7. THE SUCCESSION

Commodus’ Assassination:

  • During the Plebeian Games of November 192 CE, Commodus hunted the wild animals in the mornings and fought as a Gladiator in the afternoons. In December, he announced he would become both Consul and Gladiator for the Year 193 CE, starting from the 1st January.
  • The Praetorian Prefect Laetius organised that he be poisoned on 31st December 192 CE. When that failed, he ordered Commodus to be strangled in his bath by a wrestler called Narcissus. He then proclaimed Pertinax to be the next Emperor.
  • Commodus’ assassination led to the Year of the Five Emperors (193 CE).

8. BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS TO VISIT

  • PALACES AND VILLAS:
  • MONUMENTS:
  • STATUES AND COINS:

9. BIBLIOGRAPHY

10. DvD’s

 

Get Directions Go to Visitor Map
192 CE
Posted in .