Commodus

For other people named Commodus, see Commodus (disambiguation).

Commodus
Marble bust of Commodus
Bust, c. 180 – 185
Roman emperor
Reignearly 177 – 31 December 192
(senior from 17 March 180)
PredecessorMarcus Aurelius
SuccessorPertinax
Co-emperorMarcus Aurelius (177–180)
Born31 August 161
Lanuvium, near Rome, Italy
Died31 December 192 (aged 31)
Rome, Italy
Burial
Rome
SpouseBruttia Crispina
Names
  • Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus[1][2]
  • Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus[3]
DynastyNerva–Antonine
FatherMarcus Aurelius
MotherFaustina the Younger
Roman imperial dynasties
Aureus of Commodus
Nerva–Antonine dynasty (AD 96–192)
Chronology
Nerva 96–98
Trajan 98–117
Hadrian 117–138
Antoninus Pius 138–161
Lucius Verus 161–169
Marcus Aurelius 161–180
Commodus 177–192
Family
Succession
Preceded by
Flavian dynasty		 Followed by
Year of the Five Emperors

Commodus (/ˈkɒmədəs/;[4] 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 until his assassination in 192. For the first three years of his reign he was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius. Commodus' sole rule, starting with the death of Marcus in 180, is commonly thought to mark the end of a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire (the Pax Romana).

Commodus accompanied his father during the Marcomannic Wars in 172 and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. The following year, he became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16. His solo reign saw less military conflict than that of Marcus Aurelius, but internal intrigues and conspiracies abounded, goading Commodus to an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership. This culminated in his creating a deific personality cult, including his performances as a gladiator in the Colosseum. Throughout his reign, Commodus entrusted the management of affairs to his palace chamberlain and praetorian prefects, namely Saoterus, Perennis and Cleander.

Commodus was assassinated by the wrestler Narcissus in 192, ending the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first claimant in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors.

  1. ^ Hammond, pp. 32–33.
  2. ^ RE Aurelius 89
  3. ^ Cooley, Alison E. (2012). The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy. Cambridge University Press. p. 494. ISBN 978-0-521-84026-2.
  4. ^ "Commodus". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.