| Lucius Verus | |||||||||
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| Roman emperor | |||||||||
| Reign | 7 March 161 – 169 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Antoninus Pius | ||||||||
| Successor | Marcus Aurelius | ||||||||
| Co-emperor | Marcus Aurelius | ||||||||
| Born | Lucius Ceionius Commodus 15 December 130 Rome, Italia, Roman Empire | ||||||||
| Died | Early 169 (aged 38) Altinum, Italia, Roman Empire | ||||||||
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| Issue | Aurelia Lucilla Lucilla Plautia Lucius Verus | ||||||||
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| Dynasty | Nerva–Antonine | ||||||||
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| Mother | Avidia | ||||||||
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| Nerva–Antonine dynasty (AD 96–192) | ||||||||||||||
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Lucius Aurelius Verus (15 December 130 – January or February 169) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death in 169, alongside his adoptive brother Marcus Aurelius. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. Verus' succession together with Marcus Aurelius marked the first time that the Roman Empire was ruled by more than one emperor simultaneously, an increasingly common occurrence in the later history of the Empire.
Born on 15 December 130, he was the eldest son of Lucius Aelius Caesar, first adopted son and heir to Hadrian. Raised and educated in Rome, he held several political offices prior to taking the throne. After his biological father's death in 138, he was adopted by Antoninus Pius, who was himself adopted by Hadrian. Hadrian died later that year, and Antoninus Pius succeeded to the throne. Antoninus Pius would rule the empire until 161, when he died, and was succeeded by Marcus Aurelius, who later raised his adoptive brother Verus to co-emperor.
As emperor, the majority of his reign was occupied by his direction of the war with Parthia which ended in Roman victory and some territorial gains. After initial involvement in the Marcomannic Wars, he fell ill and died in 169. He was deified by the Roman Senate as the Divine Verus (Divus Verus).
- ^ Cooley, Alison E. (2012). The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy. Cambridge University Press. p. 493. ISBN 978-0-521-84026-2.