born 161 CE, died 192 CE; co-emperor with his father, Marcus Aurelius 177-180
CE; Emperor 180-192 CE [Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus]
After Marcus Aurelius died (probably of the plague) on the Danube in 180,
Commodus who (contrary to the movie) was present on the frontier, ended Rome's
German wars by making important strategic concessions to the German tribes.
While in retrospect this decision proved unwise from the point of view of
military strategy, at the time it was an immensely popular decision politically.
Rome was exhausted by decades of war and plague. When Commodus led the troops
in a triumph through the streets of Rome seven months after his father's death,
he was welcomed as a hero.
Although he would quickly become exceedingly unpopular with members of the
Roman elite, Commodus appears to have sustained the immense popular support
that greeted his succession. He repeatedly made rather large cash gifts to
the people and used his generosity as a point of political propaganda (his
coins bore the slogan, "the Emperor's generosity"). At least one
historical source suggests that he could afford to be generous. He funded
the donations by taxing the senatorial class, who know doubt remembered Marcus
Aurelius' decision to fund the German wars by selling off imperial property
with some nostalgia. Our senatorial sources despise
Commodus had barely sat down on his throne when his sister led a senatorial
conspiracy to assassinate him in 182. He executed the senators, exiled his
sister and abandoned the Antonine policy of close, harmonious relations with
the Senate. [He preferred the phrase Populus Senatusque Romanus, rather than
Senatus Populusque Romanus.] Rather than rely on a consilium of Senators,
Commodus turned to the praetorian prefects, and his mistress for advice. These
folks ended up running Rome, because Commodus went nuts. Our evidence for
Commodus' reign comes from members of the elite (e.g. Cassius
Dio, a senator and historian who lived during Commodus' day). These sources
were immensely hostile to Commodus, and it should be remembered that Commodus
reigned for 13 years with great popular support. Nevertheless, it would be
reasonable to infer that Commodus, at the least, suffered from form of megalomania.
While the Antonines had always claimed Hercules as their patron deity, Commodus
took the link to heart. He started having himself depicted in skins and bearing
a club (pix). Then
he started wearing skins and bearing a club himself. He renamed the city of
Rome after himself (Colonia Commodeiana) and many other institutions (the
fleet, the Senate, etc) after himself. . He became obsessed with gladiatorial
competition and fought in the ring himself. He went so far as to have a special
platform built which would permit him to fight animals (while protecting himself)
and fought and killed animals with his bare hands. He changed his name to
"Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius,
Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius" and renamed the months in the calendar
after himself (i.e., January become "Lucius," February became "Aelius,"
etc.). He had people call him Hercules Romanus. He announced he would assume
the office of consul in 193 dressed as a gladiator. While the Senate was too
cowed to stop him, his mistress finally had enough. She had a professional
wrestler strangle him while he was taking a bath in December 192. Then, as
with Domitian, the Senate found the courage to curse his memory.
