The Gladiator Emperor
Monster or Misunderstood by Hollywood?
Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,
It’s one of the strange ironies of history.
Regular readers will, I’m sure, be well aware of the vaunted reputation of Marcus Aurelius. The last of the ‘five good emperors’, his already strong legacy is, of course, bolstered by his influence and reputation as a Stoic philosopher.
I’d go as far to say that, outside of the Julio-Claudians, he’s one of the only Roman emperors that’s really become a household name. People think of Marcus Aurelius, and they think of calming words of wisdom.
And then… there’s his son.
Which is a totally different story.
Commodus remains one of the most infamous of the Roman emperors. Films like Gladiator have brought his cruelty (and his passion for gladiatorial games) to a massive audience.
Yet was he as bad as all that? Does he deserve the reputation, or has Hollywood vilified him?
As it turns out, truth can be so much stranger than fiction. Some of the most shocking moments in his life story have never made it to the silver screen.
So read on below to discover stories that will leave you you thinking someone should really make a movie about this!
All the best,
Sean Kelly
Managing Editor
Classical Wisdom
The Gladiator Emperor: Commodus
by Ed Whelan
The Roman Emperor Commodus (161-192 AD) is widely regarded as one of the ‘bad emperors’ and a bloody tyrant. It’s an image that reached across the centuries and even been perpetuated in several movies, especially the The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) and Gladiator (2000).
Yet I think we all know that when it comes to history, it’s best to take the movies with a pinch of salt. Although it is true that Commodus’ reign and life were certainly dramatic, even by the standards of the Roman Empire.
But what was the real legacy of Commodus? And was he truly the evil emperor he is made out to have been?
Early life
Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born in 161 AD, the son of the great Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. His mother was the aristocratic Anna Galeria Faustina Minor, and his parents were first cousins. Rome was at the zenith of its power and prosperity when he was born.
Of course, Marcus Aurelius is widely seen as one of the greatest of all the Roman emperors. Moreover, he remains renowned as a Stoic philosopher. Commodus was the only legitimate male child of Marcus Aurelius that survived into adulthood. When he was just five years old, Commodus was given the title of Caesar and this designated him as the heir of Marcus Aurelius.
His upbringing was one that was directed by his father. He had the best tutors and his personal physician was the famed ancient doctor Galen.
Commodus was present at his father’s headquarters during the wars with the German tribes in 172 AD. Marcus was constantly on campaign, and after a bitter struggle, by 177 AD he was close to victory. He was on the verge of annexing much of modern central Europe to the empire. In 177 AD, Commodus was made co-ruler of the Roman Empire with his father.
On the surface, it seemed no future Roman emperor was as well-prepared for his future role as Commodus. However, from an early age his temper and unpredictability made many doubt his suitability for the role.
Commodus’ Reign
Marcus Aurelius died in 180 AD and he was mourned by his entire empire. Commodus became sole ruler of the Roman World. He returned to Rome and he turned over the reins of government to the corrupt Praetorian Prefects. We know little of the early years of his reign, but it appears that after a conspiracy to assassinate him, he became paranoid.
Commodus’ paranoia turned to cruelty, as could be seen, for instance, when he tried to kill the woman he loved (his mistress) more than once. He soon devoted all his energy to his passions and he virtually handed the government of Rome to Cleander, a Phrygian former slave. Commodus also had a streak of sadism, delighting in tormenting and torturing the disabled. However, his overriding passion was gladiatorial games.
The Gladiator Emperor
The Roman elite was obsessed with the bloody sport, but Commodus took it to extremes. He would fight in the arena, which was against all the social norms of the time. In the early years of his reign he would invite gladiators to his palace and in staged combats, he would kill them. Typically, he would be armed, and the gladiators would be armed only with imitation weapons.
If this was not bad enough, he decided to participate in the Gladiatorial Games in the Colosseum in Rome. He would appear as a gladiator and he would kill disabled people and later he would also slaughter gladiators. All of his victims would have been tied up or unarmed… They didn’t stand a chance.
Commodus was certainly bloodthirsty. However, he used his displays at the games to demonstrate his power. His slaughter in the arena demonstrated his cruelty to his many enemies, and this made people afraid of him. Commodus’ extravagance in the arena was such that he almost bankrupted the empire. To pay his debts he was forced to devalue the coinage which wreaked havoc on the economy.
Commodus as God
Commodus was the first Roman emperor born into the ‘purple’. He knew that he would be an emperor from childhood. From an early age he displayed signs of megalomania and he heeded no-one apart from his father. During his reign he self-identified with Hercules and wanted to appear god-like to the people of Rome. He even had the temerity to name the months of the year after himself.
The Roman imperial system was one that was based on the emperor co-operating with the senatorial elite. However, Commodus intimidated the senatorial elite and ruled as an absolute ruler. Nothing could restrain him, and he even had an entire family killed so that he could seize their wealth. When his former favorite Cleander became an unpopular figure, Commodus did the same thing to him and his family. According to the (not always reliable) Roman historian Herodian, Commodus even went as far as to have Cleander’s head placed on a spear and paraded around Rome.
The assassination of Commodus
In 192 AD, the people of Rome had enough. Several leading figures entered a conspiracy. At first, they poisoned him, but Commodus survived and managed to vomit up the poison.
The conspirators then hired Commodus’ favorite wrestler, known as Narcissus. While Commodus was having a bath, Narcissus came and strangled him to death. In the aftermath, Petrinax was acclaimed Emperor but he was later deposed, and this led to a series of civil wars that only ended with the rise of Septimius Severus.
The legacy of Commodus
Commodus was a bloody tyrant and his reign was a disaster which contributed to the decline of the empire. After his reign of terror, the emperors became the absolute rulers of the Roman world, following his example. Most importantly of all, Commodus weakened the economy of Rome, with his lavish spending. This was to lead to inflation which was a crucial factor in the ‘Third Century Crisis’ that almost destroyed the Roman Empire.
So, was Commodus as terrible as he is typically made out to be? Well, to put it lightly, he was far from an angel.
Yet the final judgment on the character of this Roman leader, I leave up to you.
Devaluing your dollar to assist paying your debts off and subsequently leading to inflation and the ruination of your country. Where have we heard of that before?
If we would only head the words of the philosopher’s who lived during their historical times we may dodge some of the plague’s that haunt us today.
I found this article very insightful, as it shows that Commodus was much more than the villain we often see in movies. He was a ruler driven by paranoia, excess, and cruelty, and his actions had lasting consequences for the Roman Empire. I also found it interesting how his megalomania is linked to Rome’s political shift toward absolute power.
Do you think that, if Commodus hadn’t been assassinated, he would have pushed the Empire into crisis much earlier, or would Rome have managed to withstand his excesses as it had with other emperors?