On March 28, 193 CE, three-hundred guards stormed the palace gates with little resistance. One of those reforms, the restoration of discipline among the Praetorian Guard, led to conflict that eventually culminated in Pertinax's assassination by the Guard. Source(s): College. Our latest articles delivered to your inbox, once a week: Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Rome is Burning 45m. https://www.ancient.eu/Pertinax/. "He failed to comprehend, though a man of wide practical experience, that one cannot with safety reform everything at once, and that the restoration of a state, in particular, requires both time and wisdom". Updated October 06, 2019. However, in 161 CE, at the age of thirty-five, he tired of the low pay and left teaching to enter the military. Pertinax (/ˈpɜːrtɪnæks/; Publius Helvius Pertinax; 1 August 126 – 28 March 193) was a Roman soldier and politician who ruled as Roman emperor for the first three months of 193. [15], After Pertinax's death, the Praetorians auctioned off the imperial title; the winner was the wealthy senator Didius Julianus, whose reign would end by his assassination on 1 June 193. Commodus was a bloody tyrant and his reign was also a disaster and contributed to the decline of the greatest Classical Empire. The Purple Prince: Emperor Commodus’ Early Years. On 12 October 166, Commodus was made Caesar together with his younger brother, Marcus Annius Verus. Cassius Dio wrote, he “raised money as best he could from the statues, the arms, the horses, the furniture, and the favourites of Commodus, and gave the Praetorian all that he had promised ….” While the public was initially pleased (at least until he reduced the number of gladiatorial games), the Guard and the palace officials were not. Jay. [38], During the debate over ratification of the US Constitution, Virginia politician John Dawson, at his state's ratifying convention in 1788, spoke of the "atrocious murder" of Pertinax by the Praetorian Guard as an example of the danger of establishing a standing army. [11] When he was forced to resign in 187, the reason given was that the legions had grown hostile to him because of his harsh rule. With each passing day, the Praetorian Guard grew more and more displeased with Pertinax. Commodus was the tenth of fourteen children born to Aurelius, and was ultimately the only surviving son. In 177 AD following Cassius’ rebellion, Emperor Aurelius announced Commodus as Augustus and co-emperor. He was the only surviving son, and therefore he was the sole heir of the emperor. Wasson, D. L. (2013, September 19). Dio refers to him as "an excellent and upright man"[35] who displayed "not only humaneness and integrity in the imperial administrations, but also the most economical management and the most careful consideration for the public welfare". Aurelius constantly gives his son lectures on duty and morality, he was as stern and powerful as Zeus. His reign was nothing like his predecessors in bloodletting, at least in Rome. [28], Although advised to flee, he then attempted to reason with them, and was almost successful before being struck down by one of the soldiers. Emperor. The senate acclaimed Pertinax as emperor, damned the memory of Commodus, and undid all his ambitious renaming. [20][21] He reformed the Roman currency dramatically, increasing the silver purity of the denarius from 74% to 87% – the actual silver weight increasing from 2.22 grams to 2.75 grams. [22], Pertinax attempted to impose stricter military discipline upon the pampered Praetorians. Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, or just Commodus for short, is the main antagonist of the 2000 historic action film Gladiator. He took the throne as regent, but was killed by Maximus in the Colosseum. Caesar M. Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus) 176-192: Pertinax (Imp. The accession of the 19 year old Commodus upon the death of his father Marcus Aurelius on March 17, AD 180 is often considered a catalyst that sparked the initial decline of the Roman Empire. He succeeded Commodus to become the first emperor during the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. Emperor. Pertinax and his reign were in danger. 5. Tiberius (Ti. Pertinax was a Roman soldier and politician who ruled as Roman emperor for the first three months of 193. [11], When Commodus' behaviour became increasingly erratic throughout the early 190s, a conspiracy led to his assassination on 31 December 192. In 172 AD, during the Marcomannic War, Commodus was given the victory title Germanicus. Written by Donald L. Wasson, published on 19 September 2013 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. [20], Dio's approval is not unqualified, however. His twin brother, Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antonius, died at age four. Contemporary Roman writer Cassius Dio describes the young heir as “rather simple-minded,” but he ruled agreeably with his father and joined Marcus Aurelius in the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic tribes along the Danube, which the emperor had been waging for several year… Though describing him as a good man, Machiavelli considered Pertinax's attempt to reform a soldiery that had become "accustomed to live licentiously" a mistake, as it inspired their hatred of him, which led to his overthrow and death. 8 years ago. Lv 7. Commodus's sister ruled briefly after Commodus was killed by Maximus. He was fighting alongside his father on the Danube frontier when the Emperor died, but immediately returned to Rome after securing a favourable peace treaty. [25], On 28 March 193, Pertinax was at his palace when, according to the Historia Augusta, a contingent of some three hundred soldiers of the Praetorian Guard rushed the gates[26] (two hundred according to Cassius Dio). Unfortunately, his lack of skill in appeasing those around him (such as the Senate, the Guard, and the citizenry) would bring about his demise. [37], Pertinax is described by David Hume's essay Of the Original Contract as an "excellent prince" possessing an implied modesty when, on the arrival of soldiers who had come to proclaim him emperor, he believed that Commodus had ordered his death. Despite this, Commodus seemed to have been a lazy student and would be an even lazier … However, the former teacher, as well as putting in order the affairs of state, also embarked on a series of state spending cuts which led to his general unpopularity and eventual downfall at the hands of the Praetorian Guard. "Pertinax." In 180 AD, Marcus Aurelius died, leaving Commodus as sole Emperor of Rome. [33] For some time, he held games on the anniversary of Pertinax's ascension and his birthday. Please support Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation. License. He was the tenth of fourteen children and the only son to survive - his twin brother Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antonius died at the age of four. Wasson, Donald L. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. He ruled as junior co-e… The general Maximus, weary of battle, decides to retire at his Spanish farm estate at the Emperor's behest, but the Emperor tells him that Commodus is unfit to rule and thus appoints him as regent to help save Rome from corruption. The Colosseum, Rome. His brutal misrule precipitated civil strife that ended 84 years of stability and prosperity within the empire. "Pertinax." As the son of emperor Marcus Aurelius, Commodus was the first Roman emperor to have been "born in the purple," and thus dynastically selected to be his successor. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. He was born in Alba Pompeia in Italy,[2] the son of freedman Helvius Successus. He led a truly 'rags to riches' story as his father went from slavery to success and wealth in the wool trade, allowing his son to receive a classical education which, in turn, permitted Pertinax to lead a quiet and uneventful life as a teacher of grammar. Despite some early friction, his close ties to Marcus Aurelius eventually helped him become a senator, a consul in 175 CE, the governor of Dacia and later Syria in 181 CE, and prefect of Rome in 189 CE. [27] Ancient sources suggest that they had received only half their promised pay. The Julio-Claudian Dynasty [image:486] Augustus 16 Jan 27... A portrait bust of Roman emperor Pertinax who briefly reigned in... A photorealistic reconstruction of what the Roman emperor Pertinax... A bronze sestertius from the reign of Roman Emperor Pertinax (183... Pertinax: The Son of a Slave Who Became Roman Emperor. Even though he tried to reason with them, his words fell on deaf ears; he and Electus were both stabbed to death. [36], Pertinax is discussed in The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. [16][note 1] His short reign (86 days) was an uneasy one. Commodus defeats his sister's coup but withdraws from governing, allowing others to amass power while he engages in an affair and banishes his wife. [29] Pertinax must have been aware of the danger he faced by assuming the purple, for he refused to use imperial titles for either his wife or son, thereby protecting them from the aftermath of his own assassination. [15] After the murder had been carried out, Pertinax, who was serving as urban prefect at this time, was hurried to the Praetorian Camp and proclaimed emperor the following morning. Born the son of a freed slave, Pertinax became an officer in the army. His unique ability as a leader did not go unnoticed by those around him, and he quickly became a tribune stationed at York. Fight for Glory To rebuild the empire’s finances - and pay the Guard their bonuses - he sold everything he could; he cleaned house. Ancient History Encyclopedia. He is eager to pass knowledge on to his students. While the previous governor was fair and the Britons lived in peace, Commodus ruled as an evil tyrant, directly resulting in a massive rebellion led by King Oswald and his daughter Boudica. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 19 Sep 2013. Born Lucius Aurelius Commodus, he is known as a ruler who designed a major turning point in Roman history. Pertinax would be the first of what became known as the Year of the Five Emperors. Some Rights Reserved (2009-2020) under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license unless otherwise noted. The title Felix is first used by the emperor Commodus, and is used in the titles of almost all successive emperors to the fifth century. He was a member of the Roman Senate, serving at the same time as the historian Cassius Dio. Born Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus in 161 A.D., he was one of fourteen children born to Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and Faustina the Younger, daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius. [34], Pertinax's historical reputation is largely a positive one, beginning with the assessment of Cassius Dio, a historian and senator who was a colleague of Pertinax. As an emperor, Commodus soon became a disappointment to Marcus Aurelius. [9] He was recalled after three years to Britain, where the Roman army was in a state of mutiny. After Maximus killed Commodus in the Colloseum, the emperor was chosen from the winner of a gladiator fight between two emperor wannabes. The plot was carried out by the Praetorian prefect Quintus Aemilius Laetus, Commodus' mistress Marcia, and his chamberlain Eclectus. Commodus in popular culture 4. See, D. Fishwick, The Imperial Cult in the Latin West (Leiden, 1987-91), 473. [4], In the Parthian War that followed,[5] he distinguished himself, which resulted in a string of promotions, and after postings in Britain (as military tribune of the Legio VI Victrix)[6] and along the Danube, he served as a procurator in Dacia. After the assassination of Roman Emperor Commodus on December 31, 192 CE, the empire’s throne was left vacant. 1 Biography 2 What … [7] He suffered a setback as a victim of court intrigues during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, but shortly afterwards, he was recalled to assist Claudius Pompeianus in the Marcomannic Wars. Marcus "Aurelius" Commodus is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 2000 Oscar winner historic action film Gladiator. The assassination of Emperor Commodus brought both panic and bloodshed to the city. With the emperor away at Ostia inspecting a grain shipment, an assassination plot by a Praetorian Guard member, Quintas Sosius Falco, was exposed. Falco was pardoned - it became apparent that he had been set up - but several others involved were executed. [39][40], Pertinax was the pseudonym of the French journalist André Géraud (1882–1974). After the death of Commodus, Pertinax became emperor. Although Commodus was killed on 31 December 192, Pertinax was not acclaimed emperor until 1 January 193. He was an elderly senator who was chosen by the senate as emperor . After the removal of the emperor’s body (it was later interred in Hadrian’s Mausoleum), Laetus, the commander of the Praetorian Guard and one of the conspirators in Commodus’s death, and Electus, chamberlain to Commodus, made their way to the home of Pertinax and offered him the throne. Cassius Dio wrote, “… he (Pertinax) at once reduced to order everything that had previously been irregular and confused; for he showed not only humaneness and integrity in the imperial administration, but also the most economical management and the most careful consideration for the public welfare.” To begin with, he reduced the extravagances that had been awarded the Guard by Commodus. The excesses of Commodus had come to an end as the finances of the empire were now in ruin. In conclusion, the emperor’s time on the throne had been a disaster, for he had been too harsh and too much of an authoritarian. He succeeded his father as Augustus after he killed him. Books In his Roman History, Cassius Dio wrote, “Pertinax was as excellent and upright man, but he ruled only a very short time, and was then put out of the way by the soldiers.”. Commodus, Emperor of Rome. Born on August 31, 161 AD, to Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his wife … Commodus was the son of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.He was the brother of Princess Lucilla, and uncle of Lucius.He later killed his father after he announced that General Maximus Meridius would be his successor. As one of the guards plunged his sword into Pertinax, he said, “The soldiers have sent you this sword.”. He attempted to institute several reform measures, although the short length of his time as emperor prevented the success of those attempts. [24] Neither the guards on duty nor the palace officials chose to resist them. He was the son of the reigning emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and Aurelius's first cousin, Faustina the Younger, the youngest daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius, who had died only a few months before. Afterward, he wed Bruttia Crispina; he then traveled with his father to the Danube to protect the country in 178 AD till 180 AD when Marcus passed away. [12], He served as proconsul of Africa from 188–189,[13] and followed this term of service with the urban prefecture of Rome,[14] and a second consulship as ordinarius with the emperor Commodus as his colleague. The story of Commodus’ rise and fall from grace begins in late summer, AD 161. Most importantly of all, Commodus weakened the economy of Rome, with his lavish spending. Realizing he needed to ensure the Guard’s support, Pertinax hurried to the Praetorian Guard’s camp where he guaranteed each soldier a bonus of 12,000 sesterces. 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