He had simply tried too much, too soon. He was an elderly senator who was chosen by the senate as emperor . [3] Pertinax through the help of patronage was commissioned an officer in a cohort. 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.”. Despite this, Commodus seemed to have been a lazy student and would be an even lazier … He fought in the Roman–Parthian War of 161–166, where his success led him to be promoted to higher-ranking positions in both the military and political spheres. [9] He was recalled after three years to Britain, where the Roman army was in a state of mutiny. Although he was eventually able to give the Guard the bonuses he had promised, he would never win their loyalty. [18], Ancient writers detail how the Praetorian Guard expected a generous donativum on his ascension, and when they were disappointed, agitated until he produced the money, selling off Commodus' property,[19] including the concubines and youths Commodus kept for his sexual pleasures. [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. His reign was nothing like his predecessors in bloodletting, at least in Rome. Discussing the importance of a prince not being hated, Machiavelli provides Pertinax as an example of how it is as easy for a ruler to be hated for good actions as for bad ones. Commodus was a bloody tyrant and his reign was also a disaster and contributed to the decline of the greatest Classical Empire. Please help us create teaching materials on Mesopotamia (including several complete lessons with worksheets, activities, answers, essay questions, and more), which will be free to download for teachers all over the world. After the assassination of Roman Emperor Commodus on December 31, 192 CE, the empire’s throne was left vacant. 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. Reign. Roman Emperor. His brutal misrule precipitated civil strife that ended 84 years of stability and prosperity within the empire. Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus, or just Commodus for short, is the main antagonist of the 2000 historic action film Gladiator. Following the death of Commodus, Pertinax was acclaimed emperor. The answer for the first eight years of what we know as Marcus Aurelius’ reign is obvious. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. [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. He was of low birth (he was an ex-slave), ambitious, and cunning—and during his ascendancy, which stretched from approximately 182 to 189, he was practically emperor while Commodus indulged his private pursuits. He achieved the rank of provincial governor and urban prefect. Wasson, Donald L. [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. Born on August 31, 161 AD, to Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his wife … Pertinax was Roman Emperor for three months in 193 CE and, as successor to Commodus, it was hoped that he would restore much needed sobriety to the office of emperor. Commodus was appointed as a co-ruler, at the age of 16, after fighting alongside his father and emperor, Marcus Aurelius, during the ‘Marcomannic Wars.’ The story of Commodus’ rise and fall from grace begins in late summer, AD 161. 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. 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. Already at the age of five, in the year AD 166, he was made Caesar (junior emperor). And in AD 177, after the revolt of Cassius, Marcus Aurelius made him Augustus and thereby joint emperor. 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. 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. Pertinax would be deified by the emperor Septimius Severus. 8 years ago. Cleander comes across as something of a neo-Sejanus. Among those conspiring against him: his older sister Lucilla. Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. To rebuild the empire’s finances - and pay the Guard their bonuses - he sold everything he could; he cleaned house. One of the ways he paid for his donatives (imperial handouts) and mass entertainments was to tax the senatorial order, and on many inscriptions, the traditional order of the two nominal powers of the state, the Senate and People (Senatus Populusque Romanus) is provocatively reversed (Populus Senatusque...). https://www.ancient.eu/Pertinax/. [41], In Romanitas, a fictional alternate history novel by Sophia McDougall, Pertinax's reign is the point of divergence. Unfortunately Pertinax miscalculated when he tried to reign in the Praetorian Guard. He acknowledges that while some would call Pertinax's decision to confront the soldiers that would wind up killing him "noble", others would call it "senseless". Donald has taught Ancient, Medieval and U.S. History at Lincoln College (Normal, Illinois)and has always been and will always be a student of history, ever since learning about Alexander the Great. The empire was thrown into a civil war, and it would be four years before the dust would clear. [6], During the 180s, Pertinax took a pivotal role in the Roman Senate until the praetorian prefect Sextus Tigidius Perennis forced him out of public life. Ancient History Encyclopedia Limited is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. [24] The plot was betrayed; Falco himself was pardoned but several of the officers behind the coup were executed. [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. Since there were no familial candidates, they chose a former teacher and military commander, Publius Helvius Pertinax. With the emperor away at Ostia inspecting a grain shipment, an assassination plot by a Praetorian Guard member, Quintas Sosius Falco, was exposed. Learn how and when to remove this template message, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pertinax&oldid=992934694, Roman emperors murdered by the Praetorian Guard, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from June 2019, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Imperator Caesar Publius Helvius Pertinax Augustus, This page was last edited on 7 December 2020, at 22:13. He was also known for imagining that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow. Emperor. 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. Written by Donald L. Wasson, published on 19 September 2013 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Commodus was born on 31 August AD 161 in Lanuvium, near Rome. Pertinax would be the first of what became known as the Year of the Five Emperors. As with many before him, his head was cut off, placed on a pole, and paraded through the streets of Rome. After his reign of terror, the Emperors became the absolute rulers of the Roman World, following his example. [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. Related Content 1 Biography 2 What … 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. Pertinax and his reign were in danger. Commodus in 180 AD. In 180 AD, Marcus Aurelius died, leaving Commodus as sole Emperor of Rome. [27] He is also critical of Pertinax's judgment when it came to the speed with which he tried to reform the excesses of the reign of Commodus by suggesting that a more tempered approach would have been less likely to result in his murder. 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. The son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Commodus wants to be seen as the most powerful Roman emperor of all time so he would be worshiped as a god. His career before becoming emperor is documented in the Historia Augusta and confirmed in many places by existing inscriptions. 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. Lucius Aurelius Commodus was born to the philosopher/king and Faustina the Younger at Lanuvium, a city fourteen miles southeast of Rome on August 31, 161 CE. Commodus was the tenth of fourteen children born to Aurelius, and was ultimately the only surviving son. "Pertinax." Commodus indeed led the troops in the wars on the Danube together with his father from AD 178, until the death of Marcus Aurelius in AD 180. Commodus had an elder twin brother, Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus, who died in 165. [16][note 1] His short reign (86 days) was an uneasy one. Wasson, D. L. (2013, September 19). In the history as established by the novel, the plot against Pertinax was thwarted, and Pertinax introduced a series of reforms that would consolidate the Roman Empire to such a degree that it would still be a major power in the 21st century.[42]. [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. [27] Ancient sources suggest that they had received only half their promised pay. Lv 7. At some pont before the events of Ryse, he was appointed by his father as governor of Britannia. Pertinax was born on August 1, 126 CE at Alba Pompeia in Liguria to a freed slave Helvius Successus; his mother’s name is unknown. 4. He is often regarded as one of the Roman Empire's worst emperors since he brought Rome to decadence, leading to the Crisis of Third Century. As in the past - such as in the death of Emperor Caligula - the choice of a successor fell to the Praetorian Guard. Aurelius constantly gives his son lectures on duty and morality, he was as stern and powerful as Zeus. However, in 161 CE, at the age of thirty-five, he tired of the low pay and left teaching to enter the military. The senate acclaimed Pertinax as emperor, damned the memory of Commodus, and undid all his ambitious renaming. Since there were no familial candidates, they chose a former teacher and military commander, Publius Helvius Pertinax. License. After serving in battle on the northern frontier in 178 and 179, together with Aurelius, Commodus returned to Rome in 180 after his father’s death. Silver Spoon in Mouth. 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… It was there that the now-deceased Commodus was condemned and Pertinax was proclaimed emperor - but this acceptance would soon turn to dismay and disgust. [23] In early March he narrowly averted one conspiracy by a group to replace him with the consul Quintus Sosius Falco while he was in Ostia inspecting the arrangements for grain shipments. Commodus didn’t really bother with the duties of being an … 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. After Maximus killed Commodus in the Colloseum, the emperor was chosen from the winner of a gladiator fight between two emperor wannabes. However, his reign was short-lived because of the resentment he created through his reforms. Marcus "Aurelius" Commodus is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 2000 Oscar winner historic action film Gladiator. [33] For some time, he held games on the anniversary of Pertinax's ascension and his birthday. Commodus (161-192) was the son of Marcus Aurelius. Falco was pardoned - it became apparent that he had been set up - but several others involved were executed. 4 He Didn’t Actually Do Any Of His Duties. Commodus's sister ruled briefly after Commodus was killed by Maximus. He succeeded Commodus to become the first emperor during the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. He was born in Alba Pompeia in Italy,[2] the son of freedman Helvius Successus. Pertinax. Pertinax was a Roman soldier and politician who ruled as Roman emperor for the first three months of 193. Caesar Augustus) 27 BC-AD 14. In 172 AD, during the Marcomannic War, Commodus was given the victory title Germanicus. Réponse De Pertinax, Citoyen Du Canton De Vaud, Au Très-honoré Monsieur... Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. In 177 AD following Cassius’ rebellion, Emperor Aurelius announced Commodus as Augustus and co-emperor. Later, he fought alongside the future emperor Marcus Aurelius on the Danube frontier. [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). On 12 October 166, Commodus was made Caesar together with his younger brother, Marcus Annius Verus. Biography. Caesar M. Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus) 176-192: Pertinax (Imp. Born the son of a freed slave, Pertinax became an officer in the army. Even though he tried to reason with them, his words fell on deaf ears; he and Electus were both stabbed to death. 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. [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. He was supreme commander of Rome's armies and personal commander of the VI Legion. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. [11], When Commodus' behaviour became increasingly erratic throughout the early 190s, a conspiracy led to his assassination on 31 December 192. 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. Most likely, Antoninus Pius would have been succeeded by Commodus, believe it or not. Updated October 06, 2019. Fight for Glory He was portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, who would later portray Arthur Fleck in Joker. With each passing day, the Praetorian Guard grew more and more displeased with Pertinax. 5. Marcus Aurelius was a student of Stoic philosophy. [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. He was badly deluded and narcissistic, a result of bei… After the death of Commodus, Pertinax became emperor. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Source(s): College. 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. The Colosseum, Rome. Books Numerous educational institutions recommend us, including Oxford University and Michigan State University and University of Missouri. Caesar Augustus) AD 14-37. After the assassination of Roman Emperor Commodus on December 31, 192 CE, the empire ’s throne was left vacant. At first, events after the emperor’s death went exactly according to plan. He attempted to emulate the restrained practices of Marcus Aurelius, and made an effort to reform the alimenta but he faced antagonism from many quarters. For educational use by the following publications: Ancient history Encyclopedia Foundation is a alternate. 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