[4] Commodus was supposedly in a drunken stupor after Marcia had poisoned him[1] and Narcissus proceeded to strangle his master in his bathtub[1] or, according to Herodian, in his bed.[3]. It is the type of death indicative of Commodus notoriety as an emperor, which is fundamental to Gladiators plot, but the film is imaginative in its depiction of his death to provide closure to Maximus. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It's fair to say the audience is pretty attached to Maximus by the end of "Gladiator." Be warned, though:If you thought Maximus's death was sad, you really won't like this. Strange that they didn't kill him earlier. 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). Commodus's death marked the end of the NervaAntonine dynasty. Commodus subsequently accompanied his father on a lengthy trip to the Eastern provinces, during which he visited Antioch. 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Watching him collapse and die after restoring his own freedom and ridding Rome of its Tyrant in Chief seems like, well, a downer. wahrscheinlich aber erfand Commodus diese Geschichte selber, um seine Sonderrolle zu unterstreichen. Commodus (/kmds/;[4] 31 August 161 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. His family is murdered, and he becomes a slave, and then sold off to become a gladiator. We will never see the like of the Roman Empire ever again. View GLADIATOR - CHW3M.docx from HIS CHW3M at Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts. [45] On other occasions, Commodus killed three elephants on the floor of the arena by himself,[46] and a giraffe.[47]. Only a famous death will do. Early in 188, Cleander disposed of the current praetorian prefect, Atilius Aebutianus, and took over supreme command of the Praetorian Guard at the new rank of a pugione ("dagger-bearer"), with two praetorian prefects subordinate to him. Commodus reign is commonly regarded as the beginning of the Roman Empires decline, and he is a natural choice for the primary antagonist of Gladiator. Ein Gladiator (lateinisch gladiator zu gladius fr . Commodus, who is portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, was indeed the son of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and an emperor of Rome. [40][41] For each appearance in the arena, he charged the city of Rome a million sesterces, straining the Roman economy. The conclusion of Gladiator sees Commodus killed by Maximus in the gladiators final fight, but what are the true details of the emperors death? Commodus was the tenth of fourteen children born to Aurelius and was ultimately the only surviving son. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Beast with an insatiable Hunger for Human Flesh, Film Footage Provides Intimate View of HMS Gloucester Shipwreck, Top 8 Legendary Parties - Iconic Celebrations in Ancient History, The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part II), The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth behind the Dark Legend (Part I), Bloodthirsty Buddhists: The Sohei Warrior Monks of Feudal Japan, Legends Of The Oracle Of Delphi At The Centre Of The World. "I won't be in here forever!" rasped Commodus. Conveniently, both of these goals are achieved by killing Commodus. Unfortunately, the damage to Rome was already done. Updates? The emperor Titus Flavian completed the Colosseum and endeared himself to the public with his generosity only to have his good works undone by his brother Domitian, who was assassinated by his own court. Narcissus (born 2nd century A.D.) was a Roman athlete,[1][2] likely a wrestler,[3] from the 2nd century AD. Only a famous death will do. Roman Emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus was a corrupt ruler who was not well-received by the Roman people during his reign. The pivotal 2000 historical drama follows the betrayed general, Maximus, on a quest for revenge against Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the usurper emperor of Rome, who murdered his wife and son. Commodus was succeeded by Pertinax, whose reign was short-lived; he would become the first claimant to be usurped during the Year of the Five Emperors. The poison failed, so Narcissus entered Commodus's bedchamber. Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred. He showed no interest in government or military matters and was consumed by self-indulgence. Aurelius himself, and the four emperors that had preceded him, had all been adopted. In 195, the emperor Septimius Severus, trying to gain favour with the family of Marcus Aurelius, rehabilitated Commodus's memory and had the Senate deify him. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? Commodus: The general who became a slave. In 166, at the age of five, Commodus was made Caesar, along with his younger brother Marcus Annius Verus. [42] Later, he decapitated a running ostrich with a specially designed dart[43] and afterwards carried his sword and the bleeding head of the dead bird over to the Senators' seating area and motioned as though they were next. after executing a double-sword beheading on an unfortunate opponent, delivering an iconic moment in movie and internet history. Nowadays Commodus is best remembered as the villain of Ridley Scott's movie "Gladiator", a sneering and arrogant portrayal by Joaquin Phoenix. Thrown into the spotlight as Rome . From 180 to his death in 192, Commodus was the only emperor.. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded his father since Titus succeeded Vespasian in 79. [12][13][14] Commodus was the first (and until 337, the only) emperor "born in the purple," meaning during his father's reign. fascinating facts from the entirety of ancient history. In November 192, Commodus held Plebeian Games, in which he shot hundreds of animals with arrows and javelins every morning, and fought as a gladiator every afternoon, winning all the fights. [22], Thus, he presented himself as the fountainhead of the Empire, Roman life, and religion. He gave Rome a new name, Colonia Commodiana (Colony of Commodus), and imagined that he was the god Hercules, entering the arena to fight as a gladiator or to kill lions with bow and arrow. First, she attempted to kill him by poisoning his food. His twin brother, Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antonius, died at age four. English translation) UCLA Press, Berkeley CA (1961), 1.15.1-9, Dio Cassius 73.20.3, Loeb edition translated E. Cary, Gibbon p. 106 "disgorged at once a hundred lions; a hundred darts". Dying and going to Elysium is a more fitting reward for him than taking control of Rome. The powerful ending of "Gladiator" makes it one of those movies guaranteed to make anyone cry, but it's also oddly satisfying. Interestingly, it took Scott a while to realize that, like a sadistic emperor at a gladiatorial display, the ending demanded Maximus's death. Ancient Chinese Earthquake Detector Invented 2,000 Years Ago Really Worked! By December of that year, he declared that he would inaugurate the New Year on January 1, 193 as a gladiator in the arena. The most famous scene in "Gladiator" is the one that launched a thousand memes (to use a phrase from a different Ancient European society). He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. Narration by: Alexander Dobby. The ending of "Gladiator" makes it seem like. Commodus was also known for fighting exotic animals in the arena, often to the horror and disgust of the Roman populace. Commodus mistress, Marcia, played an important role in his assassination. Commodus : The general who became a slave. The Emperor and his son then travelled to Athens, where they were initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries. Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus was born on 31 August AD161 in Lanuvium, near Rome. His outrageous tactics, such as slaying people with disabilities and slaughtering wild beasts in the arena, brought much negative attention, and were believed to have played a role in his eventual assassination. During his solo reign, the Roman Empire enjoyed reduced military conflict compared with the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Other victims at this time were the praetorian prefect Julius Julianus, Commodus's cousin Annia Fundania Faustina, and his brother-in-law Mamertinus. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. Then, two things happened: either Chaos or Gaia created the universe as we know it, or Ouranos and Tethys gave birth to the first beings. He negotiated a peace settlement in Romes favor. On this channel we focus on Roman History and right now we're doing a video on every Roman Emperor, if you're interested in that subscribe or watch the playlist here: https://bit.ly/32CUA2g. All Action 473K subscribers 86K 11M views 1 year ago #Gladiator #RidleyScott #AllAction Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) challenges Maximus (Russell Crowe) in combat in the hopes of killing him. It is uncertain whether Rupilia Faustina was Frugi's daughter by Salonia Matidia or another woman. [27] Another event, as recorded by the historian Aelius Lampridius, took place at the Roman baths at Terme Taurine, where the emperor had an attendant thrown into an oven after he had found his bathwater to be lukewarm. Commodus : The general who became a slave. Gibbon p. 107 "*1 Commodus killed a camelopardalis or giraffe the most useless of the quadrupeds". Later that year he adopted as his full style Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus Augustus Herculeus Romanus Exsuperatorius Amazonius Invictus Felix Pius (the order of some of these titles varies in the sources). The following year he became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16. Lucilla was over ten years his senior and held the rank of Augusta as the widow of her first husband, Lucius Verus. Quadratus and Quintianus were executed. Commodus butchered dozens of animals in single appearances at the Colosseum on other occasions. Omissions? Commodus was born on August 31, 161 AD in Lanuvium, 14 miles (22.5 km) southeast of Rome. While the true story behind his reign and death are fascinating, I prefer the fictional story, where he is killed in the arena before thousands of subjects by a gladiator whose family was ordered killed by the emperor. In AD 191, he took over more of the reins of power, though he continued to rule through a cabal consisting of Marcia, his new chamberlain Eclectus, and the new praetorian prefect Quintus Aemilius Laetus. He is best known to history as the assassin of the Roman Emperor Commodus, by whom he was employed as a wrestling partner[2][3] and personal trainer in order to train Commodus for his self-indulgent appearances in the Colosseum as a gladiator. Then, discover the most fascinating facts from the entirety of ancient history. Sources diverge on the origins of the conspiracy, with some claiming Lucilla was jealous of Commodus wife Crispina (incest between Commodus and Lucilla is suggested in Gladiator) while others maintain she saw the first warning signs of her brothers mental instability. Ridley Scott's Gladiator famously kills off Maximus (Russell Crowe) at the end, but the original plan for the ending was very different. Maximus is given a very clear ending, but what about the rest of Rome? Yet another attempt on his life had been foiled, but the conspirators did not lose their nerve. His recorded actions do tend to show a rejection of his father's policies, his father's advisers, and especially his father's austere lifestyle, and an alienation from the surviving members of his family. [28][29], His original name was Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus. Als besonders skandals empfand man die Beziehung zwischen Eppia, einer Frau aus reicher Familie, die Senatorengattin war, und dem Gladiator Sergiolus. The film stars Russell Crowe as General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is forced into the life of a gladiator after his family is murdered by the Emperor's son, Commodus. Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus well-received by the Roman enjoyed... From contributors attempted to kill him by poisoning his food emperor who ruled from 177 to.! 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