Commodus

Commodus
Bust c. 180–185
Roman emperor
Reign	Summer 177 – 31 December 192 (senior from 17 March 180)
Predecessor	Marcus Aurelius
Successor	Pertinax
Co-emperor	Marcus Aurelius (177–180)
Born	31 August 161 Lanuvium, near Rome, Italy
Died	31 December 192 (aged 31) Rome, Italy
Burial	Rome
Spouse	Bruttia Crispina
Names Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus[1][2] Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus[3]
Dynasty	Nerva–Antonine
Father	Marcus Aurelius
Mother	Faustina the Younger

Roman imperial dynasties
Aureus of Commodus
Nerva–Antonine dynasty (AD 96–192)
Chronology
Nerva 96–98 Trajan 98–117 Hadrian 117–138 Antoninus Pius 138–161 Lucius Verus 161–169 Marcus Aurelius 161–180 Commodus 177–192
Family
Nerva–Antonine family tree Category:Nerva–Antonine dynasty
Succession
Preceded by Flavian dynasty Followed by Year of the Five Emperors
v t e

Commodus (/ˈkɒmədəs/;^[4] 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 until his assassination in 192. For the first three years of his reign he was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius. Commodus' sole rule, starting with the death of Aurelius in 180, is commonly thought to mark the end of a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire (the Pax Romana).

Commodus accompanied his father during the Marcomannic Wars in 172 and on a tour of the Eastern provinces in 176. The following year, he became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16. His solo reign saw less military conflict than that of Marcus Aurelius, but internal intrigues and conspiracies abounded, goading Commodus to an increasingly dictatorial style of leadership. This culminated in his creating a deific personality cult, including his performances as a gladiator in the Colosseum. Throughout his reign, Commodus entrusted the management of affairs to his palace chamberlain and praetorian prefects, namely Saoterus, Perennis and Cleander.

Commodus was assassinated by the wrestler Narcissus in 192, ending the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first claimant in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors.