Commodus (Who he thought he was)
Ascended the throne at 16 Lived for 31 years
Points for Presentation: Good: 1. He stopped the war with Germanic 2. He embodied Hercules, the demigod son of zeus 3. forced his mistress to assassinate him 4. He entertained people by fighting in the arena 5. He also devalued Roman currency, reducing the weight of the denarius and reducing the purity of silver. → made silver more affordable for poor people to have 6. He is known as the youngest consul of Rome (up until that point) 7. Gave his responsibilities to others so that he could have time to do what he wanted.
Bad: 1. Often fought crippled citizens 2. He killed a bunch of exotic animals → Commodus would slay exotic animals, such as lions, ostriches, hippos, elephants, and giraffes. 3. Clubbed veterans to death after wars. 4. started the era of chaos and decline within the roman empire 5. Didn’t listened others’ advise.
He’s a terrible guy. We are trying to use poor lying and sarcasm to portray our points.
Actual Facts:
Roman Emperor Lucius Aurelius Commodus was a corrupt ruler who was not well received by the Roman people during his reign. He believed himself to be a reincarnation of Hercules, and enjoyed fighting in an arena as a gladiator. His tumultuous reign as Emperor was the starting point for a period of Roman history that is viewed as having been filled with chaos and decline. Commodus was the tenth of fourteen children born to Aurelius, and was ultimately the only surviving son. → made his father Marcus Aurelius desperate to use him to continue the bloodline rule As the years went by, it is believed that Commodus was actually a disappointment to his father due to his lack of work ethic and disinterest in government life. On November 27, 176, Aurelius promoted 15year old Commodus to the rank of Imperator, which some say is a role similar to commander. Commodus became Aurelius’ coEmperor, and they reigned together from then until Aurelius’ death in 180. The activities which held Commodus’ attention and with which he spent his time were in the nature of “gladiatorial combat.” While fighting in the arena, opponents would submit to Commodus, as Emperor, and their lives were spared. However, in private practice fights, Commodus would slay his opponents. The Romans were outraged when Commodus would order wounded soldiers and amputees into the arena to be slayed. Nonmilitary citizens who had lost their feet due to injury or illness would be tied together for Commodus to club to death In November 192 he held Plebian Games, where he would use arrows and javelins to shoot hundreds of animals every morning, and then engaged in gladiator battles each afternoon. Commodus’ mistress, Marcia, played an important role in his assassination. First, she attempted to kill him by poisoning his food. He vomited the poisoned food up, foiling that plan. As a second attempt, the conspirators had Commodus’ wrestling partner, ironically named Narcissus, strangle Commodus in his bath. This assassination attempt was successful, and both Commodus’ reign as Emperor, and his life, ended on the final day of 192.