[13] The year 208 was the year of his third and Geta's second consulship. However, Carausius' revolt actually happened about seventy years after Caracalla's death in 217. He then returned to Rome and celebrated a triumph for the conclusion of the wars on 22 October 180. Take, for instance, Emperor Vitellius. after the Second Punic War. When Marcia found a list of people Commodus intended to have executed, she discovered that she, the prefect Laetus, and Eclectus were on it. There wasn't a drought leading up to Commodus' assassination, "but usually there is a drought preceding the assassination of the emperor," Christian said. [61] He spent much of his time with the soldiers, so much so that he began to imitate their dress and adopt their manners. Just as impressive were the elaborate processions in which chariots pulled by elephants, tigers, and lions scaled the Vatican Hill, trampling any tomb that lay in their path. Executed Roman emperors (18 P) R. Roman emperors murdered by the Praetorian Guard (2 C, 13 P) Pages in category "Murdered Roman emperors" The following 31 pages are in this category, out of 31 total. [13] By the end of 199 he was entitled pater patriae. Olivier Hekster, Nicholas Zair, and Rowan challenge this presentation because the majority of people who were enfranchised by the edict would have been poor. Having been accepted as emperor by Syria, Judea and Egypt, Cassius carried on his rebellion even after it had become obvious Marcus was still alive. But while the stories about him are, without doubt, exaggerated, they have continued to inspire art, literature,and drama down to the present day. In the same year Pertinax unmasked a conspiracy by two enemies of Cleander, Antistius Burrus (one of Commodus' brothers-in-law) and Arrius Antoninus. At his death, the Roman Empire had the greatest extent it would ever have, encompassing an area of 2 million square miles (5.18 million sq. [10] Among his teachers, Onesicrates, Antistius Capella, Titus Aius Sanctus, and Pitholaus are mentioned.[10][11]. To strengthen his claim to the throne, Julia spread the rumor that he was Caracallas illegitimate son. An inscribed altar from Dura-Europos on the Euphrates shows that Commodus' titles and the renaming of the months were disseminated to the furthest reaches of the Empire; moreover, that even auxiliary military units received the title Commodiana, and that he claimed two additional titles: Pacator Orbis (pacifier of the world) and Dominus Noster (Our Lord). "And that mutiny, in turn, would collapse support for the emperor and make him more prone to assassination," Christian told Live Science. [27][28] During the campaign of 213214, Caracalla successfully defeated some of the Germanic tribes while settling other difficulties through diplomacy, though precisely with whom these treaties were made remains unknown. [30][31], His original name was Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus. Proclaimed co-ruler by his father in 198, he reigned jointly with his brother Geta, co-emperor from 209, after their father's death in 211. Young Bassianus did bear a striking family resemblance to Caracalla, although he was, in fact, just a cousin. [35] Cassius Dio and the writers of the Augustan History say that Commodus was a skilled archer, who could shoot the heads off ostriches in full gallop, and kill a panther as it attacked a victim in the arena. He was later given the nickname Caracalla, which referred to the Gallic hooded tunic he habitually wore and which he made fashionable. [7] Cassius Dio, who was still writing his Historia romana during Caracalla's reign,[8] generally referred to him as "Tarautas", after a famously diminutive and violent gladiator of the time, though he also calls him "Caracallus" in various occasions. Didius Julianus, the future emperor and a relative of Salvius Julianus, was dismissed from the governorship of Germania Inferior. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Caracalla (/krkl/; 4 April 188 8 April 217) was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. Laura is the archaeology/history and Life's Little Mysteries editor at Live Science. This rugged soldier-emperor, an iconic archetype, was adopted by most of the following emperors, such as Maximinus Thrax, who were dependent on the support of the troops to rule the empire. Axolotls and capybaras are TikTok famousis that a problem? They were sometimes referred to as the "shadow emperors." Honorius did not even live in Rome but had a palace at Ravenna. Buying it. Upon Caracalla's ascension to being sole ruler in 212, the imperial mint began striking coins bearing Serapis' image. It's just one of many potential forcing variables that can cause this to happen.". [90], Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical History of the Kings of Britain makes Caracalla a king of Britain, referring to him by his actual name "Bassianus", rather than by the nickname Caracalla. [In Photos: Ancient Home and Barracks of Roman Military Officer]. [16] It was then that he banished his wife, whose later killing might have been carried out under Caracalla's orders. 4. From there, "it was really just a question of piecing together these different pieces of information," Christian said. He even profaned the House of the Vestal Virgins in the Forum by taking one of the sacred virgins as his wife. Then, Christian pulled data on military mutinies and emperor assassinations in ancient Rome. It may be the solution to overfishing. The Civil War raged outside their homes. Aurangzeb claimed to have no interest in being Emperor himself. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. [12], In early 195, Caracalla's father Septimius Severus had himself adopted posthumously by the deified emperor (divus) Marcus Aurelius (r.161180); accordingly, in 195 or 196 Caracalla was given the imperial rank of Caesar, adopting the name Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Caesar, and was named imperator destinatus (or designatus) in 197, possibly on his birthday, 4 April, and certainly before 7 May. On 20 January 175, Commodus entered the College of Pontiffs, the starting point of a career in public life. Spanning over a thousand years, ancient Rome was a civilization of constant evolution. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. From that moment, his short, chaotic reign would scandalize Rome. [66], Caracalla's mania for Alexander went so far that he visited Alexandria while preparing for his Persian invasion and persecuted philosophers of the Aristotelian school based on a legend that Aristotle had poisoned Alexander. [13][12] His brother Geta was proclaimed nobilissimus caesar on the same day, and their father Septimius Severus was awarded the victory name Parthicus Maximus. But this gave way to growing tensions during the reign of his successor Caracalla. What historians know with certainty is that, in spite of his birth in distant Syria, Elagabalus belonged to the highly influential Severan dynasty, which dominated Roman politics at the end of the second century and beginning of the third. [6] He may have begun wearing it during his campaigns on the Rhine and Danube. Alexander Severus served as the Roman emperor from 222 CE until his untimely death in 235 CE. (Read about why Rome staged epic mock sea battles. Whereas the reign of Marcus Aurelius had been marked by almost continuous warfare, Commodus' rule was comparatively peaceful in the military sense, but was also characterised by political strife and the increasingly arbitrary and capricious behaviour of the emperor himself. It is uncertain whether Rupilia Faustina was Frugi's daughter by Salonia Matidia or another woman. Nevertheless, though the senatorial order came to hate and fear him, the evidence suggests he remained popular with the army and the common people for much of his reign, not least because of his lavish shows of largesse (recorded on his coinage) and because he staged and took part in spectacular gladiatorial combats. NY 10036. Caligula was impressed with Vitellius's chariot racing. Bassianus was presented to the centurion Publius Valerius Comazon and his troops. At the age of seven, his name was changed to Marcus Aurelius Septimius Bassianus Antoninus to create a connection to the family of the philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius. Accounts say that the finest wines were mixed with sacrificial blood and poured out as offerings. Dio, Cassius, 73.10.2, Loeb edition, translated E. Cary, To "accept kinship with Commodus the bluntly pragmatic decision was taken to deify the former emperor, thus legitimizing Severus' seizure of power." Cleander fled to Commodus, who was at Laurentum in the house of the Quinctilii, for protection, but the mob followed him calling for his head. The ancient historian elaborated that Livia put her husband, Emperor Augustus, under her control, and banished or had killed every potential heir to the throne in order to promote her own son . Unauthorized use is prohibited. [66] As a consequence, the phalangarii of Legio II Parthica may not have been pikemen, but rather standard battle line troops or possibly triarii. [16], On 23 December 176, the two imperatores celebrated a joint triumph. Once he is said to have rained down so many flower petals on his dinner guests that they almost suffocated. In the meantime, he and his colleague, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, were able to arrange for the murder of Saoterus, the hated chamberlain. [17][24] Caracalla and Geta considered dividing the empire in half along the Bosphorus to make their co-rule less hostile. In the story, after Severus' death the Romans wanted to make Geta king of Britain, but the Britons preferred Bassianus because he had a British mother. Macrinus was a mere praetor, a judicial official, with little political experience. 3. [7][67] Artabanus refused the offer, realizing that the proposal was merely an attempt to unite the kingdom of Parthia under the control of Rome. Ser. Claudius admired how well Vitellius played dice. At the outset of his reign, Commodus, aged 18, inherited many of his father's senior advisers, notably Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus (the second husband of Commodus' eldest sister Lucilla), his father-in-law Gaius Bruttius Praesens, Titus Fundanius Vitrasius Pollio, and Aufidius Victorinus the Prefect of the City of Rome. All rights reserved. ), The accounts of his life spill into the fantastical. One of the ways he paid for his donatives (imperial handouts) and mass entertainments was to tax the senatorial order. [13] By December 215 he was in Alexandria in the Nile Delta, where he stayed until March or April 216. Learn about the rise and fall of this ancient civilization and how its influence still endures today. Heinz, W. (1986). 15. Art historian Susan Wood suggests that this reform was for the absolute monarchy to become a constitutional monarchy, as per the original goal of revolution, rather than the republic that it eventually became. 2. [21], On 4February 211, Septimius Severus died at Eboracum (present day York, England) while on campaign in Caledonia, to the north of Roman Britain. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, He also had four surviving sisters, all of them with husbands who were potential rivals. Here's what to know about aquaculture. Marcus Aurelius was the first emperor since Vespasian to have a legitimate biological son, though he himself was the fifth in the line of the so-called Five Good Emperors, also known as the Adoptive Emperors, each of whom had adopted his successor. A Syrian oracle had once warned Elagabalus that he should expect a short life and violent death. Macrinus succeeded him as emperor three days later. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors. [13] Geta was himself granted the rank of Augustus and tribunician powers in September or October 209. Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, ordered the imprisonment of both his daughter and granddaughter, leading to their deaths, as well as believed responsible for the murder of his grandson. Dissatisfaction with this state of affairs led to a series of conspiracies and attempted coups, which in turn eventually provoked Commodus to take charge of affairs, which he did in an increasingly dictatorial manner. 5. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Much of the information on Elagabalus is drawn from a collection of biographies of emperors known as the Augustan History. Caracalla's likeness was readily available to the painters due to the distinct style of his portraiture and his unusual soldier-like choice of fashion that distinguished him from other emperors. 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. 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. It would have led to crucifixion, at best, for killing the emperor. [b][49], Dio maintains that one purpose for Caracalla issuing the edict was the desire to increase state revenue; at the time, Rome was in a difficult financial situation and needed to pay for the new pay raises and benefits that were being conferred on the military. His reign is commonly thought as marking the end of a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire (the . Despite the lure of imperial life in Rome, the new emperor made his own rules with no regard for Roman customs and culture. An emblem of Roman decadence, an aura of fascination clings to this teenage emperor who, because of his association with the cult of Elah-Gabal, came to be known as Elagabalus. 3 yr. ago. Now at the zenith of his power, Cleander continued to sell public offices as his private business. On 15 October 184, at the Capitoline Games, a Cynic philosopher publicly denounced Perennis before Commodus. The evidence for this exists in two inscriptions found near the temple that appear to bear their names. Marriage or motherhood. Heres how. On one occasion, Elagabalus dressed as a woman and rallied Rome's prostitutes in the Forum. The ancient sources portray Caracalla as a tyrant and as a cruel leader, an image that has survived into modernity. Cornelius Scipio Salvidienus Orfitus, Italics indicates a junior co-emperor, underlining indicates an emperor variously regarded as either legitimate or a usurper. Which emperor killed the most? The son of Nero Claudius Drusus, a popular and successful Roman general, and the younger Antonia . [50] The provincials also benefited from this edict because they were now able to think of themselves as equal partners to the Romans in the empire. [30] The extent of her role in this position, however, is probably overstated. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU. The principal surviving literary sources are Herodian, Cassius Dio (a contemporary and sometimes first-hand observer and Senator during Commodus' reign, whose reports for this period survive only as fragments and abbreviations), and the Historia Augusta (untrustworthy because of its character as a work of literature rather than of history, with elements of fiction embedded within its biographies; in the case of Commodus, it probably embroiders what the author found in reasonably good contemporary sources). Inscriptions found near the temple that appear to bear their names Carausius ' revolt actually happened seventy... Orfitus, Italics indicates a junior co-emperor, underlining indicates an emperor regarded... Inscriptions found near the temple that appear to bear their names pieces of information, '' Christian said was. Have led to crucifixion, at best, for killing the emperor original name Lucius... 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