If you’ve seen the movie Gladiator, you probably think you know the story. You think Marcus Aurelius, the wise "Philosopher King," was murdered by his creepy, power-hungry son because he wanted to restore the Republic. It’s a great movie. But honestly? It’s almost entirely fiction.
History is rarely that clean.
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The real answer to who was emperor after Marcus Aurelius is his son, Commodus. Unlike the film version, Marcus Aurelius didn't try to stop his son from taking the throne. In fact, he spent years grooming him for it. Commodus wasn't a usurper; he was the first emperor in over a century to be "Born in the Purple" (Porphyrogenitus), meaning he was born while his father was already ruling.
This handoff ended the era of the "Five Good Emperors." It was a disaster.
The end of an era and the rise of a narcissist
For about 84 years, Rome had a good run. Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius had all succeeded each other through adoption. They chose the best man for the job. But Marcus had a biological son who survived to adulthood, and in the Roman world, you didn't just skip over your own blood unless you wanted a civil war the second you died.
By the time Marcus Aurelius passed away in 180 AD in Vindobona (modern-day Vienna), Commodus had already been co-emperor for three years. He was 18. Imagine giving the keys to the most powerful empire on Earth to a teenager who spent his childhood being told he was a literal god.
Things went south immediately.
While Marcus spent his life writing Meditations and trying to hold the borders against Germanic tribes, Commodus just wanted to go home and party. He quickly signed a peace treaty with the Marcomanni—which many Roman generals saw as a total betrayal—and rushed back to Rome. He wasn't interested in the "stoic" lifestyle. He was interested in himself.
Why the transition felt like a "fall from grace"
Contemporary historian Cassius Dio, who actually lived through this and knew these people, famously wrote that the death of Marcus Aurelius marked the moment the Roman Empire turned "from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust."
It wasn't just that Commodus was "bad." It was that he was erratic.
Marcus Aurelius was predictable, stable, and deeply committed to the Res Publica. Commodus was obsessed with the games. He didn't just watch them; he participated. This was a massive scandal. In Roman society, gladiators were infames—the lowest of the low, legally equivalent to actors or prostitutes. When the Emperor of Rome stepped into the arena to kill wounded soldiers or tethered animals, it didn't look "brave" to the Senate. It looked like a mental breakdown.
The Hercules obsession and the renaming of Rome
If you think modern celebrity ego is bad, look at Commodus in the early 190s AD. He genuinely believed he was the reincarnation of Hercules. He started appearing in public wearing a lion skin and carrying a club.
He didn't stop there.
He decided that "Rome" was a boring name. He renamed the city Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. He renamed the legions. He even renamed the months of the year after his various titles. For a few years, if you wanted to say it was "August," you had to call it "Commodus." September became "Herculeus."
It was a total personality cult.
The political fallout
While Commodus was busy pretending to be a hero in the arena, he left the actual governing to favorites like Saoterus, Perennis, and later Cleander. These men were often corrupt. They sold government offices to the highest bidder. This created a massive disconnect between the Emperor and the Senate.
Conspiracies started early. Even his own sister, Lucilla, tried to have him assassinated in 182 AD. The plot failed miserably. The assassin stepped out of the shadows, shouted "The Senate sends you this!" and gave the guards plenty of time to tackle him. It was a bungle that made Commodus paranoid for the rest of his life. He began executing anyone he suspected of disloyalty, which, as you can imagine, eventually included almost everyone.
Was Commodus actually "evil" or just incompetent?
Historians like Edward Gibbon painted a pretty dark picture, but modern revisionists sometimes wonder if he was just a young man overwhelmed by a job he never asked for. However, the evidence of his cruelty is hard to ignore.
He reportedly ordered the execution of his wife, Crispina, on charges of adultery (though he was hardly faithful himself). He also had a habit of "winning" his gladiator bouts because his opponents were forced to submit. He would then charge the city of Rome a massive fee for his own performances, draining the treasury while the people were literally starving during grain shortages.
It wasn't just "bad vibes." It was systemic collapse.
The end of the line
By 192 AD, the inner circle had enough. His mistress, Marcia, found a "hit list" with her own name on it. She tried to poison his wine, but Commodus—being a fit athlete—vomited it up. Not taking any more chances, the conspirators sent in his wrestling partner, a guy named Narcissus, to strangle him in his bath.
The "Golden Age" didn't just end. It was strangled in a bathtub.
Life after the philosopher: What we can learn
The transition from Marcus Aurelius to Commodus is the ultimate cautionary tale about succession. It proves that character isn't always hereditary. Marcus was arguably the most self-disciplined man in history; his son was perhaps the most self-indulgent.
If you're looking into who was emperor after Marcus Aurelius, you're really looking at the beginning of the end. After Commodus died, the empire spiraled into the "Year of the Five Emperors," a chaotic civil war that eventually led to the Severan dynasty and the militarization of the Roman state.
Actionable Insights for History Buffs:
- Read the primary sources: Don't just trust movies. Check out The Roman History by Cassius Dio. He was a Senator at the time and provides a firsthand account of how uncomfortable it was to watch Commodus perform in the arena.
- Visit the Capitoline Museums: If you're ever in Rome, go see the bust of Commodus as Hercules. It is one of the most famous pieces of Roman propaganda ever carved. You can see the delusion in the marble.
- Compare the Stoicism: Read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations alongside the history of his son's reign. It provides a stark contrast between the Stoic ideal of "duty" and the hedonistic reality of "power."
- Trace the decline: Look into the "Year of the Five Emperors" (193 AD) to see how quickly a stable empire can vanish when the line of succession breaks.
The story of Commodus isn't just about a "bad king." It’s about how fragile systems are when they rely on the character of a single individual. Marcus Aurelius was a great man, but his greatest failure was perhaps his hope that his son would be just like him.