Commodus, whose full name was Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus, was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192 AD. He was the son of the preceding emperor, Marcus Aurelius, and was co-emperor with his father from 177 AD.
Born on August 31, 161 AD in Lanuvium, Commodus was the tenth of fourteen children of Marcus Aurelius and his wife Faustina the Younger. He was raised in an environment steeped in the philosophy of Stoicism, which his father embraced. Marcus Aurelius named Commodus as his heir, marking a shift from the adoptive succession that had characterized the Five Good Emperors period, to a biological succession.
Upon Marcus Aurelius's death in 180 AD, Commodus ascended the throne at the age of 18. His rule was marked by several key events:
Commodus's later years saw a decline in his mental health and increasing paranoia. His erratic behavior and perceived incompetence led to a conspiracy against him. In December 192 AD, he was strangled in his bath by a wrestler named Narcissus, who was part of a plot led by the Praetorian Prefect Laetus and Commodus's mistress Marcia.
Commodus's rule is often viewed negatively due to his self-indulgence, neglect of public affairs, and the decline of the Roman Senate's power. His death marked the end of the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty, leading to a period of civil war and instability known as the Year of the Five Emperors.