Grooming Marcus to one day lead Rome, Hadrian had arranged the young man's marriage to the daughter of his designated successor, Commodus (KAHM-uh-duhs). This arrangement fell through when Commodus died. Hadrian chose a new consul to replace him: Antoninus Pius (an-toh-NINE-uhs PIE-uhs; ruled a. d. 138-161). Hadrian directed Antoninus to adopt both Marcus and Lucius Verus (VEER-uhs; a. d. 130-169) as sons.
When he became emperor, Antoninus made Marcus consul, one of the chief leaders of Rome. Marcus was only eighteen at the time, below the minimum age. This appointment illustrated the trust Antoninus placed in the young man. Five years later, Marcus married Antoninus's daughter Faustina (faw-STINE-uh). When he was twenty-five years old, just after the birth of their first child, a daughter, Marcus was given even greater political power. He served as tribune, a position with
Very few men can compete with Marcus Aurelius for the title of "best" Roman emperor; the other end of the spectrum, however, is much more crowded. Surprisingly, some of the really terrible emperors came along when the empire was at its height. Later, in its decline, assassins ensured that unpopular rulers did not remain in power long enough to establish a reputation. The insane Caligula (kuh-LIG-yoo-luh; ruled a. d. 37-41) is a strong candidate for the title of "worst" emperor. Nero (a. d. 37-68; ruled A. D. 54-68) lasted much longer and established a much more impressive record, both for cruelty and incompetence.
Half frustrated artist, half overgrown child, Nero was all monster. He could hardly have turned out otherwise, given his upbringing. His father, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (G'NAY-us doh-MISH-us uh-heen-uh-BAHR-bus), was every bit as terrible as his name. He is said to have killed a child for not drinking enough wine. At Nero's birth, he told the boy's mother, Agrippina (ag-ri-PIE-nuh), that their son would come to no good (an understatement).
Agrippina was no better than her husband, perhaps worse. She maneuvered to marry the absentminded emperor Claudius (ruled a. d. 41-54), her third husband. Later, Agrippina made advances toward her son. By then, having poisoned Claudius so that Nero could become emperor, she was fighting to keep Nero from killing her.
One of the few positive influences in Nero's life was the philosopher Seneca (SEHN-eh-kuh; c. 3 B. c.-c. a. d.65), who became his advisor. But the atmosphere around Nero affected Seneca as well. After Nero made an elaborate but botched attempt to kill Agrippina (by sinking a boat he gave her for her birthday in a. d. 59), Seneca arranged to finish off the job properly. Later, Nero forced Seneca to commit suicide.
Up until that time, as strange as it may sound, Nero had done a fairly responsible job of ruling. He even distributed funds to the poor. Although he had a habit of sneaking out at night to join
Authority to bring bills before the senate, until the death of Antoninus in a. d. 161.
As soon as the senate proclaimed him emperor, Marcus asked that they allow Lucius Verus to become his co-ruler with the title "Augustus." This became a model for the sharing of power by later emperors, which in the future would create problems; in Marcus's case, however, it was a mark of his generosity.
Gangs that robbed people in back alleys, few Romans knew about their emperor's late-night activities. Having removed all the restraining forces around him, however, Nero was free do do as he pleased.
Nero was fascinated with the arts. He fancied himself a singer and an actor. As a child he performed music publicly, something Roman nobles considered extremely undignified for one of their own. He had an insatiable appetite for approval. As emperor he could get all the approval he demanded. Thus he would later go to the Olympic Games and come home with more than 1,800 first prizes as an athlete, a singer, a harpist, and an actor.
Nero divorced his wife Octavia for Poppaea (pah-PEE-uh), whom he later killed—when she was pregnant with their child—because she complained about his lavish spending habits. His demand for the finer things in life led him to pass a law that every Roman citizen had to place him first in their will, an act which led to Boadicea's (see entry) revolt in Britain. The revolt of the
Celts was an example of Nero's horrendous record in foreign policy, but what brought down his reign was his behavior in Rome.
The infamous fire of a. d. 64 started his downhill slide. Nero did not start the blaze or fiddle while the city burned, as popular legend has it, but he did benefit from the fire by purchasing a prime piece of burned property at a discount. This led Romans to speculate that he had started the fire for his own profit. Anxious to take attention off himself, Nero blamed the Christians, beginning a wave of persecutions that claimed thousands, most likely including the apostles Paul (see entry) and Peter.
His expensive tour of Greece in A. D. 68 bankrupted the imperial treasury. Nero's enemies began closing in. His own Praetorian Guard was prepared to kill him, but Nero escaped to do the job himself. He waited until the Praetorians were about to take him; then he plunged the knife into his chest. His last words were, "Death! And so great an artist!
That generosity extended to others as well. Marcus and Lucius gave the Praetorian Guard a gift equal to several years' pay. They also established a fund to support the children of the poor. At the same time, they spent little on themselves, maintaining a dignified but simple life at the court. All these measures won the Romans' hearty approval. Marcus would remain a popular emperor throughout his reign.
World History
