He is the worst emperor in the history of Rome. The fact that his father, Marcus Aurelius, was a popular and successful ruler may have set a precedent for Commodus to respect. But for some reason, Commodus proved to be an out-of-touch and indulgent leader. At the age of five, Commodus was named Caesar, and at seventeen he became co-Augustus with his father. He spent his childhood accompanying Marcus Aurelius on political campaigns and learned a lot about how to run an empire. However, after his father's death, the people of Rome found that the years under Marcus Aurelius had not had an impact on Commodus' leadership skills. Commodus' reign was filled with bad decisions, which caused the people of Rome to suffer. Commodus' first bad act took place immediately after his father's death. The new emperor concluded a treaty with the German tribe of Marcomanni, enemies of his father. From then on, Commodus gradually lost the favor of his subjects. Believing himself equal to the gods, the emperor began to dress like Hercules, son of the god Jupiter. His clothes were made of lion skin and he carried a club. Commodus also loved gladiatorial combat. He even went so far as to fight in arenas. This did not impress his subjects. In fact, they could not believe that their emperor would willingly reduce himself to the lowest level of human being on earth. The emperor's gladiator career seemed like a joke to the citizen. And although he claimed to have killed 12,000 men in his many battles, the people of Rome knew that had nothing to do with his gladiatorial skills. The men and beasts Commodus fought were not sufficiently armed. The emperor possessed the most modern weaponry, and his opposition was lucky if the... middle of paper ...... renamed all the months of the calendar after each of his many titles and he also renamed the legions , Rome and the Senate after him. Commodus even declared himself the founder of a new Rome, of a new Romulus. Although nothing of value happened during Commodus' reign, he did not persecute Christians like previous emperors and a few conversions are said to have occurred during his reign. This tolerance towards Christians did not help the emperor's popularity and numerous assassination attempts were made against him. Commodus was finally felled in 192 AD. He was strangled by a Greek athlete while bathing and reigned for 12 years. Commodus was the last Emperor Antony, and after him the Roman Empire began its long decline. He had failed the empire at a time when it needed a strong and capable ruler to face the looming threat of the barbarians.

Essay / He is the worst emperor in the history of Rome. The fact that his father, Marcus Aurelius, was a popular and successful ruler may have set a precedent for Commodus to respect. But for some reason, Commodus proved to be an out-of-touch and indulgent leader. At the age of five, Commodus was named Caesar, and at seventeen he became co-Augustus with his father. He spent his childhood accompanying Marcus Aurelius on political campaigns and learned a lot about how to run an empire. However, after his father's death, the people of Rome found that the years under Marcus Aurelius had not had an impact on Commodus' leadership skills. Commodus' reign was filled with bad decisions, which caused the people of Rome to suffer. Commodus' first bad act took place immediately after his father's death. The new emperor concluded a treaty with the German tribe of Marcomanni, enemies of his father. From then on, Commodus gradually lost the favor of his subjects. Believing himself equal to the gods, the emperor began to dress like Hercules, son of the god Jupiter. His clothes were made of lion skin and he carried a club. Commodus also loved gladiatorial combat. He even went so far as to fight in arenas. This did not impress his subjects. In fact, they could not believe that their emperor would willingly reduce himself to the lowest level of human being on earth. The emperor's gladiator career seemed like a joke to the citizen. And although he claimed to have killed 12,000 men in his many battles, the people of Rome knew that had nothing to do with his gladiatorial skills. The men and beasts Commodus fought were not sufficiently armed. The emperor possessed the most modern weaponry, and his opposition was lucky if the... middle of paper ...... renamed all the months of the calendar after each of his many titles and he also renamed the legions , Rome and the Senate after him. Commodus even declared himself the founder of a new Rome, of a new Romulus. Although nothing of value happened during Commodus' reign, he did not persecute Christians like previous emperors and a few conversions are said to have occurred during his reign. This tolerance towards Christians did not help the emperor's popularity and numerous assassination attempts were made against him. Commodus was finally felled in 192 AD. He was strangled by a Greek athlete while bathing and reigned for 12 years. Commodus was the last Emperor Antony, and after him the Roman Empire began its long decline. He had failed the empire at a time when it needed a strong and capable ruler to face the looming threat of the barbarians.

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