Edward Gibbon, in his work on the decline of the Roman Empire, highlighted a period of prosperity from Domitian's death to Commodus' accession. This era saw great emperors and was considered a golden age, despite its inevitable decline. Marcus Aurelius, known as the philosopher emperor, was a significant figure during this time. Born into an influential family, he was groomed by Emperor Hadrian and later adopted by Antoninus Pius, becoming co-emperor with Lucius Verus. Despite his stoic philosophy and reluctance for war, Marcus Aurelius' reign was marked by military campaigns, including the Marcomannic Wars. His writings, known as 'Meditations,' reflect his stoic beliefs and experiences during these tumultuous times. His death marked the end of Pax Romana and ushered in a period of instability.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Edward Gibbon wrote that the period from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus was the time when the human race was most happy and prosperous.
2. Marcus Aurelius was born in April 121 in Rome's affluent Caelian Hill district.
3. Marcus Aurelius was given the name of his father and grandfather, Marcus Annius Verus.
4. Marcus' family, the Annii, rose to political prominence during the Flavian era.
5. Hadrian took notice of Marcus and showered him with honors and favors.
6. At the age of six, Marcus was enrolled in the equites at Hadrian's personal nomination.
7. Marcus started his education at the age of seven, studying drama, music, geometry, literature, and stoic teachings.
8. Marcus was tutored by a Greek slave-teacher who introduced him to stoic teachings.
9. Marcus' mother, Domitia Lucilla, caught him sleeping on hard, bare ground wearing only a philosopher's cloak.
10. When Marcus was 15, he was permitted to don the toga virilis of manhood.
11. Hadrian adopted an unambitious long-time senator, Antoninus Pius, as his son and heir.
12. Antoninus was required to adopt Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus as his own successors.
13. Marcus completed his formal education under the supervision of Cornelius Fronto and Junius Rusticus.
14. Marcus was appointed to the quaestor position, followed by a two-time stint as consul.
15. Marcus received both the tribunician and proconsular powers.
16. Coins were minted promoting Marcus as Caesar of Rome.
17. Marcus married Antoninus' daughter Faustina in 145.
18. Faustina bore Marcus' first child two years later.
19. Antoninus survived for over two decades, and Marcus didn't depose him despite the opportunity.
20. When Antoninus died, Marcus inherited the supreme authority and delegated part of his power to Lucius Verus.
21. Marcus and Lucius granted each praetorian guardsman a donative of 20,000 sesterces to ensure their loyalty.
22. Marcus oversaw Antoninus' funeral and unopposed deification by the senate.
23. A torrential downpour in the Autumn of 161 flooded the Tiber and affected Rome, killing many and leaving many homeless.
24. Marcus did his best to alleviate the city's suffering.
25. An aggressive Parthian king, Vologases IV, invaded the traditional Roman ally kingdom of Armenia.
26. Marcus sent Lucius Verus as figurehead to represent the imperial house at war.
27. Marcus remained in Rome, personally administering Rome's financial, organizational, and legal matters.
28. Marcus Aurelius reintroduced Hadrian's unpopular but effective system of administering Italy with four special magistrates.
29. Marcus increased the scope of positions available to equites and increased their salaries.
30. Marcus developed an emulation of the senate's ancient ladder of magistracies for equites to rise through the ranks.
31. The Antonine Plague wiped out swathes of the population, critically decreasing the imperial tax base and manpower.
32. Marcus alleviated the suffering of Rome's population as effectively as he could.
33. Marcus was active in building the military and kept one eye on the Danube frontier.
34. Marcus raised legios II and III Italica to bolster the area.
35. By late 165, Marcus' generals in the east had turned back the Parthians and pushed deep into Mesopotamia.
36. The hero of the war, Avidius Cassius, sacked the twin Parthian capitals of Seleucia and Ctesiphon.
37. Cassius was appointed as Marcus' prefect of Egypt and de facto viceroy of the east.
38. Lucius Verus was indulging in luxuries and vice offered by the cities of Laodicea and Antioch.
39. The Roman Empire was sapped to death by plague, and Marcus mustered the necessary reinforcements from whatever sources he could.
40. Marcus sold off the imperial silverware and some of his wife Faustina's ornate clothing to raise funds.
41. Marcus departed Italy for the very first time in spring 168 to conduct the war.
42. Lucius Verus died unexpectedly, leaving Marcus as sole ruler of the Roman world.
43. Marcus reached his tumultuous Danube frontier and made a Pannonian city called Sirmium his headquarters.
44. The war, which began with a colossal Roman offensive across the Danube in 170, was a grinding, brutal, back-and-forth slog.
45. Marcus wrote his Meditations during the war, detailing matters including his duties as emperor, trouble sleeping, and even musing about withdrawing from life completely.
46. By 175, Marcus' legions were already occupying part of Marcomannia, and had forced many of their allies to conclude peace.
47. Marcus shifted south, determined to exterminate the Sarmatians root and stem, and annex their lands as Romanized provinces.
48. Avidius Cassius declared himself augustus and seized the eastern provinces south of the Taurus for himself.
49. Marcus Aurelius summoned his 15-year-old son Commodus to Germania and made it clear that he was ready to claim the purple if necessary.
50. Cassius was assassinated by a loyalist centurion known only as Antonius.
51. Marcus toured the east to assure its loyalty before returning to Rome and making Commodus his co-emperor in 177.
52. Faustina died en route, and rumors persist that she was poisoned for her part in Cassius' revolt.
53. August 178 saw both father and son depart Rome for the expeditio Germanica secunda - the second phase of the Marcomannic Wars.
54. After two more years of conflict, Marcus fell seriously ill with plague in March 180.
55. The emperor passed away, and with him, the Pax Romana died.