17. Big things were expected of Commodus, with Marcus Aurelius determined that his successor would be his biological son, not an adopted heir
From the day his twin brother died at a young age, Commodus was groomed to succeed his father. Inevitably, the young man benefited from the finest education of the age. Marcus Aurelius, a learned man himself, hired the greatest minds of the time to tutor his son. These included Onesicrates, Antistius Capella, Titus Aius Sanctus, and Pitholaus, all of them well-respected and even celebrity intellectuals. The Emperor also ensured his own son was given a grounding in science by his personal physician Galen – though, as we shall see, the reckless, even psychotic youth, took this medical training way too far.
When Commodus was just 16, Marcus Aurelius named him Imperator. This was a year after he had been named the youngest Consul in the history of the Empire. Then in 177, just a few months before he reached the age of 18, Commodus was given the title Augustus, banishing any doubt that he would rule as Emperor. Being bestowed with this title meant that father and son reigned as co-rulers. It was as such that they set off to the banks of the River Danube in March 180 in order to put down an uprising by some local tribes.