15. Commodus wasn’t just a spoiled child, he was a sadistically cruel one too, as his young friends and slaves found out to their cost
From an early age, it was clear to everyone that Commodus had a wicked side. He was a cruel child, and being his friend was a risky business. Clearly, he enjoyed being the son of the Emperor and was only too ready to use his unchecked power to be the ultimate bully. According to one account, anyone who made fun of him would be “cast to the wild beasts”, with Commodus watching on in amusement. Childhood friends who had the audacity to better him in their studies or military training were also punished, often in the most appalling way imaginable.
Given the cruelty he was willing to show his friends, it’s no surprise that the young Commodus treated slaves terribly. Since he didn’t need to worry about the financial implications of losing a slave, he was prepared to have his servants killed for the slightest failing. Famously, he would punish any slaves who got his bathing rituals wrong. Since Commodus would take 7 or 8 baths a day, working in this part of the house was a risky business indeed – the records show that he had a slave executed on the spot for getting the temperature of his bathwater slightly wrong.