2 – Marcus Aurelius – 180
Known as the last of the five Good Emperors and the ‘philosopher’ emperor, the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 signaled the end of over 80 years of solid leadership. He was groomed for the role of the emperor from a young age as Emperor Hadrian insisted that he would reign after Antoninus Pius died.
Marcus was initially co-ruler with his adopted brother, Lucius Verus until Lucius died in 169. Although he inherited an Empire in relatively good shape, he certainly didn’t have it easy. For one thing, he ruled during the Antonine Plague (165 – 180) which claimed the lives of up to five million people and may have been responsible for the death of Lucius. The plague unquestionably weakened the empire at a time when it faced threats from barbarian tribes on the Northern frontier.
The first five years of Marcus’ reign were marked by a war with Parthia (161 – 166) which began with an invasion of the Kingdom of Armenia by the Parthian King, Vologases IV. The governor of Cappadocia retaliated with a foolish attack which saw his legion massacred. The Romans finally won the day in 166, but the plague caused havoc. Marcus spent the rest of his reign fighting the marauding Germanic tribes although he found time to write his Mediations, a collection of his private thoughts and his ideas on Stoic philosophy.
Sadly, his belief system which involved showing respect to others, a sense of duty and above all, self-restraint, was completely abandoned by his successors who ranged from the incompetent to the utterly deranged. Marcus was succeeded by his son, Commodus, who reigned as co-emperor from 177. However, Commodus was a weak and cruel man, and those who followed him in the next couple of decades were no better. After such a long period of careful rule, Rome was heading into a crisis.