Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius (AD 121 – 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180, a Stoic philosopher and the last of the Five Good Emperors. His reign saw the Antonine Plague and the Marcomannic Wars against the Germanic peoples beyond the Danube, and the notes he wrote to himself in Greek in camp at the front survive as the Meditations. He is also often discussed for making his own son Commodus his heir.
| Lived | AD 121 – AD 180 |
|---|---|
| Active in | Rome · the Danube frontier (Carnuntum, Vindobona) |
| Known for | The Meditations; last of the Five Good Emperors |
| Game start | 167 · age 46 · Roman emperor (ruler) — Winter on the Danube |
Life at a glance
- AD 121 Born in Rome on 26 April.
- AD 124 His father Marcus Annius Verus dies, and he is brought up by his grandfather.
- AD 138 At Hadrian's wish he is adopted by Antoninus Pius.
- AD 145 Marries his adoptive father's daughter Faustina.
- AD 161 When Antoninus dies in March he becomes emperor and makes his adoptive brother Lucius Verus co-emperor. His son Commodus is born the same year.
- AD 165 The Antonine Plague (probably smallpox) begins to spread with the army returning from the Parthian campaign.
- AD 169 Lucius Verus dies. To pay for the Marcomannic Wars, Marcus auctions the treasures of the palace.
- AD 175 Avidius Cassius, general in the East, claims the throne and is killed three months later; the same year the empress Faustina dies.
- AD 177 Makes Commodus co-emperor.
- AD 180 Dies of illness on 17 March on the Danube front (at Vindobona or Sirmium, according to the sources), and Commodus succeeds him alone.
Family
The family members who appear with this character when you start the game. Years follow the historical record; where none survives, a ? is shown.
| Relation | Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Father | Marcus Annius Verus | ? – AD 124 | Praetor; died when Marcus was about three |
| Mother | Domitia Lucilla | Dates unknown | A wealthy heiress |
| Wife | Faustina (the Younger) | c. AD 130 – AD 175 | Daughter of Antoninus Pius; died at Halala in Cappadocia in 175 |
| Co-emperor and son-in-law | Lucius Verus | AD 130 – AD 169 | Adoptive brother and husband of his daughter Lucilla |
| Daughter | Lucilla | c. AD 148 – AD 182 | Executed in 182 for a plot against Commodus |
| Daughter | Annia Faustina | AD 151 – ? | |
| Daughter | Fadilla | AD 159 – ? | |
| Daughter | Cornificia | AD 160 – c. AD 212 | Put to death under Caracalla |
| Son | Commodus | AD 161 – AD 192 | Emperor from 180; assassinated in 192 |
| Son | Annius Verus | AD 162 – AD 169 | Died aged seven in 169 |
In the game
You begin in AD 167 in Rome as an emperor of forty-six. You rule the whole Roman Empire, but the treasury has been emptied by the eastern campaign, plague is thinning the legions, and north of the Danube the Marcomanni and Quadi are waiting for the river to freeze. Your co-emperor Lucius Verus, your wife Faustina, your daughter Lucilla and young Commodus are with you.
In the first event, “The year of the plague”, you choose whether to arm even slaves and gladiators to fill the legions, or to pay for funerals out of public money. In 169 Verus's death, Lucilla's remarriage and the auction in the Forum of Trajan come all at once, and the physician Galen and the hostage boy Marbod come into this life.
The turning point is “Province of Marcomannia”. It turns on whether the emperor beats his fever in the camp at Vindobona in spring 180. As in real history, the story goes through the walls of Aquileia, the Rain Miracle, Cassius's letter and the winter at Halala and ends at Vindobona in 180; if the fever passes, it leads to another branch in which you found a province of Marcomannia beyond the Danube.
- Scenario guide Winter on the Danube
- Era guide Roman Empire
- Related turning points What if Marcus Aurelius had created the province of Marcomannia?
Frequently asked questions
When and how were the Meditations written?
They are short notes Marcus wrote to himself in Greek in camp on the Danube front during the Marcomannic Wars of the 170s; the original title is “To Himself”. There are twelve books, and the end of book 1 says “Among the Quadi, on the Gran”, the end of book 2 “At Carnuntum”.
How did Marcus Aurelius die?
He died of illness on the Danube front on 17 March 180. What the illness was is not certain, and some think it was the Antonine Plague; the place is given as Vindobona (modern Vienna) or Sirmium.
Was Commodus Marcus's own son?
Yes, born to Faustina in 161. The earlier Good Emperors chose successors by adoption, but Marcus was the first to have a surviving son, and he made Commodus co-emperor in 177. Commodus was assassinated in 192.
Sources
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations; Cassius Dio, Roman History, book 72; Historia Augusta, Life of Marcus Aurelius.