Read Online ASSASSINATIONS AND CONSPIRACIES (True Crime) by Rodney Castleden - Free Book Online
Authors: Rodney Castleden
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struggle among the red-blooded generals; and the icing on the cake was that Nerva was old, sick and childless.
Commodus
190
Commodus was the son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. He was a mediocrity whose faults were magnified by the power he inherited. As a boy he was good-natured, wanting to emulate his father’s devotion to virtue, but without his father’s mental drive or self-discipline. He became emperor while serving in the army along the Danube. When Marcus Aurelius died, Commodus gave an impressive speech to the troops and then returned to Rome, calling off his father’s planned conquest of central Europe. A positive outcome was the imposition on Europe of a peace settlement that was very favourable to Rome and held for many years.
When Commodus arrived in Rome, the public greeted their new emperor with enthusiasm, assuming that the handsome, fair-haired and well-proportioned Commodus would be a good emperor like his father. Once settled in Rome, however, he showed himself more interested in the glamour and display of imperial office than in government. He was ready to leave the chore of governing to others. He had his first brush with would-be assassins early in his reign.
Commodus was a liberal pacifist by nature. He sought to avoid warfare. When there were incursions of German tribes to the north, he bought them off. The senate saw this as treason and turned against him. A conspiracy to assassinate Commodus developed, involving leading members of the senate, the emperor’s sister, Lucilla and her son. Their attempt failed as the foolish young senator with the task of killing Commodus, Lucilla’s son, felt compelled to make a long speech mocking Commodus while brandishing his knife, giving Commodus’s bodyguards ample time to seize and disarm him. All the conspirators, including Commodus’s sister, were executed, and the senate lived in a state of fear. The incident also had an effect on Commodus, encouraging him to hide for his own safety behind a series of ‘proxy’ rulers.
The first of these was his chamberlain Saoterus, but he was assassinated soon after taking office. After that, Commodus retreated from the public eye, handing over power to Perennis, the commander of the Praetorian Guard. Perennis made enemies, who falsely reported to Commodus that he intended to install one of his own sons as emperor. Commodus believed this and had Perennis and all of his sons executed.
A former slave called Cleander was the next proxy emperor. He openly sold government military appointments, keeping a commission for himself and handing the rest over to Commodus. Cleander’s downfall came as a result of a grain shortage which was unfairly blamed on him. The food shortage led to a riot and to appease the mob, he had Cleander beheaded and gave both head and body to the crowd for their amusement. This appeased the crowd and when Commodus emerged from the palace it was an admiring throng that greeted him, not an angry mob.
Isolated successes like this persuaded Commodus that he had leadership skills, and decided to take up the reigns of government again. He declared himself to be Hercules and appeared in public wearing a lion skin. He also shocked the class-conscious Roman patricians by taking part in the gladiatorial games. Rumours began to spread that he was not really the son of Marcus Aurelius at all, but the son of a mere gladiator. He took pride in his physical strength, entering the arena wearing animal skins or extravagantly camp costumes. There he stabbed or clubbed animals to death to the applause of the crowd, though many who watched thought his behaviour profoundly demeaning.
In the reign of Commodus, the Guard in Rome and common soldiers elsewhere in the empire were free to abuse civilians. Commodus suspected the loyalty of military governors and took their children into custody as hostages; it was his way of ensuring the fathers’ loyalty. Commodus increasingly lost touch with reality and
Commodus
190
Commodus was the son of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. He was a mediocrity whose faults were magnified by the power he inherited. As a boy he was good-natured, wanting to emulate his father’s devotion to virtue, but without his father’s mental drive or self-discipline. He became emperor while serving in the army along the Danube. When Marcus Aurelius died, Commodus gave an impressive speech to the troops and then returned to Rome, calling off his father’s planned conquest of central Europe. A positive outcome was the imposition on Europe of a peace settlement that was very favourable to Rome and held for many years.
When Commodus arrived in Rome, the public greeted their new emperor with enthusiasm, assuming that the handsome, fair-haired and well-proportioned Commodus would be a good emperor like his father. Once settled in Rome, however, he showed himself more interested in the glamour and display of imperial office than in government. He was ready to leave the chore of governing to others. He had his first brush with would-be assassins early in his reign.
Commodus was a liberal pacifist by nature. He sought to avoid warfare. When there were incursions of German tribes to the north, he bought them off. The senate saw this as treason and turned against him. A conspiracy to assassinate Commodus developed, involving leading members of the senate, the emperor’s sister, Lucilla and her son. Their attempt failed as the foolish young senator with the task of killing Commodus, Lucilla’s son, felt compelled to make a long speech mocking Commodus while brandishing his knife, giving Commodus’s bodyguards ample time to seize and disarm him. All the conspirators, including Commodus’s sister, were executed, and the senate lived in a state of fear. The incident also had an effect on Commodus, encouraging him to hide for his own safety behind a series of ‘proxy’ rulers.
The first of these was his chamberlain Saoterus, but he was assassinated soon after taking office. After that, Commodus retreated from the public eye, handing over power to Perennis, the commander of the Praetorian Guard. Perennis made enemies, who falsely reported to Commodus that he intended to install one of his own sons as emperor. Commodus believed this and had Perennis and all of his sons executed.
A former slave called Cleander was the next proxy emperor. He openly sold government military appointments, keeping a commission for himself and handing the rest over to Commodus. Cleander’s downfall came as a result of a grain shortage which was unfairly blamed on him. The food shortage led to a riot and to appease the mob, he had Cleander beheaded and gave both head and body to the crowd for their amusement. This appeased the crowd and when Commodus emerged from the palace it was an admiring throng that greeted him, not an angry mob.
Isolated successes like this persuaded Commodus that he had leadership skills, and decided to take up the reigns of government again. He declared himself to be Hercules and appeared in public wearing a lion skin. He also shocked the class-conscious Roman patricians by taking part in the gladiatorial games. Rumours began to spread that he was not really the son of Marcus Aurelius at all, but the son of a mere gladiator. He took pride in his physical strength, entering the arena wearing animal skins or extravagantly camp costumes. There he stabbed or clubbed animals to death to the applause of the crowd, though many who watched thought his behaviour profoundly demeaning.
In the reign of Commodus, the Guard in Rome and common soldiers elsewhere in the empire were free to abuse civilians. Commodus suspected the loyalty of military governors and took their children into custody as hostages; it was his way of ensuring the fathers’ loyalty. Commodus increasingly lost touch with reality and
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