Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and Stoic philosopher
Marcus Aurelius
Marble bust, Musée Saint-Raymond
Roman emperor
Reign
7 March 161 – 17 March 180
Predecessor
Antoninus Pius
Successor
Commodus
Co-emperor
Lucius Verus (161–169)
Commodus (177–180)
Born
(121-04-26)26 April 121 Rome, Italia, Roman Empire
Died
17 March 180(180-03-17) (aged 58) Vindobona, Pannonia Superior, or Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior
Burial
Hadrian's Mausoleum
Spouse
Faustina the Younger (m. 145; d. 175)
Issue Among others
Lucilla
Faustina
Fadilla
Cornificia Faustina Minor
Commodus
Annius Verus
Sabina
Names
Marcus Annius Catilius Severus (birth)
Marcus Annius Verus (124)
Marcus Aelius Aurelius Verus Caesar (138)
(see § Name for details)
Regnal name
Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus
Dynasty
Nerva–Antonine
Father
Marcus Annius Verus
Antoninus Pius (adoptive)
Mother
Domitia Calvilla
Philosophy career
Notable work
Meditations
Era
Hellenistic philosophy
Region
Western philosophy
School
Stoicism
Main interests
Ethics
Notable ideas
Memento mori[1]
Roman imperial dynasties
Aureus of Marcus Aurelius
Nerva–Antonine dynasty (AD 96–192)
Chronology
Nerva
96–98
Trajan
98–117
Hadrian
117–138
Antoninus Pius
138–161
Lucius Verus
161–169
Marcus Aurelius
161–180
Commodus
177–192
Family
Nerva–Antonine family tree
Category:Nerva–Antonine dynasty
Succession
Preceded by Flavian dynasty
Followed by Year of the Five Emperors
v
t
e
Part of a series on
Marcus Aurelius
Early life
Reign
Parthian War
Marcomannic Wars
Antonine Plague
Misc.
Meditations
Temple
Column
Statue
v
t
e
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin:[ˈmaːrkʊsau̯ˈreːliʊsantoːˈniːnʊs]; English: /ɔːˈriːliəs/aw-REE-lee-əs;[2] 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161.
Marcus Aurelius was the son of the praetor Marcus Annius Verus and his wife, Domitia Calvilla. He was related through marriage to the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Marcus's father died when he was three, and he was raised by his mother and paternal grandfather. After Hadrian's adoptive son, Aelius Caesar, died in 138, Hadrian adopted Marcus's uncle Antoninus Pius as his new heir. In turn, Antoninus adopted Marcus and Lucius, the son of Aelius. Hadrian died that year, and Antoninus became emperor. Now heir to the throne, Marcus studied Greek and Latin under tutors such as Herodes Atticus and Marcus Cornelius Fronto. He married Antoninus's daughter Faustina in 145.
After Antoninus died in 161, Marcus Aurelius acceded to the throne alongside his adoptive brother, who reigned under the name Lucius Verus. Under his rule the Roman Empire witnessed much military conflict. In the East, the Romans fought the Parthian war of Lucius Verus with a revitalized Parthian Empire and the rebel Kingdom of Armenia. Marcus defeated the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatian Iazyges in the Marcomannic Wars. These and other Germanic peoples began to represent a troubling reality for the Empire. He reduced the silver purity of the Roman currency, the denarius. The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire appears to have increased during his reign, but his involvement in this is unlikely since there is no record of early Christians in the 2nd century calling him a persecutor, and Tertullian even called Marcus a "protector of Christians".[3] The Antonine Plague broke out in 165 or 166 and devastated the population of the Roman Empire, causing the deaths of five to ten million people. Lucius Verus may have died from the plague in 169.
Unlike some of his predecessors, Marcus chose not to adopt an heir. His children included Lucilla, who married Lucius, and Commodus, whose succession after Marcus has been a subject of debate among both contemporary and modern historians. The Column of Marcus Aurelius and Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius still stand in Rome, where they were erected in celebration of his military victories. Meditations, the writings of "the philosopher" – as contemporary biographers called Marcus – are a significant source of the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy. These writings have been praised by fellow writers, philosophers, monarchs, and politicians centuries after his death.
^Henry Albert Fischel, Rabbinic Literature and Greco-Roman Philosophy: A Study of Epicurea and Rhetorica in Early Midrashic Writings, E. J. Brill, 1973, p. 95.
^'Marcus Aurelius' Archived 28 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Dictionary.com.
^Keresztes, Paul (July 1968). "Marcus Aurelius a Persecutor?". Harvard Theological Review. 61 (3): 321–341. doi:10.1017/S0017816000029230. ISSN 1475-4517. S2CID 159950967.
6–7; Birley, MarcusAurelius, pp. 48–49. HA Marcus v. 3; Birley, MarcusAurelius, p. 49. Birley, MarcusAurelius, pp. 49–50. HA Marcus v. 6–8, qtd. and...
reign he was co-emperor with his father MarcusAurelius. Commodus' sole rule, starting with the death of Aurelius in 180, is commonly thought to mark the...
The Column of MarcusAurelius (Latin: Columna Centenaria Divorum Marci et Faustinae, Italian: Colonna di Marco Aurelio) is a Roman victory column in Piazza...
John. 23 October 2011. "MarcusAurelius." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Roberts, John, ed. 23 October 2011. "Aurēlius, Marcus." The Oxford Dictionary...
The Equestrian Statue of MarcusAurelius (Italian: statua equestre di Marco Aurelio; Latin: Equus Marci Aurelii) is an ancient Roman equestrian statue...
MarcusAurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname Caracalla (/ˌkærəˈkælə/), was Roman...
Titus Aelius Aurelius M. f., son of MarcusAurelius, probably died young. Titus Aurelius M. f. Fulvus Antoninus Geminus, son of MarcusAurelius and twin brother...
people. He also wrote The Meditations of Marcus Garvey, its name an allusion to The Meditations of MarcusAurelius. From prison, Garvey continued corresponding...
was succeeded by his adopted sons MarcusAurelius and Lucius Verus as co-emperors. Antoninus Pius was born Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Antoninus near Lanuvium...
Birley, Marcus Aurelius, p. 131. HA Marcus ix.4; Birley, MarcusAurelius, p. 131. HA Marcus ix.5–6; Birley, MarcusAurelius, p. 131. HA Marcus ix.1; Birley...
MarcusAurelius Cleander (Greek: Μᾶρκος Αὐρήλιος Κλέανδρος; died 19 April 190), commonly known as Cleander, was a Roman freedman who gained extraordinary...
MarcusAurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – 21/22 March 235), also known as Alexander Severus, was Roman emperor from 222 until 235. The last emperor...
MarcusAurelius Carus (c. 222 – July or August 283) was Roman emperor from 282 to 283. During his short reign, Carus fought the Germanic tribes and Sarmatians...
MarcusAurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa...
his father, Marcus Annius Verus (III), MarcusAurelius was raised by his grandfather, Marcus Annius Verus (II). Educated at home, Marcus became an adherent...
The Arch of MarcusAurelius may refer to: Arch of MarcusAurelius (Rome), in Italy Arch of MarcusAurelius (Tripoli), in Libya (ancient city of Oea) This...
Maximian (Latin: MarcusAurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed Herculius, was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was Caesar from...
MarcusAurelius Carinus (died 285) was Roman Emperor from 283 to 285. The eldest son of the Emperor Carus, he was first appointed Caesar in late 282,...
until the 3rd century AD, and among its adherents was Roman Emperor MarcusAurelius. It experienced a decline after Christianity became the state religion...
MarcusAurelius Mausaeus Carausius (died 293) was a military commander of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century. He was a Menapian from Belgic Gaul, who...
MarcusAurelius Marius was emperor of the Gallic Empire in 269 following the assassination of Postumus. According to later tradition, he was a blacksmith...
Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (/ˌkæsioʊˈdɔːrəs/), was a Christian, Roman statesman, renowned scholar...
Pius appointed him tutor to his adopted sons, the future emperors MarcusAurelius and Lucius Verus. Fronto was born a Roman citizen in the year 100 in...
Marcus Annius Verus Caesar (162 or 163 – 10 September 169) was a son of Roman Emperor MarcusAurelius and Empress Faustina the Younger. Annius was made...
MarcusAurelius Claudius "Gothicus" (10 May 214 – August/September 270), also known as Claudius II, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign...
adaptations. The philosophy of Epictetus influenced the Roman emperor MarcusAurelius (AD 121 to AD 180), who cites Epictetus in his Meditations. Voltaire...
MarcusAurelius Claudius Quintillus (died 270) was a short-lived Roman emperor. He was a brother of Emperor Claudius Gothicus, whom he succeeded after...
Global Information
