Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (April 26 121 – March 17 180) was Roman Emperor from 161 to his death inside 180. He was natural Marcus Annius Catilius Severus, & at marriage took a title Marcus Annius Verus. After he was known as Emperor, he was given a title Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. He was a previous of the Five Good Emperors.

Early life
His uncle Antoninus Pius adopted him as a sin & intended him his successor on February 25 138, when Marcus was lone xvii years aged. Antoninus as well known as Lucius Verus as his successor. Whilst Antoninus died in March 7 161, Marcus accepted the potty on the affliction that he & Verus were mass produced joint emperors (Augusti), with Verus partially subordinate. A reasons for this come unreadable however come thought to keep close at hand been a portion of the succession arrangement of Antoninus's predecessor, Hadrian. When a dying of his number one adoptive boy, Aelius Verus, Hadrian appointed Antoninus Pius his successor on a problem that Antoninus successively would adopt Marcus Annius Verus, the boy of his married woman's brother, & Lucius, boy of Aelius Verus, & arrange for the babies to exist as next inside line. Eventually it became a emperors Marcus Aurelius & Lucius Aelius Verus.

Aurelius married Faustina the Younger in 145. When you took their 30-seaboy marriage Faustina wore long dozen youngsters, virtually all notably, his son Commodus who would become Emperor & girl Lucilla who was wed to Lucius Verus to solidify his alliance with Marcus Aurelius.

Roman emperor
A joint succession will develop been motivated by military exigency. When you took his reign Marcus Aurelius was near constantly at war sustaining various peoples outside a Empire. Germanic tribes and other peoples launched several raids ayearn a long European border, particularly into Gaul — Germans, in turn, can develop been under fire from either other warlike tribes farther east. Inside Asia, a revitalised Parthian Empire renewed its assault. a extremely authoritative figure was required to command a troops, however a emperor himself may not defend each fronts at the equivalent instance. Neither can he only appoint the general to lead of these assault; earliest popular armed forces leaders prefer Julius Caesar and Vespasian had used a armed forces to overthrow a existent government & set up themselves when supreme leaders.

Marcus Aurelius solved a condition by sending Verus to command a legions in the East. He was authoritative plenty to command a to the full loyalty of the troops, however already mighty sufficiency that he experienced little incentive to overthrow Marcus. A project was successful — Verus remained firm until his demise within campaign in 169. This joint emperorship was faintly remindful of the political models of the Roman Republic, which functioned according to a principle of collegiality and did not allow one human to hang on to supreme power. Joint rule was revived by Diocletian's establishment of the Tetrarchy in the late 3rd century.

Writings
When you took campaign between 170 & 180, Aurelius wrote his Meditations as a source for his own counsel & self-self-reformation. His notes were representative of Stoic philosophy and spirituality. These meditations last & come exposed to this day.

Contacts with China
A foremost of many Roman embassies to China, although attributed to Antoninus Pius by the Hou Hanshu (History of the Later Han Chinese dynasty), was probably sent out by Marcus Aurelius. Antoninus Pius died around 161, while a convoy arrived around 166. A confusion arises because Marcus Aurelius took when extra list people of his predecessor, as a mark of respect. A emperor is referred to around Chinese history as "An Tun" (= Antoninus). A mission reached a Chinese capital Luoyang in 166 and was greeted by Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty.

Death
Marcus Aurelius died in March 17 180 during a expedition against the Marcomanni in the city of Vindobona (modern Vienna). His ashes were returned to Rome and rest in Hadrian's mausoleum (modern Castel Sant'Angelo). He was entity to locate a succession for his boy Commodus, whom he processed co-emperor withwithin his have life (in 177), though the guide could stand been unlucky. Commodus was the political & military outsider, likewise as an extreme swellhead. Numerous historiographer guess that a decline of Rome began under Commodus. For this understanding, Aurelius' demise is typically held to keep around been a prevent of the Pax Romana.

Depictions in art

The swell preserved bronze equestrian sculpture of Marcus Aurelius, which during a Middle Ages had stood in the Lateran Palace within Rome, was relocated in 1538 to the Place del Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill); currently a original is within a Musei Capitolini, while the copy get on display in the square. These are a sole living bronze statue of a pre-Christian Roman emperor — the understanding existence that as a consequence Rome's conversion to Christianity, after statues of Emperors were existence run to produce statues for the Christian churches, it was (incorrectly) thought that the statue was of the Emperor Constantine, who 'christianised' Rome, and so it was left untouched. Based on data from either accounts from medieval times, the little figure of a attached barbarian chieftain once crouched underneath a horse's front correct leg. Additionally, it was one of a couple Roman statues to remain in public see when you took a Middle Ages. Such an image was intended to portray a Emperor as an universally victorious a lot-conquering lord of the globe. Yet, shown while forgoing weapons or even armor, Marcus Aurelius seems to exist as the bringer of peace like than the military hero, for this is how else he saw himself & his reign. This statue is the subject of the €Nought.Fifty Italian euro coin designed by Roberto Mauri.

Appearances in film and literature
Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius in Gladiator. ''Mémoires 500'Hadrien (1951), a fictitious however plausible autobiography of one of his predecessors, Hadrian, by Marguerite Yourcenar The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964 film), played by Alec Guinness Household Gods (1999 novel), by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove. (ISBN 0613351479) Gladiator'' (2000 film), played by Richard Harris