MARCUS AURELIUS BY JOSEPH JEFFERY AND CHRIS Marcus

MARCUS AURELIUS BY: JOSEPH, JEFFERY AND CHRIS

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus is regarded as one of the greatest emperors in Roman history; he is numbered among the "Five Good Emperors. " Marcus ruled the vast empire from 161 to 180 AD. A highly intelligent man, he stands out as one of the greatest intellectual rulers in Western Civilization. Although a great military leader, Marcus was impressed with a firm desire for peace that manifested itself in his philosophical writings.

Marcus Aurelius was a fair ruler. He showed mercy to his vanquished foes, fought corruption and slavery. When the empire was at war and hard-pressed for funds, instead of raising taxes he sold his own possessions.

Marcus was born in Rome on April 26, 121 and raised in a wealthy and politically prominent family. He was noticed by the Emperor Hadrian while he was still a child and was consequently given special educational privileges. Marcus was enrolled in the Equestrians at the age of six and the next year he was given special permission to attend the priestly college of the Salii in Rome. It was here that Marcus was taught by the greatest thinkers of the day, representing a variety of cultures.

Antoninus Pius had Marcus move to the imperial palace on the Palatine Hill and gradually began to involve him in the fearsome task of running an empire of about 3. 5 million square miles with some 20 per cent of the population of the world. Marcus complained of feeling drowned in paperwork. He shunned pomp and circumstance and disliked living in the imperial palace. However he came to the philosophical conclusion that ‘Where life is possible, then it is possible to live the right life; life is possible in a palace, so it is possible to live the right life in a palace. ’

Marcus Aurelius was the last of the “Five Good Emperors. ” He assumed the throne alongside Lucius Veras in 161 A. D. and served until his death. Aurelius spent his time fighting Rome’s enemies and delving into Stoic philosophy. Interestingly, Marcus Aurelius’ legacy included not only military victories and defense of empire, but a lasting philosophical reputation.

In 167, the German tribes invaded a Roman city. Marcus and Verus arranged for funds for their own soldiers and finally after assembling a strong army, they drove the Germans away from their lands. However, Verus died during this time and Aurelius was made the sole emperor of Roman empire.

He ruled during the era of the "Five Good Emperors" and was considered one of them, but came to power during troubled times, which some historians describe as the beginning of the decline of the empire, therefore his accomplishments, compared to the Julio. Claudians, for example, were limited. Most of his time as emperor was spent fending off invading Germanic tribes in the north and the Parthian empire in the east.

Several German tribes invaded Italy in 169. This is the first actual invasion of Italy by foreign forces in several centuries. It shocked the Romans into action. However, the plague that was brought back by victorious Roman legions from the Parthian War caused serious problems. There were not enough Roman freedmen to fill out the legions. Faced with this recruitment problem, Marcus Aurelius conscripted gladiators, bandits, slaves, and Germanic tribesmen. This was an unorthodox move by Marcus Aurelius but it probably was a necessity. It certainly was an instance of decisive problem solving.

In his nineteen year reign, Marcus Aurelius had to solve problems a great deal. Dealing with the plague and multiple wars, on top of the normal affairs of state, presented him with many opportunities to make tough decisions. Of those, two are of particular note. In the first, Marcus Aurelius made the decision to conscript slaves to serve in the military. In the second, he auctioned off Imperial property to raise funds for the cash strapped Roman Empire.

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