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Commodus (161-192) was born in 161 and was son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. At 15 years old, Commodus become co-emperor with his father in 177, making Marcus Aurelius the first emperor to have a legitimate biological heir since Vespasian. He became sole emperor three years later, when his father died in 180.<br/><br/> One of his first acts was to devalue the Roman currecy, the largest reduction since Nero's reign. Unlike his father's reign of almost continuous warfare, Commodus ruled over a relatively peaceful Empire, though it was marked by political strife and increasingly megalomaniacal behaviour by Commodus himself. Roman historian Dio Cassius stated that Commodus' reign marked the decline 'from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust', with many claiming that Commodus' terrible rule began the decline of the Roman Empire.<br/><br/> Commodus was extremely proud of his physical prowess, and often compared himself to Hercules, seeing himself as a reincarnation of the demigod. He also sometimes fought in scandalous gladiatorial games. His despotic and disgraceful rule was eventually ended with his assassination on the 31st of December, 192, when he was strangled by his wrestling partner Narcissus after a previous poisoning attempt had failed. He was declared a public enemy by the Senate after his death and his statues were thrown down.
Commodus was born in 161 and was son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. At 15 years old, Commodus become co-emperor with his father in 177, making Marcus Aurelius the first emperor to have a legitimate biological heir since Vespasian. He became sole emperor three years later, when his father died in 180.<br/><br/> One of his first acts was to devalue the Roman currecy, the largest reduction since Nero's reign. Unlike his father's reign of almost continuous warfare, Commodus ruled over a relatively peaceful Empire, though it was marked by political strife and increasingly megalomaniacal behaviour by Commodus himself. Roman historian Dio Cassius stated that Commodus' reign marked the decline 'from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust', with many claiming that Commodus' terrible rule began the decline of the Roman Empire<br/><br/> Commodus was extremely proud of his physical prowess, and often compared himself to Hercules, seeing himself as a reincarnation of the demigod. He also sometimes fought in scandalous gladiatorial games. His despotic and disgraceful rule was eventually ended with his assassination on the 31st of December, 192, when he was strangled by his wrestling partner Narcissus after a previous poisoning attempt had failed. He was declared a public enemy by the Senate after his death and his statues were thrown down.
Pertinax (126-193 CE) was born the son of a freed slave, and worked as a teacher before becoming an officer in the army. Successful campaigns against the Parthians saw him rise in rank and prestige, with Pertinax eventually rising to become a member of the Senate.<br/><br/> Pertinax was declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard after the death of Commodus, where he immediately tried to institute several sweeping reforms. One of these reforms was the restoration of discipline amongst the pampered Praetorian Guard, making enemies that ultimately resulted in Pertinax's assassination by members of the Guard just under three months into his reign. After his death, the Praetorians acutioned off the imperial title, resulting in a brief civil war and the year 193 CE becoming known as the Year of the Five Emperors.<br/><br/> Pertinax was later deified by Septimius Severus, the emperor after Pertinax's successor, Didius Julianus. His reputation throughout history has largely been a positive one, though his short reign has made it difficult to dertermine what his rule would have truly been like.