We all have heard of the legendary Roman Empire. We have heard of gladiators and we know of the emperors. Rome had many different rulers, some good, many bad, but we may not know of the great leaders of Rome. Marcus Aurelius can be categorized as one of the few great emperors of the Roman Empire. With a philosophical education and intellect alongside good judgments, Marcus Aurelius may have been perfect for the role of a ruler. Marcus was born on April 26, 121A.D. in the capital of the Roman Empire to a wealthy and politically involved family. As a boy Marcus studied rhetoric (the art of public speaking), Greek, and Latin. Eventually he started studying philosophy because it interested him. He was studious and a hard worker. The Emperor Hadrian…show more content… Marcus became Consul (leader of the Senate) and would eventually gain more and more responsibilities in the government. Marcus married Annia Galeria Faustina; the emperor’s daughter (his cousin). Marcus and Annia had many kids together. The most known of the kids would be Lucilla, their daughter and their son Commodus. After the Emperor (Marcus’s father Titus) died, Marcus took the throne. He insisted on having his adopted brother serve as co-emperor. This was the first time in history for Rome to have two emperors with equal power. However Marcus’s brother did not compare to Marcus’s achievements in philosophy and so forth. As the brothers ruled together, their empire was burdened by war and disease.
They fought the Parthian empire for lands to the east. The war effort was guided by Lucius while Marcus stayed in Rome to attend to the people. They succeeded in the Parthian War with much credit due to a General named Avidius Cassius. The returning soldiers returned home with a plague. This plague wiped out a great number of people in the empire. Not only was there a plague going around in the empire, but there was also a German tribes invading Italy. In 169 A.D. Marcus’s co-emperor died. Marcus had to drive out the German invaders by…show more content… After hearing rumors that Marcus was extremely sick, Avidius Cassius decided to take the throne and to claim it for himself. This action forced Marcus to travel east to regain control of his empire. His wife died as Marcus toured the east trying to regain authority. In the end Cassius was killed by his own soldiers. Marcus was left even more alone than before, with the passing of his wife. On March 17, 180 Marcus died and his son became the new emperor of Rome. His reign ended the streak of, “five good emperors.” He was known for his intelligence and love for philosophy. The difference between Marcus and other Emperors was his hard work and character. When his son came into power Rome went into a bad state. The empire was in such a bad state that his own sister Lucilla and her cousin Marcus Ummidius Quadratus were in a plot to assassinate him. Marcus Aurelius kept a journal throughout his life. The journal was fully of philosophical ideas and personal thoughts. These journals are known as The Meditations. These journals show that Marcus was greatly influenced by the Stoicism form of philosophy. Stoicism is a philosophy on a calm mode of