Emperor Commodus facts
While investigating facts about Emperor Commodus Death and Emperor Commodus Gladiator, I found out little known, but curios details like:
The Roman Emperor Commodus would fight in the arena as a gladiator. His opponents consisted of giraffes, citizens missing limbs and wounded roman soldiers. For every appearance in the arena he charged the city of Rome 1 million coins.
how emperor commodus died?
Roman Emperor Commodus was known to fight exotic animals in the arena, often to the horror of the Roman people. He once killed 100 lions in a single day. For each appearance in the arena, he charged a million sesterces, straining the Roman economy.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 17 of the best facts about Emperor Commodus Assassination and Emperor Commodus Sister I managed to collect.
what happened to emperor commodus?
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Emperor Commodus went insane, renaming everything after himself. Rome became Commodiana, the Legionaries > Commodianae, The Roman Senate > Commodian Senate, Roman > Commodian, and every month renamed after him. Eventually, the Prefects had enough and paid a wrestler to strangle him to death.
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The emperor Commodus frequently entered the arena as a Gladiator... slaying wounded soldiers, amputees, the physically ill, and helpless lions/elephants/giraffes. He would charge the city of Rome 1 million sesterces for each appearance he made, "straining" the economy.
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He appointed his natural son, Commodus, as his successor, which was a departure in the Roman Empire as previous emperors appointed adopted heirs.
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The Roman Emperor Commodus renamed the army, the fleet, the senate, each of the 12 months, and even the very city of Rome after himself
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To the opposite of Gladiator, the real-life Commodus was in fact the only Roman Emperor in history to fight as a gladiator in the arena. However, he did it several times, not just once. Also, he was not killed in the arena but was strangled in his dressing room by an athlete named Narcissus.
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When she learned her name was on an execution list, Roman Emperor Commodus' mistress Marcia said "Well done, indeed, Commodus.... A fuddled drunkard is not going to get the better of a sober woman." She, along with two others on the list, killed Commodus that same night.
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Roman emperor Commodus (the one portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator) tried to "re-found" Rome in AD 192 by renaming the city to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana, renaming the months with his 12 names and calling the people of Rome as Commodianus
What is true about emperor commodus?
You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.
Roman Emperor/ legendarily awful person Commodus once single-handedly killed 100 lions in a single day, also tied together amputees in the shape of a person to "pretend they were giants" before beating them to death with a club - source
Roman emperor Commodus had a group of footless Roman citizens bound together in the shape of human, clubbed them all to death, then announced he'd killed a giant. - source
Roman Emperor Commodus (among others) was known to sentence arsonists to death by wrapping them in cloth soaked in pitch and then setting them on fire. The execution was known as the tunica molesta or the "Painful Shirt"
