Convenient (emperor)

The reign of Convenient

Its reign finished the era of the “five good emperors”, of the dynasty of the Antonins. He is the son of Marc-Aurèle and Faustine the Young person, downward direct of the emperor Antonin the Piles. Rumors say that he was not the son of this one but of a gladiator which would have had relations with his wife, indeed his/her mother is described by the Roman sources (primarily Dion Cassius and the Histoire Auguste ) under one day not very flattering, very unsteady she misled her husband with gladiators. She seemed to have much attraction for this kind of men and when she attended the combat, in the Colisée, it is said that the combat were bloodier than in normal weather.

Its accession with the throne with died of his/her father (it is said that he died of the plague, but several imply that it was by tiredness) was first of all seen like a happy sign by the Roman people, Commode being young person and this youth was seen in Rome like a sign of revival. But, in spite of its young age, it showed several times its side cruel. When it was twelve years old, in Centumcelles, it found that its bath was too hot. It thus ordered that one threw the etuvist in the boiler. One avoided the death of the slave while making roast, in the place, of the skin of animal. By feeling the odor of roasted flesh, it was satisfied.

During the first five years of its reign, it let the friends of its father help it to occupy with him Empire. Then, it drove out them and carried out some of them. He was very quickly issued like enemy of the Senate. Here the report of the words exchanged with the Senate with died of Convenient:

That one deprives the enemy of the fatherland of any honor; that one deprives the parricide of any honor; that the parricide is trailed; that the enemy of the fatherland, the parricide, the gladiator is put in parts in the place where one trails the corpses of the gladiators; that the enemy of the gods, the torturer of the senate, the parricide of the senate, the enemy of the senate, is trailed like a gladiator in the spoliaire.

Influenced by the Prefect of the court Perennis, then from 185 to 189 by freed the Cleander which it names prefect of the court, its reign quickly became tyrannical and sanguinary. The senatorial, decimated and ridiculed aristocracy, has recourse to conspiracies which all fail.

Convenient supports the plebs and the army and spends of the considerable sums in donations and distributions frumentaires. In 189 when the corn has suddenly missed, it lets massacre by crowd the Préfet of the annone Papirius Dionysius and the prefect of the Cleander court. It institutes an edict of the maximum to stabilize the prices, and also seeks to increase the African corn surge in complement of Egyptian corn. At the same Rome time is touched by a pestilential disease, perhaps a return of the Peste antonine.

Convenient re-elected little by little all the institutions, and changed the name of the months and even re-elected Rome Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana.

Its megalomania had however attracted the favors of the plebs to him, when, organizing on many occasions of the plays, it went down in the arena to overcome there Gladiateur S and deer. This taste for the sets of gladiators undoubtedly explains the thesis advanced by certain Roman historians, hostile with his memory, according to which it would have been wire of gladiator (same manner that certain texts say Dioclétien which it would have been the son of a clerk because of his administrative reforms).

Never he knew the defeat, and he was identified with Hercules, being made represent on the currencies carrying of the skins of Lion S and a bludgeon.

Many were the attacks with its life which failed, but in 192, the Narcisse slave, involving it with the handling of the weapons, strangled it in his bath.

Emperor considered as cruel and arbitrary, it was not divinisé with his death by the senate, but accepted following the example Néron or Domitien the Damnatio memoriae (judgment of the memory). Septime Sévère tried a rehabilitation limited since on certain inscriptions it is described as “brother of Convenient” in order to being attached, in fact, with the old dynasty of the Antonins and to sit its legitimacy. To like to the people and the army which liked Commode, Septime Sévère forced the Sénat with diviniser Commode.

Died of the Emperor one period of disorders succeeds, the Roman Empire “is to some extent sold with the biddings”. Pertinax, the prefect of the City seizes the power before being assassinated. Didius Julianus Rome control while Pescennius Niger claims with the capacity in the East, Clodius Albinus in Brittany and Septime Sévère (which carries it finally) in Pannonia.

Names and titles

Successive names

161, is born LVCIVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS
166, receives the title of César (heir to the throne): LVCIVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•CAESAR
172, takes with his/her father the title of Germanicus : LVCIVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•CAESAR•GERMANICVS
175, takes with his/her father the title of Sarmaticus : LVCIVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•CAESAR•GERMANICVS•SARMATICVS
176, receives the title of Imperator
177, associated with the Empire by his/her father: IMPERATOR•CAESAR•LVCIVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•AVGVSTVS•GERMANICVS•SARMATICVS
180, reaches the Empire: IMPERATOR•CAESAR•MARCVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•AVGVSTVS•GERMANICVS•SARMATICVS
182, takes the title of Pius and that of Germanicus maximus : IMPERATOR•CAESAR•MARCVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•AVGVSTVS•PIVS•SARMATICVS•GERMANICVS•MAXIMVS
184, takes the title of Britannicus : IMPERATOR•CAESAR•MARCVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•AVGVSTVS•PIVS•SARMATICVS•GERMANICVS•MAXIMVS•BRITANNICVS
185, takes the title of Felix : IMPERATOR•CAESAR•MARCVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•AVGVSTVS•PIVS•FELIX•SARMATICVS•GERMANICVS•MAXIMVS•BRITANNICVS
191, changes its name: IMPERATOR•CAESAR•LVCIVS•ÆLIVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•AVGVSTVS•PIVS•FELIX•SARMATICVS•GERMANICVS•MAXIMVS•BRITANNICVS

Titles and magistratures

Consul in 177, 179, 181, 183, 186, 190, 192
Lord's Prayer patriae in 180

Pontifex maximus in 180

Acclaimed Imperator in 176, 177, 179, 180, 182, 183, 184, 186

Holds the power tribunician of 176, renewed annually the December 10th until in 192

Titulature with its death

At the time of its assassination in 192 its titulature was:

IMPERATOR•CAESAR•LVCIVS•ÆLIVS•AVRELIVS•COMMODVS•AVGVSTVS•PIVS•FELIX•SARMATICVS•GERMANICVS•MAXIMVS•BRITANNICVS, HERCVLES•ROMANVS, PONTIFEX•MAXIMVS, TRIBVNICIAE•POTESTATIS•XVIII, IMPERATOR•VIII, CONSVL•VII, LORD'S PRAYER•PATRIAE

Note : Convenient was divinized by the Sénat, well after its death.

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