Marcus Aurelius 2

The Emperor Marcus Aurelius has been remembered, as he predicted in the film, as the Philosopher Emperor. A talented and thoughtful man, his peaceful character did not predetermine him to be a warrior-emperor, but when the northern frontiers were suddenly trampled by an onrush of allied German tribes he proved himself capable, and willing to rely on the expertise of his generals.

Several years into the joint reign of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, much of the Roman army was engaged in a war with the powerful Parthian Empire on the eastern border. Verus was in command, and it was during this time that the plague was brought back from the East. It decimated the legions, reducing the forces available to the Romans, adding to the repurcussions of drawing forces from one frontier to fight on another. In AD 167 the northern border troops had been thinned, and on the Upper Danube there weren't any permanent camps at all.

It was at this time, appropriately, that a large-scale migration of the Germanic people took place. There were many reasons, including desire for territory, and uprooting from original territory by some other tribe. However, this occasion was characterised by the large-scale movement of varied peoples with a common cause, as opposed to tribal border raids: these people were migrating through serious necessity, perhaps due to overpopulation in the forests. On this occasion a large number of tribes grouped up, brought together by Ballomar, King of the Marcomanni, and decided that they rather wanted to settle with the borders of the Roman Empire.

Before this time, with the exception of occasional attacks, many of the Germanic tribes had been clients and allies of Rome, doing trade with the Empire and allowing passage through their territory. The Hermunduri are an example, for whom it was now necessary to turn against Rome. The Batavians, on the Rhine, provided vital auxiliary troops during the conqest of Britannia, yet rebelled in AD 69 while Rome was experiencing internal conflict. Therefore the Germanic people, while friendly to Rome as a rule, clearly never had a very strong attachment to the Empire, and the attachment was forgotten in these desperate times.

The Langobardi and Obii were among the first to move; they crossed the Danube but were stopped at Brigetio. Later in the year a larger amalgamation of the Marcomanni, Quadi, Vandals and others crossed the natural border of the Danube and defeated a 20000 strong Roman army through sheer number. Continuing on towards the Alps they plundered and pillaged, threatening Italy lying before them.

It was now that the Emperor demonstrated his capability, introducing far-reaching measures to get the situation under control. Bearing in mind the mood of the provincials, he decided against increasing taxation and instead sold many of the treasures in his palace to raise the money needed. He accepted slaves and gladiators into the army, which had also been done when Hannibal threatened Rome itself four-hundred years previously. Two new legions were raised and posted in the north, with the Alpine passes blocked to stop the invaders.

For the next few years the war carried on, with the desperate and fierce Germans trying to fight their way past the efficient and highly trained Roman legions, whose operational superiority had been ensured by Marcus' sensible planning and cooperative relationship with his generals. There was fighting in Italy, and the province of Dacia, a vital butress flanking Germanian territory, was almost lost.

When the co-emperor Lucius Verus died, the widow he left behind was Lucilla Augusta, as seen in the film. Marcus now had her marry Claudius Pompeianus, Marcus' closest associate since Verus' death, meaning that she wouldn't have been single during the period 'Gladiator' was set, although she was portrayed as such in the film.

The year AD 170 saw the Costoboci tribe push their way through the Balkans and into Macedonia, leaving a trail of devastated cities and plundering scared sites, before they were eventually driven out.
After this acheivement, the Romans took the upper hand, switching from a defensive strategy to an offensive one.

With his base at the key Danube crossing site of Carnuntum, in 172 he lead the army into the territory of the powerful Quadi tribe. Marcus was victorious in battle, and in defeating them was able to block this path of access to the Empire, as well as driving a wedge between the territories of the enemy. The Marcomanni were in the west, the Sarmatian tribes the east, and now the victorious and newly confident Roman army could march against each in turn.

It didn't take long after this to complete the subjugation of the various tribes. The Marcomanni, the most powerful group, who also gave their name to the wars, were defeated at the Danube in 173. The Hermunduri surrendered next, along with the remaining tribes who eventually gave up all hope.

The consequences of surrender for the Germans included being drafted into the Roman auxiliary forces, tribes being wholly shifted to a different territory to prevent collaboration and revolt, and some loss of land although this was quite small. However, the emperor was not too harsh in retribution, seeking to reward the tribes for surrendering, and seeing sense. This was a method employed by the Romans for the most part, whereas if an opponent fought to the end they were subject to the plunderous appetites of the army. Marcus received the agnomen 'Sarmaticus'.

While the times scales are rather suspect in 'Gladiator', the beginning was clearly set in the year 180. Since the enemy had been turned back into their own territory several years earlier, in the intervening period Marcus had lead a campaign in Germania itself. It is believed that his aim was to annex much of lower Germania, including the territories of the tribes featuring most in the war.

This plan clearly may have had major benefits. Apart from the increased resources and tribute that could be gained, the German people would now become Roman provincials, perhaps coming to like it as the Gauls had done and not turning against Rome again. The whole area would be subjugated, the border would be moved further north from Rome, and maybe even the events in later centuries which brought the Empire to its knees could have been avoided or delayed. Even though it went against the advice of Augustus Caesar, the incorporation of German territory could have been the most ambitious and greatest achievement of the century.

Alas, in AD 180, with the war going well, Marcus died. His son Commodus had been summoned to camp five years previously to assume the toga virilis and receive the powers of an emperor - parallel to events in the film, although on this occasion he wasn't turned down.
So it was that Commodus became emperor aged 19, and lacking in military competency and maturity of thought, he broke off the war, making peace with the various tribes. While this decision immediately endeared him to the Roman plebs, it was an early sign of how this man would, in several ways, undo the acheivements of the Empire over the preceding hundred years, and undermine its stability.