Why is Marcus Aurelius getting so popular these days?

[BosnianKnight]

And why is he getting so famous, was he that good of an emperor?

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

I was actually wondering the exact same thing. I suppose it was because of the movie Gladiator. Either way though he has always enjoyed a pretty good reputation.

As for the second question I won't answer in much detail because I know that there are others, particularly Roman and Greek buffs which will articulate the answer better than me. But the man basically succeed other big names like Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. These four emperors all sought to fix the administration of the empire and resolved many possible crises. Perhaps also Marcus Aurelius' good reputation has to do with the fact that he was the last capable man in that aforementioned chain. Basically the last useful emperor that had a stable government for a long while. His death had short lived or shady administrations like Commodus, Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Caracalla and Geta etc.

[BosnianKnight]

I was actually wondering the exact same thing. I suppose it was because of the movie Gladiator. Either way though he has always enjoyed a pretty good reputation.

As for the second question I won't answer in much detail because I know that there are others, particularly Roman and Greek buffs which will articulate the answer better than me. But the man basically succeed other big names like Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. These four emperors all sought to fix the administration of the empire and resolved many possible crises. Perhaps also Marcus Aurelius' good reputation has to do with the fact that he was the last capable man in that aforementioned chain. Basically the last useful emperor that had a stable government for a long while. His death had short lived or shady administrations like Commodus, Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Caracalla and Geta etc.

He also had a book called Meditations and he was a good philosopher.

[Emperor Caesar]

He was a good emperor in that he did not seek war but defended the empire when he had to and won (albeit it was very hard-fought). Also as Lord Oda stated it was the last time for a century (besides the reign of Septimius Severus) that the empire had real stability. He was a good emperor in that he was morally sound and ran the administration well. The only mistake he made was picking his son Commodus for succession and many emperors would look good if they were followed up by Commodus anyway. And I have to agree with the Gladiator thing - that is my favorite movie.

[hellheaven1987]

It is because that damned Gladiator... Without that film most people would not know who the heck he was (besides Roman fans, but even Roman fans - particularly those blood-thirst history nerds, probably would not remember him well since he did not organize many famous bloodbowls like other "Good Emperors" such as Trajan)...

[Dick Cheney.]

He also had a book called Meditations and he was a good philosopher.

Apparently Bill Clinton's favorite book, and he claims to read it at least once a year. Though the idea that Clinton was a virtuous leader and master of self-control and indulging impulses is somewhat laughable.

[G-Megas-Doux]

Meditations is a good read. I have a copy. He is popular because he attempted to be a selfless servant to the state in a position that demands cruelty he attempted kindness. He still went to war when it mattered. He has been considered throughout the ages a role model to many different peoples. I'm not saying he was perfect I am just saying he had a big impact from being largely different from his predecessors and being the leader when the Roman Empire was considered at its apex. The popularity in history of Marcus Aurelius has never really dwindled.

[sanbourne]

I didn't know he was getting any more popular.

[Niles Crane]

I didn't know he was getting any more popular.

Yeah, I mean, is he getting popular amongst the hoi polloi or us people who read history? Gladiator came out 14 years ago; this seems like kind of a late thread if he is indeed getting more popular.

[Copperknickers II]

He was always pretty popular. He's one of the canonical 5 good emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius) who ruled over the height of the Roman empire, and he was the last of the great emperors of the Principate. Plus he's a famous philosopher, and is thought of as one of the most virtuous rulers in history. And he managed to avoid any massively notorious screw ups as far as historiography is concerned, unlike say Trajan and his persecution of the Christians (not to say Marcus Aurelius didn't persecute Christians as well, he just made the prudent move of being born several years after the death of Pliny and other prolific letter writers).

[AnArmyofAnts]

He was a great stoicist and made many wise quotes. Check them up. Personally they're the only quotes that makes perfect sense to me. On principle he was simplistic and very reasonable.

[Winston Smith]

A great Emperor and a decent human being, worthy of being remembered.

[Roma_Victrix]

It is because that damned Gladiator... Without that film most people would not know who the heck he was (besides Roman fans, but even Roman fans - particularly those blood-thirst history nerds, probably would not remember him well since he did not organize many famous bloodbowls like other "Good Emperors" such as Trajan)...

Actually, I think it started with Alec Guinness in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964):




...but that's just me. To be honest, I think the core of his continued popularity stems from his Meditations (written in Greek) and support of Stoicism, if not for his military successes. In terms of conquest, though, he didn't quite stack up to Trajan.

LOL. The guy to his right in the first picture (James Mason playing Timonides) looks so much like Mark Ruffalo.

[Petrucci]

To myself is very good book, might look a bit odd ,but still I enjoyed it. I might even call it motivational. It might seem strange that man of such moral virtues persecuted Christians very harsh. In his time Christianity emerged from the darkness and he felt obligated to stop it further expanding.

[Geronimo2006]

According to the series "Rome Rise and Fall of an Empire", he was the last Roman emperor to get the upper hand in Germany itself. He also left us "Meditations" a Britannica copy I have from 1994.

[G-Megas-Doux]

If I recall correctly Marcus Aurelius has never been forgotten by those in the know. He was always the example as far as the idealistic Emperors were concerned. All wanted to be likened to him and even the successor states to Rome were aware of him and used him as a standard for a prince.

[Col. Tartleton]

I never finished reading Meditations, but what I read was interesting. Smart guy and a fine stoic.

[Cyclops]

He starts the meditations listing the people to whom he owes his good attributes (and he thinks he has many. Sounds like an utter self absorbed tosser but thats hardly surprising given he's an absolute monarch: absolute power and all that. Is it really all his own work or cut-and-paste spophistry?

Appartently he was no fool on the battlefield but he botched the succession and his ramblings remind me of a mediocre blog. Maybe if he spent less time online on parchment and adopting an heir fit to rule like the rest of the Antonines did he'd have left the Empire less perilously positioned.

[YuriVII]

His name is also really cool. Marcus Aurelius. Kinda rolls off the tounge real nice.

[Marcus Aemilius Lepidus]

That Commodus reign lastet 12 years and that his murder was a spontaneous attempt within his inner circle suggests that he was actually quite successful. The same with Domitian who also reigned over a decade and was killed be a rather small gang. Even Caligula could be counted to them. All three have in common that they were actually quite popular among the people, Domitian not as strong as the others, but except their relationship with the senate, they had a successful government. Their only problem was that they were on confrontation with the senate and 99 % of the historians were senators.