Why was Commodus so unlike Marcus Aurelius?

[Dromikaites]

Do keep in mind Commodus was the product of Marcus Aurelius' other head.

[jackwei]

Rumor has it that Marcus Aurelius Wife Fastina I think that is her name had an affair with a Gladiator probably political slander at the time.

[Marcus Aemilius Lepidus]

Marcus Aurelius was the least wise emperor of his "dynasty", the Antonines. as he allowed his son to inherit the throne. Nerva learned the lesson of the Julio-Claudians that blood might be thicker than water but it was a poor key selection criteria for the Principate.

From Nerva to Antonius Pius Roman Emperors adopted a capable qualified younger man as heir to continue stable rule. Typically they were from a senatorial or other wealthy family, with administrative experience. Marcus Aurelius left the throne to his 18 year old biological son with zero administrative experience raised in the corrupting atmosphere of the Imperial court, while his father was absent acquiring glory against the barbarians of the North.

It is little wonder Commodus displayed so few of his father's vaunted qualities, and the reason is twofold. First Commodus was raised in an environment somewhat removed from that his father grew up in (sycophants are bad for the soul), and his father was not there to teach his son in any case. RTW game mechanics to the contrary, there is no rule that states a son must have the same character as his father.

Secondly Marcus Aurelius' qualities are highly over-rated.

Marcus Aurelius is celebrated as the "Philosopher King" who embodied Plato's ideal, and he wrote a gasbagging book all about how humble he was ("my superb morals and self control comes from my grandfather, my piety and abstinence from my mother, and my modesty from my father" seriously a man in love with himself). He spent his life at war and failed to select a capable heir, and represents to me a failure as an Emperor. Maybe if he trusted his generals more and spent less time writing about himself he may have had time to ensure he supplied the Empire with a suitable successor?

Most over-rated Roman ever.

I agree with you on Aurelius but i disagree that the other choose younger and better man rather than family. In fact all of the adoptive emperors are relatives somehow if you exclude Nerva. After Domitians death Nerva was choosen because he was old enough to be only a short solution but still prominent enough to be the senats candidat. When Nerva was choosen, it was clear from the start that Traian would be his sucessor because he was the candidat of the northern legions, so he was adopted by Nerva. A compromis which avoided a civil war. All other adoptive emperors were choosen from a small pool of roman families from Hispania which were already connection through blood and marriage. It is wrong to believe that those emperors choose their sucessors in terms of capability alone. They choose relatives and adopted them. Adoptives emperors is a term by later scholars based on the curious fact that none of those emperors until Marc Aurel had surviving sons. However if they had them they would have prefered them as sucessors. Simple as that.