Commodus: The Revolt of Avidius

By Wayne Beeston

Commodus is considered one of the worst emperors in the history of the Roman Empire, but what led him to become so?

What made Commodus so different from his father Marcus Aurelius, who is considered one of the greatest emperors and whose writing and stoic values are revered today. As a youth he had every advantage, he had access to the finest literature, teachers, medicines, doctors, and lifestyle. As an adult he inherited his father's advisers and associates.

Yet, he became a maniacal megalomaniac who before he was assassinated at the behest of his mistress, he had abandoned all his father had tried to instil and teach him as a child. His hedonism and megalomania became so great that towards the end of his reign is even renamed the City of Rome and all 12 months of the year after himself.

Dio Cassius wrote of Commodus 'This Commodus was not naturally wicked, but was originally as free from taint as any man ever was. His great simplicity, however, and likewise his cowardice made him a slave of his companions and it was through them that he first, out of ignorance, missed the better life and then was attracted into licentiousness and bloodthirsty habits, which soon became second nature.

But is Dio right and if he is, is it enough that Commodus was easily led into vice and corruption. Why was Commodus so willing to surround himself with sycophants?

Commodus - The Revolt of Avidius is the first is my Commodus series and takes place 2 years before Commodus becomes joint emperor with his father and is a fictionalized account of the historical events of the revolt and is meant to introduce the reader to the possible seeds of Commodus's later madness.

A father, he couldn't hope to live up to. A mother who would do anything to hang on to power, even at the expense of her own son. A sister, who would betray him.

Who could he trust? Who would you have trusted?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0BS8Q839K
• ISBN13: 9798371553423
• Release Date: January 2023
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"