This is the History of the World Podcast with me Chris Hasler

And you're listening to volume three, the classical world

episode 46

The Severan Dynasty. Oh, The Roman Empire had enjoyed a period of comparative and sustained stability throughout most of the second

century after the deposition of the unimpressive Domitian at the end of the first century. The most dangerous threat that the Roman Empire

faced during this period of relative peace was a plague which ravaged the population

for a period of 15 years. The Emperor who steered Rome through

this difficult period was a man called Marcus Alrelius and no sooner had he bought Rome out the other side of this time, then he died.

He would leave the empire to his actual son, Commodus. As we found out last week, Commodus was a bad emperor. He seemed more concerned

about trying to turn himself into the greatest human that ever lived by renaming everything after himself.

Rather than winning campaigns against great foreign military leaders and annexing their land like

footmost the third, Alexander the Great and Trajan.

He decided that he could cement his reputation by winning questionable

gladiatorial battles in the city's amphitheatre.

After executing a number of people over the years who he believed were plotting against him,

everyone decided that enough was enough, and so they poisoned him before strangling

him in his bath on New Year's Eve, 192, and that was the end of Commodus.

Much speculation had been made about the murder of Commodus and the veracity of some of the detail,

but if we are to believe what we read then we can determine that the plot to

kill Commodus was instigated by the Praetorian Guard Prefect, Letus.

There doesn't appear to be any report of major consequences to any

individuals involved which seems to suggest that the assassination of

...