Everything about Lucius Verus totally explained
Lucius Ceionius Commodus Verus Armeniacus (
December 15 130 –
169), known simply as
Lucius Verus, was
Roman co-emperor with
Marcus Aurelius (161–180), from
161 until his death.
Life
Adoption by Hadrian
Verus was the son of Avidia Plautia and
Lucius Aelius Caesar, the adopted son, and intended successor, of Emperor
Hadrian (117–138).
When Aelius Caesar died in 138, Hadrian chose
Antoninus Pius (138–161) as his successor, on the condition that Antoninus
adopt both Verus (then seven years old) and
Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian's nephew. As an imperial prince, Verus received careful education from the most famous
grammaticus Marcus Cornelius Fronto. Verus is reported to have been an excellent student, fond of writing poetry and delivering speeches.
Verus had two sisters. One sister Ceionia Fabia was engaged to Marcus Aurelius in
136. However
Marcus Aurelius in
138, broke off the engagement to Fabia. Aurelius was adopted by emperor
Antoninus Pius’ and was engaged to Pius’ daughter
Faustina the Younger whom he later married. Lucius had another sister Ceionia Plautia, little is known about the sisters.
Imperial accession
Verus' political career started as
quaestor in
153 and then as
consul in
154. In
161, he was once again consul, with Marcus Aurelius as senior partner. Antoninus died on
March 7,
161, and was succeeded by Marcus Aurelius. Verus was nonetheless adopted as co-emperor, an unprecedented event in the
Roman Empire. Officially both men shared equal powers, but in practice it was Marcus Aurelius who became the leader. Verus was given the control of the armies, proving the confidence between him and his senior brother. To solidify this alliance, Marcus Aurelius gave his daughter
Lucilla in marriage to Verus. Lucius and Lucilla had two daughters and a son. The elder daughter and son died young, however the younger daughter lived long enough to be involved in a plot against her maternal uncle, emperor
Commodus in
182. She was killed with her mother.
Eastern campaigns
Between
162 and
166 Verus was in the East, commanding a campaign against the
Parthian empire for the control over the
Armenian kingdom. In this war, the city of
Seleucia on the Tigris was destroyed and the palace at the capital
Ctesiphon was burned to the ground by
Avidius Cassius in
164. The Roman legions advanced as far as
Media.
Vologases IV of Parthia (147–191) made peace but was forced to cede western
Mesopotamia to the Romans. Verus is reported to have been an excellent commander, without fear of delegating military tasks to more competent generals.
Contemporary accounts state that Verus didn't live a hard life during the campaign. He was always surrounded with actors and musicians, enjoying copious banquets and other pleasures of life. Apparently his cheerful disposition spread to the troops, since the morale was high. His attitude apparently didn't undermine his effectiveness. Verus remained a diligent leader and performed his tasks with competence. On his return to Rome, Verus was awarded with a
Roman triumph, and the title of
Armeniacus. The parade was unusual because it included Verus, Marcus Aurelius, their sons and unmarried daughters as a big family celebration.
Years in Rome
The next two years (166–168) were spent in Rome. Verus continued with his glamorous lifestyle and kept the troupe of actors and favourites with him. He had a tavern built in his house, where he celebrated parties with his friends until dawn. He also enjoyed roaming around the city among the population, without acknowledging his identity. The games of the circus were another passion in his life, especially
chariot racing. Marcus Aurelius disapproved of his conduct but, since Verus continued to perform his official tasks with efficiency, there was little he could do.
Wars on the Danube and death
168 war broke out in the
Danubian border when the
Marcomanni invaded the Roman territory. This war would last until
180, but Verus didn't see the end of it. In
168, as Verus and Marcus Aurelius returned to Rome from the field, Verus fell ill with symptoms attributed to
food poisoning, dying after a few days (169). However, scholars believe that Verus may have been a victim of
smallpox, as he died during a widespread epidemic known as the
Antonine Plague. Despite the minor differences between them, Marcus Aurelius grieved the loss of his adoptive brother. He accompanied the body to Rome, where he offered games to honour his memory. After the funeral, the senate declared Verus divine to be worshipped as
Divus Verus.
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