In the later years of Marcus Aurelius' reign he made his son, Commodus, co-emperor. Father and son fought together briefly in an effort to forestall another German invasion in 177. The father-son co-rule was short-lived, however, as Marcus Aurelius died in 180 after ruling for 19 years.

Although Marcus Aurelius was a competent political leader and successful military leader, as well, perhaps his greatest contribution was in area of philosophy. As indicated earlier, Marcus was follower of the Stoics and he wrote a book entitled Meditations in which he set out what it meant to be a Stoic (Bowder). Like his mentor, Epictetus, Marcus professed the importance of two basic principles, Endurance and Abstinence. Further, he stressed that inner freedom is attained through a resignation to providence and a disregard for anything not in one's power.

Most of the content of Meditations was prepared in Marcus Aurelius' last years. The book is characterized by Aurelius' belief that the fate of most men is to die and be forgotten (Aurelius). He chose to live his daily live absent from passion as much as possible but he wanted to be remembered as a generous man who practiced generosity because it was the right thing to do and not from what his generosity might otherwise gain him. Like all stoics he wanted to live in harmony with nature.

Marcus Aurelius' general reputation as a ruler and human is a good one. The famous historian, Sir Edward Gibbon, lists Marcus Aurelius as one of the greatest of the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius' attitude toward the growing Christian religion, however, would belie this reputation. Marcus Aurelius during his reign took an aggressive and staunch position. The persecution of Christians during his reign was quite oppressive and there is little evidence that he exhibited any mercy or basic understanding of the religion. Prior to his reign the Roman attitude toward the practice of...

He envisioned no room for compromise. Having been raised as a traditional Roman, Marcus Aurelius believed strongly in the Roman religion and considered the Christians as fanatics. This explains how he could have adopted such a repressive view toward the Christians in his empire even though such view runs strongly against his otherwise enlightened and benevolent attitude.
Despite Marcus Aurelius' attitudes and actions in regard to the Christians, his overall reign must be considered successful. He possessed the wisdom to prepare the Empire against the invasions from the Germans in the north and successfully resolved all challenges in the eastern portion of his Empire as well. In essence, he provided the Roman Empire with nearly two decades of peace and he pushed the limits of the Empire to the frontiers of the Elbe. He envisioned doing much more but did not live long enough to accomplish his goals.

As a leader Marcus Aurelius was a major success as a philosopher he was merely mediocre. He certainly does not approach the level of a Plato or Aristotle. Although his views were well reasoned they were not profound or original but they do provide a wonderful insight into the thinking of powerful man who attempted to do what he believed was right in a world that made doing so very difficult.

Works Cited

Aurelius, Marcus. Meditations. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Benario, Herbert W. "Marcus Aurelius." 30 January 2001. De Imperatoribus Romanis. http://www.roman-emperors.org/lindexxx.htm. 3 May 2012.

Bowder, Diana. Who was who in the Roman World. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1980.

Bunson, Matthew. Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. New York: Facts on File, 1994.

summary of Marcus Aurelius reign