The Real Commodus Was Even Crazier Than His 'Gladiator' Character

[@NewMessage]

When a Blockbuster movie has to tone you down, you know you've gone a little too far.

[@stoopingfalcon891]

Brilliant!

[@tomcollins5112]

The real Commodus wouldn't have been a believable character.

[@MandalorV7]

@@tomcollins5112 Even comic book Joker would think this guy is way to insane.

[@gindyelgindy6786]

what is the name of the opera that plays at 2:37

[@SymphonyZach]

@@tomcollins5112 it honestly reads like a bible verse. His life reads like one of those verses about wicked men throwing themselves into wicked things. Dude wasn’t “insane”, he knew what he was doing, he was a sociopathic narcissist with a god complex. Psychologists and preachers both would have a field day picking his mind apart.

[@JustMe-ob3nw]

To think Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest men who ever lived, was his father…

[@jjosa52]

Stoicism is great for people but not for sons. Cold father is not fun

[@JustMe-ob3nw]

@@jjosa52 You clearly have no idea of what Stoicism is about. 😐

[@gindyelgindy6786]

what is the name of the opera that plays at 2:37

[@jjosa52]

@@JustMe-ob3nw You sure?

[@calexander7495]

@@kylermatsuura7647 Didn't he put his wife to death because she thought he died and tried to make a new Emperor? Morality aside, that's going to mess up your kid.

[@spacecaptain9188]

Would love to learn more about Marcia, the highest ranking praetorian guard/mistress.

[@gorillajuice7313]

Sucks that there is literally no literature on her anywhere

[@gindyelgindy6786]

what is the name of the opera that plays at 2:37

[@jl696]

A female was in the Praetorian guard? That does not sound right.

[@kaloarepo288]

@@gindyelgindy6786 Don't think it's an opera but probably part of a film score.It's very similar to the 1930's choral work by the German composer Carl Orff -called "Oh Fortuna' from Carmina Burana-a very popular piece that has been used in many advertisements though most people would know the name of it.Orff lived during the Nazi regime.

[@gindyelgindy6786]

@@kaloarepo288 Yes I thought it resembled Orff's work a little bit. And yes he lived during the Nazi regime like Karajan, who is my favorite conductor.

[@notallowed337]

Usually they over dramaticize real life characters in movies. Joachim played this part superbly.

[@grapeshot]

Yeah I remember that Russell Crowe beat him like a underling speaking out of turn at a meeting of a bunch of railroad barons.

[@eflinneflinn]

Historia Augusta never once lets facts get in the way of a good juicy story, though.

[@shanesnider8645]

that golden gate in the painting around 4:10 had me laughing pretty damn hard!! cheers from Texas guys! bahahaha

[@randomuser6175]

I love the ending of the video; "So what do you think? Commodus, was he weirdo or what?" Well yeah that sums it up pretty good :)

[@idipped2521]

Commodus was like Kim Jong-Un. Not only does he punish the people who do the crime but their children as well

[@darkec1984]

Wait a sec , he invented gyms?!

[@philipcallicoat3801]

Hollywood works wonders with its talent to make history unrecognizable...

[@alicerivierre]

Weird History, you are so awesome as hell! Keep up the good work! Spill me some more tea! Thanks!

[@kimmickal]

I bet Supernanny would straighten him out!

[@lucky-gh5ox]

if the news are fake...can you imagine our history...

[@LetsSeeYourKungFu]

this channel is so good. The narrator is great for this too

[@witrex7764]

Remember that Historia Augusta isn't the greatest source to trust

[@spacecaptain9188]

2 things not addressed: 1 what happened to Narcissus, afterward? 2 Is Commodus somehow connected to the word commode?

[@captainron1960]

lol

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

The commode thing might be tough. Imagine playing telephone with that word for 2000 years.

[@knighthawk882]

Be cool to learn more about Roman concrete and how it has lasted thousands of years where modern day concrete lasts not near as long

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Something about volcanic dust. Good luck

[@kaloarepo288]

@@danbrownellfuzzy3010 The Eastern Roman Empire also called the Byzantines took concrete technology to another level when they built the vast domed Hagia Sophia church in the sixth century which still exists of course in Istanbul.Istanbul(formely Constantinople)is on a fault line and very earthquake prone so they invented flexible concrete which never fully sets thus allowing structures to survive earthquakes.

[@MrBl3ki]

Volcanic dust, lower water ratio and no steel armature.

[@paulcooper8818]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

[@mitkomarkov4375]

Would love to see a video of ancient roman /greek/ male beauty ideal :)

[@Makeyourselfbig]

Christopher Plummer played Commodus first in the epic "The Fall of the Roman Empire" Alec Guinness played his dad Marcus Aurelius.

[@thedaggonator]

He was an Athlete? I’m an Athlete. AM I COMMODUS????

[@Delicious1922]

Great video. Please do one about Joshua

[@michaelvitta5577]

I love how this man seems to have 10 different lives, all on the basis of cognitive biases.

[@pudgeboyardee32]

probably only took a few minutes? commodus was yoked, all muscle, and had the freedom to eat an athletes diet everyday. narcissus likely had to earn it. maybe commodus wasnt a great fighter but a big desperate guy is still dangerous. might run out of air a little quicker, but also might unseat your jaw quicker.

[@swagcandy2576]

Marcus Aurelius was a great man, but a terrible father

[@tyrannicalgod6064]

My favourite mad ruler

[@rheverend]

4:17 is that the Golden Gate Bridge in the background???

[@spockboy]

This, and the fact that Putin currently has the world worrying about nuclear war, is the reason that "no single person" should ever be given so much power.

[@mymymy9452]

I waited for the 300 women and *boys.* Because we all was surprised he was into women.

[@akramgimmini8165]

Rome has so much Weird History

[@laurat188]

Every country has weird history if you dig deep enough

[@zerothehero753]

Eh?!. Ah, they said they all went nut-balls from lead poisoning...

[@donvanevery3235]

Marcus should have taught him meditation

[@Honeymoon1988]

Why were all these Roman emperors crazy as hell?

[@wholeNwon]

Heavy metal poisoning?

[@brandbryce]

Good to know! Hello from Canada.

[@bawbbie7875]

so the son of the perfectly wise philosopher king was ... that...

[@corrieshepard9620]

Why is there a golden gate bridge in one of the painting backgrounds?

[@jimshaw9449]

Marcia Marcia Marcia!

[@frank..4745]

Why is the Golden Gate Bridge from Frisco on the 4:15 mark?

[@Thewolverine0865]

Choked to death in a bathroom. I'd say the prophecy made about him at the time of his birth came true.

[@bistro-tat]

4:12 Golden Gate bridge in the background?

[@fatasianone]

The Golden Gate Bridge was part of the Empire! @4:21.

[@bofurthedwarf]

“Did I miss the battle?” “You missed the war.” Fourth best line in the movie.

[@captainamerica6525]

Absolutely agree!!

[@extraterrestrial7424]

Quintus to Maximus: I am a soldier. I obey. Maximus: Nothing happens to anyone that he is not fitted by nature to bear. A line that changed the history. And so much for Maximus being a simple mind.

[@extraterrestrial7424]

Another proof that Maximus wasn't such a bloke was his last reply to Proximus, when Proximus declined to join the plot with the argumentation that he has nothing to gain from it. Maximus, before leaving turned and said: "He killed Marcus Aurelius." Few scenes later, we see Proximus drawing the wooden freedom-sword with Marcus Aurelius name engraved on it.

[@BiffTannenBTTF]

Absolutely hilarious. I laugh my ass off every time.

[@maxgoss5653]

What is the 3 best lines then brother? Let us whisper…

[@Housesider]

So the guy who took out Commodus, who was an exorbitantly deluded narcissist, was ganked by a dude literally named Narcissus? That's some incredibly serendipitous irony lol.

[@LOTW1]

I'm English second language. Thank you for the word "serendipitous". I learned something new today.

[@graxo3752]

You got a mountain for a face.

[@SweetTea-Stephens]

@@LOTW1 well, you’re doing an amazing job at English! I know people who’ve spoken it all their lives and they can’t speak or write it for shit.

[@Thearbiter96]

The gods have such profound humor.

[@gindyelgindy6786]

what is the name of the opera that plays at 2:37

[@DamonNomad82]

Joaquin Phoenix brilliantly played a memorable movie villain, but that version of Commodus was actually too nice and sane to be accurate. The real one was closer to Caligula, as infamously portrayed by Malcolm McDowall...

[@ems6706]

Nothing about that movie was accurate, they didn't even depict how the Romans dressed at the time. It's basically historical fiction.

[@stacyswiss307]

I love his acting.

[@Joke_Bidumb]

Every time I hear the name Caligula, young Malcolm McDowell's face springs to my mind.

[@WindFireAllThatKindOfThing]

It amazes me that movie pundits still laud Clockwork Orange, but immediately disavow Caligula as a 'legit' movie. Together they were the quintessential McDowell movies filled with dystopian insanity, sex & violence, but one was produced by the owner of Penthouse magazine, therefore regarded as illegitimate. It had Peter O'Toole, ffs. Yet Warhol gets a pass for Blue Movie. Pedigree and connections still rule the cinema world, not merits.

[@TGBurgerGaming]

Being compared to Caligula usually means you're messed up on levels that have levels within levels.

[@The.Nasty.]

To be fair, being the son of Marcus Aurelius would give literally anyone a superiority complex…

[@gindyelgindy6786]

what is the name of the opera that plays at 2:37

[@The.Nasty.]

@@gindyelgindy6786 no clue

[@grimble4564]

@@gindyelgindy6786 it's Dies Irae. It's not from an opera, it's just a really old song about the end of the world. There's a couple different versions of it but the one by Verdi is my personal favorite

[@dollarcostbackpacker1226]

Yeah. So terrible father like that... and you turn out to be shiit

[@calcaleb7041]

Also being a product of incest 😂 southerns kn this personally they tried to create the “perfect” man lol created a bunch of meth heads and school shooters

[@FloresFatKat]

Weird history is a great way to start the day 😃

[@alicerivierre]

Amen to that! Good morning!

[@TanisC]

Indeed!💯

[@stonezone9689]

I watch it during my morning shower 😂

[@sueperb2452]

@@stonezone9689 that’s a weird wank

[@stonezone9689]

@@sueperb2452 what can I say he’s got a great voice

[@Zer0TheHer0_VR]

Marcia wasn’t a praetorian guard she was just his mistress, the guard that helped her was Quintus Aemilius Laetus…also the statue that they use for her likeness is of a different Marcia (Marcia Otacilia Severa)

[@olliefoxx7165]

Some of these folks must include things that never happened to appear woke. It's irritating.

[@thedecayingwatcher7177]

@@olliefoxx7165you're sad

[@peregrinezane8828]

Another case of history is stranger than fiction. So much of history would never be believed if it was written as screenplay.

[@Me-qp8vz]

And yet people believe in the bible... Messed up world isn't it.

[@satanswife2546]

@@Me-qp8vz seen you around this channel's other videos, you're a rude know it all wannabe so pipe down

[@DeadlyAlienInvader]

Some movie critics would probably go as far to claim that these stories are poorly written, LOL.

[@gindyelgindy6786]

what is the name of the opera that plays at 2:37

[@bryansmith1691]

Me 2... Do you know the bible is a collection of books written by different people at different times? You seem to just constantly want to shit it on every comment and I'm curious if you actually know what it is from any type academic perspective.

[@anthonyoverbay4448]

The narrator's condescending tone when talking about people that were clearly pieces of trash really makes these enjoyable. Part information, part humor. Makes the information stick to my brain when I enjoy the delivery.

[@no8to8racism]

Gladiators weren't actually slaves necessarily. A lot of them were free men who fought for a living. Also their fights hardly ever was to the death. Gladiators were expensive to train, so they weren't really so expendable. Some of them were treated like modern sports stars

[@vixxxenfoxxx3660]

Free men could also sell themselves into slavery to pay of debts

[@TGBurgerGaming]

You're describing a minority so small it is to the arena what non binary people are to the planet.

[@dcint6692]

Um as a 10 yr gladiator in my former life this is incorrect

[@user-sh2rc5kc7x]

@@dcint6692 😆

[@bongashange4527]

@@dcint6692 😂😂😂

[@klc3rd]

“Commodus didn’t take lightly the assassination attempts against him” eh I mean that’s understandable lol

[@MoltenPlastic]

It kinda ruins your day, yeah.

[@1ranjeeves21]

it was said in a sarcastic tone though

[@klc3rd]

@@1ranjeeves21 I know, I was saying it as a joke as well

[@Delightfully_Bitchy]

They really didn't take his feelings into consideration.

[@PaperMakersAdeludedbroad]

Fair. Lol

[@jimmydreamcatcher]

It's ironic the most psychopathic narcissistic Roman empror died at the hands of a man named Narcissus!

[@theinnerlight1716]

Narcissus might have been the "Joe" of ancient Rome

[@zacheray]

That myth doesn’t mean the same thing in Italy. My grandfather also had that name and it means more ‘appreciator of beauty’ in Europe

[@RandolfLycan]

It's worth noting the poison didn't work on Commodus because he was so heavily intoxicated that he vomited it out before it could damage him.

[@zach7193]

Man, that's something. He was hardly like the character portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the Gladiator. In the film, he was cold and calculated. He's a mixture of Caligula and Nero. Cruel, irrational, and narcissistic person.

[@jamesmeppler6375]

Well that's because gladiator was almost entirely based on fiction...like every movie based on fact

[@User-54631]

Was gladiator marketed as non fiction?

[@amosnaftali2495]

Actually Nero is a victim of Christian historical fallacy he wasnt bad but Caligula and Commodus were bad

[@zainshaikh527]

I didn't see anything cold and calculating about his character. Just way more powerful than his subjects and infinitely more than the protagonists. He was an impulsive, hedonistic and insecure. Only thing they got right. But he was far more involved and capable in all the worse ways lol

[@r0ky_M]

Nero treated Xtians like any other law breaker but Xtians spun it into a story of persecution.

[@calcaleb7041]

Man really destroyed everything his father put in place and helped Rome’s fall come faster than it should have😂 After watching this again I missed the part when he had lil boy sex slaves not men LITTLE BOYS 🤮

[@alicerivierre]

Woof, that's crazy as hell!

[@richardscanlan3167]

Actually,Commodus did little to instigate Rome's fall.What he did do though,is instigate what was known as the Third Century Crisis - a period of massive political,economic and military instability. Bear in mind Commodus died in 193AD,the western empire dissolved in 476AD.You can see where I'm coming from...

[@calcaleb7041]

@@richardscanlan3167 tru tru I fully agree tons of other factors that caused the fall of Rome

[@richardscanlan3167]

@@calcaleb7041 for sure. Barbarian migrations,plague,civil wars. Rome was a colossus - one single factor couldn't destroy it,but put together....

[@vedicpride]

Actually many emperors were psychos not surprised it fell quite fast

[@flicka25]

The Romans had more nuts than a fruitcake as Emperors go. However he may have been the result of too much 'cousin marrying cousin' hence the psychopathic tendencies and any other 'paths' you'd care to mention.

[@SymphonyZach]

Well there’s another thing. It was common for young boys to be raped by older men in that culture. Causing horrible psychological damage. And their condiments were cooked in lead pots. Leading to lead poisoning, one aspect of which is extreme anger.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

I would think that's the curious draw they have. I bet there's a thousand kings that were boring and nobody even thinks about them at all. Viva La Extracrazy

[@bunnyfreakz]

Roman elites also love drank wine in lead glass. Explain why so many emperors just so erratic and insane. The only sane emperor was Augustus and he did not like drink wine like any other. He just drink spring water collected by his servants in wooden bucket.

[@cenobitecenobite7380]

Funny how the Gladiator movie made him a wimp when the real figure, while deranged, was very physically fit and assassinated in the bath so he wouldn’t put up a fight.

[@heatherturner2366]

Yeah by Apollo

[@matthewvaughan8192]

Pheonix was in good shape when he played that role. They made him cowardly more than wimpy, I’d say

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

In the movie Commodus was portrayed as a very fit fighter capable even of taking on gladiators (though he had Maximus nobbled, just to be sure). He was a wimp only in the psychological sense.

[@smackedout2477]

I mean he was athletic but I don't see how that makes him any less of a wimp. I've only ever heard of him fighting people who can't fight back, and animals that are either not dangerous or have been declawed.

[@rickc2102]

Phoenix's Commodus was a thinly-veiled coward, but not a wimp.

[@dvdv8197]

Did you also know real Commodus was a cannibal and actually had his wife for dinner? No kidding, he didn't even show any remorse, he said he was gladiator! 😮

[@JoJoZaka]

based

[@darbyca]

😅

[@r0ky_M]

Cannibal is likely an exaggeration..and Professors at Cambridge suggest people have also exaggerated somewhat about Nero and Caligula.

[@mariidee2]

@@r0ky_M how can that be an exaggeration either he was a cannibal or he wasn’t

[@lavinialadlass9432]

What?

[@flyingelbowdrop]

This is a binge-worthy TV series just begging to be made.

[@BlaudracheLP]

Binge-worthy in no word, it's a marketing tool. -Peter Griffin

[@johnnybgoode2333]

On Netflix- "Roman Empire"

[@DoloresJNurss]

I've always been a Marcus Aurelius fan, and a great admirer of stoic philosophy. What a crushing disappointment to learn that he was a horrible father who raised a nightmarish son!

[@selfiekroos1777]

Bad parenting are bad people

[@huldrrrr9486]

He wasn't a horrible father, in his writing you can see he has a lot of love for his children, such as always remember that they may die any day (most of his children died in childhood) when kissing them goodnight, and how important it is to teach with a gentle yet firm hand. Also he had his hands full with wars and plague and spent a lot of time abroad, he probably didn't have much time left to spend father-son quality time with him. Commodus just ended up being a very unfortunate mix of being a spoilt prince, paranoia due to his position as emperor, and a natural born idiot

[@LD-qj2te]

I know hard to believe !! But women and children were chattel !!

[@DoloresJNurss]

@@huldrrrr9486 You make some fair points, there. I overreacted.

[@lavinialadlass9432]

I think he was just Stern Because he wanted his son to be a good ruler.

[@mischasan]

How about the near-collaboration of Hannibal and Archimedes that could have broken Rome? Hannibal was roaming Italy, but couldn't crack the walls of Rome with the horsehair-sprung catapults of the day. Archimedes, opposed Rome in Syracuse, and intimate with lever principles, invented many war machines. Hannibal sent two lieutenants to help Syracuse organize. Hannibal understood slingers very well -- and that knowledge might have led Archimedes to invent the trebuchet. A catapult can send a 20lb rock a few hundred feet. A trebuchet can throw a 500lb rock a quarter mile. Rome would have been smashed.

[@Philboshaba]

4:11 why is there a laptop in the bottom left corner

[@l.b.2592]

The movie Gladiator should've of had more of this in it.

[@benm3382]

It occurred to me while listening to this that concubines and other indulgences might be more the idea of the people around the emperor than the emperor themselves... In many places and times in history it seems like people behind the scenes are running things while the leader is busy with concubines, parties, food, trips, spas, games, and etc. Maybe all this stuff is really there to distract the emperor, and their inner circle convinces them to indulge in these things.

[@r0ky_M]

Augustus in his rise to power (part of 2nd triumvirate) had many thousand Roman elites and aristocrats and their whole families murdered and their vast properties/estates seized..he even did away with the children of his great uncle Julius Caesar who had adopted Octavian before he became Augustus...but people tend to only paint Nero, Caligula and Commodus as bad Emperors.

[@mrhumble2937]

They all murdered, but if your successful at it you are remembered fondly.

[@mrhumble2937]

Also it depends on the reason, if you are doing it it gain power or for Rome it's looked different then for entertainment. Like having another Son of Caeser, hurts not only Augusta but fractures the Empire.

[@petersack5074]

@@mrhumble2937 There are no, GOOD heroes, in history. For example: Robert Baden Powell, founder of the BOY SCOUTS....and others. Persons' creating medicines/inventions of communication/Henry Ford/ etc all hi-modern tech stuff, electricity/ and founders/inventors......wood and forestry experts. Natural food persons'/doctors, etc. THE ONLY FAMOUS ones, are the ones which KILLED ALOT OF OTHER PEOPLE.......'' father knows best '' old tv program, is not accepted in todays' perverted /gender lost, generation. YOU are either MALE,..or FEMALE......any combination of medical doctoring procedures, cannot remove the xx and the xy chromosomes, in the DNA.....

[@vanessaculater9038]

sack wtf does that matter? If someone feels like they are either male or female then they have every right to be called what they want. If they want to be genderless then they can do that too.

[@r0ky_M]

@@AutonomousUltraInstinct69 You failed to mention Commodus killed people to maintain power.

[@ScratchthechalkBoard]

Weird History, Marcia was his favorite mistress ,her husband was head of the Praetorian Guards when they first got married.

[@channellegendarium7677]

It's striking that such a depraved and degenerate man became so obsessed with a hero revered as a paragon of courage and excellence. There could not be a greater contrast between the two!

[@DeadlyAlienInvader]

Isn’t it similar to how the Nazis worship Jesus Christ yet, their hearts are filled hatred and cruelty towards their enemies, not to mention their philosophy that encourages them to enjoy war? Or how about the Americans who loved characters such as Superman and Captain America-who are characters that are not only patriotic but, stands for truth, justice, and freedom yet, how many times had the american government violated those things against weaker nations?

[@gindyelgindy6786]

what is the name of the opera that plays at 2:37

[@channellegendarium7677]

@@gindyelgindy6786 I couldn't say for sure, sorry.

[@Praskful]

Yeah i mean Hercules did some pretty fucked up shit too...

[@channellegendarium7677]

@@Praskful A good point, but he did penance for it, unlike Commodus.

[@ericpitt3876]

4:13. Most people don’t know that the first Golden Gate Bridge was built in Rome.

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

The tops of the two towers are so far apart they are 2 inches far apart from the bottom because the Earth is round

[@andrabrandon7375]

Do a video on Octavian, who took over after Julius Caesar was murdered. Was he like he is portrayed in Cleopatra with Elizabeth Taylor?

[@jiveassturkey8849]

Octavian became the first true Roman Emperor as Augustus.

[@maximilianogarciachirinos3663]

I am glad that you put AD instead of CE.

[@laurat188]

Why?

[@maximilianogarciachirinos3663]

@@laurat188 BC/AD is the correct way.

[@pamelamays4186]

Commodus makes Caligula look like a Boy Scout. Narcissus. Perfect name for a pro wrestler.

[@lavinialadlass9432]

I don’t think I could compare the two and say which one is worse.

[@ericspencer8093]

The video is using Historia Augusta as it's primary source, which tells me everything I need to know about the quality of information. FYI the Historia Augusta is a work of late Roman fiction written as a Christian satire of pagan Rome. It's by no means a historical account.

[@frgv4060]

My thinking is always that the fault is not that of the monster but the people that allows monsters to rule them. Of course, it is always easier to blame one guy but what one guy can really do by itself?

[@skypainterboomytunes2974]

All monsters have a support system, those who benefit from evil will continue the cycle; we see it every day now... economy over humanity

[@JustKrista50]

# victim blaming.🙂 Seriously though, the citizens are helpless to who ends up ruling them. Especially in a monarchy or Empire. I would say the people who help the ruler rise to power or "advise" are to blame. However, I've seen in my own free democracy how people with power will quickly fire anyone who doesn't agree with them.

[@frgv4060]

@@JustKrista50 It is offensive to acuse me of victim blaming. So the people that enforce the will of a dictator are victims? I don’t think so. It was Hitler who killed so many? As far as I know he was only a man… it was many other people that did his bidding. If one chooses to do evil to others because it is the safest thing to do it is not being a victim but a coward… Or because some beliefs again it doesn’t make you a victim. The victims are the ones that get killed at the hands of those people.

[@frgv4060]

@@JustKrista50 Moreover…. Aren’t the enforcers of the king or emperor people? And most probably were mere citizens with families prior to do that. So not victims at all.

[@JustKrista50]

@@frgv4060 Well, you clearly didn't see that I was JOKING with the hash tag. Even though I conveyed that with an emoji. To take your first question: people in high ranks don't go unpunished. The soldiers, following orders, do. It's niave to think people should die in order to disobey their superiors. In that way, all the citizens are victims, not only the ones who perish. Again, I witnessed my own president hire then fire advisors who didn't agree with him. In a country where not following the person in charge means death, people fall in line. Even then, dictators kill advisors for suspecting they don't agree. It then becomes a matter of survival to "prove" your loyalty. You seriously can not underestimate the power of hate and fear. They are riled up to hate all people who don't follow their ideas and fear being called disloyal.

[@lordofallusion5862]

Roman Topic: When did inbreeding really start to effect the rule of the Realm? You may use this question for any ancient empire.

[@karistacripe4109]

Random question wouldn't he be called Hercules son of Jupiter if he was going with the Roman form of Hercules

[@mikejaramillo9367]

That was my question too.

[@lindenkamen587]

Exactly! Im confused a lil bit

[@deewesthill4705]

I would like to see a discussion or debate between historians about the many evil deeds Commodus was accused of doing -- how likely each deed was to be true or false.

[@YouTubestolemyhandlethosemofos]

That would be so interesting

[@JosePerez-jo5ud]

Commodus threw some bad ass parties🤣

[@bofurthedwarf]

Indeed he did...😏

[@MIKE-TYTHON]

Yeh 300 boys in an orgy sounds lit

[@laurat188]

It’s so interesting hearing about this stuff, but I’m glad I wasn’t alive back then

[@Sevenigma777]

Gladiator was one of the best movies of it's time when it came out and one of the few ever that made me shed a tear.

[@jamesmeppler6375]

Yet it's almost entirely fictitious

[@edwardsanchez3708]

@Dan Stop lying we all heard you were crying at the end of bambi

[@JoJoZaka]

@@SnoopyDoofie who gives a shit

[@r0ky_M]

What part of Gladiator made you cry?

[@JustMe-ob3nw]

True - I have watched that movie so many times that I know the dialogues as the characters speak their lines…I love it..

[@DoomMomDot]

I always love it when a historical person turns out to be stranger than his portrayal in media.

[@JoJoJoker]

One can argue hypochondria is a modern phenomenon considering fatal transmissible disease was a real concern at the time.

[@shannonkohl68]

It's just a specialized paranoia, and it's not paranoia if they're really out to get you.

[@katarinatibai8396]

@@shannonkohl68 Sometime you have it bouth ways - you are maybe paranoid + they are really aut to geth you. They are really there four times in the week to spay on you - but you see them every day - lol

[@PositivelyPlaying]

I love how the picture of Antoninus is just the same picture but mirrored. Fantastic

[@chrisman3965]

Hold up....they have a Golden Gate Bridge in Rome? Who knew? 4:12

[@empressoftheknownuniverse]

Have you covered Empress Irene the Eye Gouger? Asking for a friend. 😜

[@KingRumar]

Is it because Irene gouged your friend's eyes out?

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Don't look that up on a porn site. You'll probably be scarred for life.

[@empressoftheknownuniverse]

@@danbrownellfuzzy3010 Ha! 😄

[@empressoftheknownuniverse]

@@KingRumar It was a running joke with a work friend named Irene. It gave her a boost of confidence and made her easier to work with...and everyone learned some Roman history. 🤓

[@kathryncarter6143]

Dang, sure makes Henry the VIII look like a pure saint!

[@brexistentialism7628]

Rome's emperors. It's insane how many different unique characters came to be known. It's a theatre.

[@lindamorris6251]

Love your channel!!! Have you done anything on Boudica? She was such a badass!

[@laurat188]

@CCP Tube na she was a badass

[@danbrownellfuzzy3010]

Bet you can Google her statue. It's real important to Brits I think it's by London bridge or ......

[@bayoo3]

Just read The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy so getting a vid on Commodus recommended to me is quite the treat

[@lavinialadlass9432]

Love the book. My favorite part is The end.

[@joermnyc]

His behavior after the assassination attempt sounds like a Stalinist purge!

[@DamonNomad82]

That makes perfect sense when you consider that Stalin's hero was Ivan the Terrible, who was a similarly cruel and unhinged tyrant.

[@aileenhovorka9207]

He WAS a weirdo! Bat shit crazy!! Many thanks for another great one 😊😊😊😊😊

[@severintrautmann2130]

a friend of mine is a historian and always scolds me when I talk negatively about Commodus, Caligula or Nero.

[@Chatisthisrealquestionmark]

epic. and also kind of serendipity that the father was the best emperor the the son the worst.

[@richardscanlan3167]

He wasn't close to the best emperor.That honour would go to Augustus,Rome's first emperor. Then you throw in the likes of Vespasian,Titus,Trajan,Hadrian,Aurelian,Constantine....

[@NAzTRAdamUS]

Not a coincidence, Westerner

[@tremorsfan]

Apparently one of the reasons Marcus Aurelius made Commodus his co emperor was because he hoped it would mellow him out.

[@tremorsfan]

@@xunqianbaidu6917 So every emperor had a co emperor?

[@SuperBararo]

Would love to see more about how Marcus Aurelius interacted with his son.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Crazy things can really happen when someone with absolute power gets paranoid

[@rursus8354]

Historia Augusta: "as it is said." Real historians don't value Historia Augusta very highly. If you are referring to historical sources without doing any scrutiny, why don't you just give us a link to Historia Augusta?

[@Silvereagledude]

You forget the times in which Commodus grew up….. the Antonine Plague….to say he was raised to be a hypochondriac is somewhat understandable

[@UwUOwl]

Crazy, I just rewatched Gladiator a few days ago.

[@trixdream]

marcus aureliues was the first and only philosopher emperor i think. weird that his son turns out to be a maniac.

[@User-54631]

Not too weird, I’d akin it kids born to extreme wealth or child stars . A lot of the times they grow up being very dysfunctional adults