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====Battles in Germania====
The movie begins with the ailing Marcus Aurelius, the emperor of Rome, watching Maximus leading a battle against a German tribe, where the battle is portrayed as crucial in bringing peace to the Roman Empire's northern frontier. The German tribe was shown wearing Neolithic period clothing, something that is inaccurate and the clothing would have been more complex in fashion. During the reign of Aurelius, there were prolonged wars in Germania. Wars there were largely inconclusive, although they were close to annexing Moravia and West Slovakia during his reign. The movie depicts the emperor being killed by his son Commodus, although in reality, Commodus was already co-emperor. There is no certain evidence that Commodus had any difficult relationship with his father, although later authors did disparage Commodus. Furthermore, although Maximus is mostly a fictional character, it is not likely Marcus Aurelius would appoint a general as protector of the empire, as suggested in the movie where shortly before his death the fictional Marcus Aurelius asked Maximus to lead the empire.
In fact, in the film, a conflict in Marcus Aurelius' mind was whether to return power to the Senate rather than have it mostly be with the emperor. This is unlikely as Marcus Aurelius, although often considered a wise emperor and even called the "philosopher king," as suggested in the film, still believed in holding power closely and willingly passed power to his son, something a Roman Emperor had not done for about a century.<ref>For more on Marcus Aurelius, see: Birley, A. R. (2016). <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FA62O8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FA62O8&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=aee0aa476daf8e04842311de39ecaef3 Marcus Aurelius: a biography].</i> Place of publication not identified: Routledge.</ref>
Nevertheless, historians indicate he liked to think of himself as Hercules, and even began to dress like him in gladiator contests rather than as the emperor, where he wore bright emperor clothing in the film.<ref>For more on Commodus' gladiator contests, see: Adams 2013: 242</ref>
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====Related DailyHistory.org Articles====
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====Main Characters====
<u>Maximus Decimus Meridius</u>: Maximus is an entirely fictitious character, but seems to be based on several characters, including Avidius Cassius, who was a general in Marcus Aurelius' armies. He did declare himself emperor or revolt shortly after thinking Aurelius died in 175, suggesting a brief power struggle, but he was eventually killed after it became clear Aurelius was not dead. There was a general named Maximus who lived in the late Roman Empire who may have aspired to revolt against the empire.<ref>For more on Avidius, see: Canduci, Alexander (2010). <i>Triumph & Tragedy: The Rise and Fall of Rome’s Immortal Emperors.</i> Roman imperial biographies. Sydney: Pier 9.</ref>
If you want to learn more about gladiators, check out our article [[How Did Gladiatorial Games Evolve in Ancient Rome?]] for more information.
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