Marcus Aurelius was one of the most important figures of the Roman Empire. He was an emperor after all. But beyond his imperial duties, he was also a Stoic philosopher.
In today’s post, we’ll dive into Marcus’s life and see how Stoicism impacted his work as emperor.
What is Marcus Aurelius best known for?
Marcus Aurelius is today best known as the last of the Five Good Emperors of Rome.
As both a Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor, Marcus is history’s prime example of a philosopher king. We might even call him the emperor of philosophers.
How did Marcus Aurelius become emperor?
Marcus was a dedicated student who excelled in many studies, including Stoic philosophy. His father was a distinguished politician but died when young Marcus was only three years old.
Antoninus Pius, the emperor before Marcus, later adopted him. Antoninus’s predecessor, Hadrian, set this condition in order for Antoninus himself to become emperor.
Despite being born into a well-off family, Marcus Aurelius was not in the royal lineage to become emperor. Growing up, nobody expected young Marcus to one day become the Emperor of Rome.
Was Marcus Aurelius a good emperor?
Marcus’s reign wasn’t easy. He fought wars with the Parthian Empire and tried to keep the barbarian tribes on the northern border in check. At the same time, the rise of Christianity created instability in the region and the Antonine plague killed millions.
He was nonetheless a great emperor, beloved by his people. With a true sense of purpose, Marcus’s ultimate goal was always to do what was right.
His objective was always to do the best for Rome. He strived to be a good person by focusing on noble actions. Despite not wanting to become emperor at first, he eventually understood that it was his duty. Emperorship was his opportunity to do good.
Marcus Aurelius & Stoicism
From the Stoic perspective, Marcus is important for the value he placed on living a “good life”. Unlike most emperors, Marcus found little enjoyment in royal pleasures. He was entirely focused on his duty.
It seems Stoicism taught Marcus from an early age to value fate, reason and self-restraint.
What did Marcus Aurelius write?
Marcus is perhaps most famous today for his private notebooks, which we now know as Meditations.
Marcus meant for Meditations to be a personal notebook that helped him live a better, more tranquil life. However, we refer to it today for insight into the mind of one of the most powerful people in history.
Even when faced with challenges, we see that Marcus found ways to keep himself motivated on the task at hand. Before we jump into what Marcus writes about, you might be wondering…
Why did Marcus Aurelius write in Greek?
Marcus was fluent and well-versed in both Latin and Greek. The reason he wrote in Greek came down to the amount of terminology he used from the Stoic philosophy. Generally, there was no Latin equivalent for many words from Greek philosophies.
He could have chosen to make up new words in Latin, like Seneca and Cicero did, hoping they made sense without any prior context. Or, more simply, he could just write in the philosophy’s original language.
It made sense that Marcus Aurelius would choose the latter since he did not intend his work for anyone else. Marcus only wrote for himself; he was an emperor after all, not a playwright. He did not need to write to make money or gain power.
Marcus simply needed an outlet for his thoughts and reflections each morning.
The importance of journaling
Meditations offers us general insight into the importance of journaling. Even while Marcus was on the battlefront trying to save his empire from ruin, he woke up early to write. He hardly focused on anything other than his duties, yet he regularly made time to write.
The time he spent writing was reflective and helped clear his mind. Stoic reflection offered Marcus cognitive distance throughout a difficult reign. And his journal was the medium.
Future-thinking, he planned strategic advances. Tranquility-focused, he internalised his goals and focused on what he could control.
Above all, it seems, Marcus contemplated what it meant to live a good life.
The obstacle is the way
As we’ve already mentioned, Marcus was no stranger to adversity. It seems he spent his entire 19-year reign fighting constant wars, barbarians and plagues to keep his empire intact.
For readers with all the luxuries of modern life, it can be hard to understand how Marcus kept his motivation high in the face of such adversity.
Marcus Aurelius learned to find motivation in his challenges.
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
Marcus Aurelius
This quote became the basis for Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way.
Focusing on what he could control
Faced with several wars and a disease known as the Antonine plague, Marcus spent his days focusing on what he could control in order to do his best for the Empire.
Many of his passages were strategic and logical. Others simply reassured him that he could only control so much. In this sense, Marcus used his personal notebook as a Stoic To-Do list. It seems he wrote primarily to clear his mind and figure out how to live his best life.
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius focused a great deal on focusing his impressions with katalepsis and realised his own ability to interpret external events positively. He learned to embrace his fate. Amor fati.
This focus on tranquility demonstrates Marcus’s Stoicism. It also shows how Epictetus’s teachings influenced his philosophy practice.
Living a good life
As a Stoic, Marcus Aurelius placed a special emphasis on the ability to think and reason. While the original Stoics believed our reasoning abilities to be our key strength, Marcus believed our ultimate goal depends on it.
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
While many people might feel good simply by thinking what a good person would do, Marcus Aurelius realised the importance of action in living a good life. The Stoics wrote extensively about what it means to live a virtuous life.
Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.
In terms of the benefits of a good life, Marcus points out the key to happiness. It all comes down to our thoughts.
Very little is needed to make a happy life. It’s all within yourself, in your way of thinking.
As Marcus spent time thinking of what it meant to live a good life, he even reasoned his way into living an ethical atheist life.
“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”
The End of Marcus Aurelius’s Reign
By 180, Marcus Aurelius had seen his final day as emperor. He died on March 17, 180 AD at Sirmium in modern-day Serbia.
What happened to Marcus Aurelius?
Marcus, who spent most of his reign fighting the Germanic tribes in the northern provinces, fell ill while on one such campaign. Near the end, he called for his son, Commodus, and encouraged him to continue the fight for Rome’s safety as Rome’s next emperor.
Marcus then asked his son to leave, indicating that he may have contracted the plague.
What happened to Rome after Marcus Aurelius died?
In the year 177, Marcus offered his son Commodus co-emperorship status, who was just 15 at the time. Despite being son to the great Stoic Marcus Aurelius, it seems Commodus did not learn the same lessons as Marcus did from his humble beginnings.
Historians point out that Marcus breaking the tradition of adopting future emperors seemed to contribute to the end of the Roman Empire’s golden period of Pax Romana. Commodus was after all a political and military outsider.
After Marcus’s death, Commodus was quick to wrap up the war and declared peace with the barbarians. Despite a few years of relative stability with fewer wars than Marcus Aurelius’s reign, Commodus found himself with an inflated ego and budding megalomania. As emperor, he claimed he was a source of God-like power.
Commodus even renamed each month of the year after his 12 names: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, etc. But months weren’t the only thing renamed in his honour. The Imperial Fleet, the Senate, his palace and the Roman people were all named after him: Commodianus.
Commodus also began to spend more time in the Coliseum and jumped into the ring fighting as a gladiator himself. The Romans found it disgraceful to have an emperor amused by such entertainment when he could instead be protecting Rome against the barbarians and countless other enemies.
At the end in 192, Commodus was assassinated and quickly deemed a public enemy by the Senate. The year after Commodus’s death, five people laid claim to the title of Emperor with Septimius Severus victorious. By promoting new wars and increased military budgets, many consider Severus one of the main causes of Rome’s ultimate demise.
Was Marcus wrong to declare Commodus emperor?
It’s unclear if Marcus was aware of his son’s egotistical tendencies. Regardless of whether or not he was aware, many historians argue that Marcus declaring someone other than his son emperor would have resulted in civil war.
It would otherwise seem off character for this great man’s final act to be such a dramatically poor choice.
Marcus Aurelius in a Nutshell
Marcus Aurelius, the great philosopher king, ruled the Roman Empire from 161 – 180 AD. Following his Stoic principles, he only ever focused on noble pursuits. While he could have done anything he wanted as Emperor, he felt a strong duty to Rome and would use his emperorship to do good.
Marcus used many Stoic concepts to help him gain inner tranquility. He journaled and focused on what he could control. Above all else, he aimed to live a good life.
Learn to live more like the Stoic Marcus Aurelius with Mind & Practice today.