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Why didn't Marcus Aurellias give power back to the Senate himself?

posted 8 years ago by satan_says_hi
3 replies | jump to latest

Why did he have to wait for his chosen successor to do it (Maximus)?

You've got to go through Hell before you get to Heaven.

[–] IndianaMcClane 8 years ago

He wanted to first hand someone he trusted power who could live long enough to find and rout out the corruption that's been allowed to fester in the senate (with guys like Falco) before handing power back to them.

[–] satan_says_hi 8 years ago

Makes sense. Thanks.

You've got to go through Hell before you get to Heaven.

[–] markfilipak 8 years ago

The film is fiction. In reality, Marcus Aurelius had no such intention. In fact, Marcus made his son co-emperor in 177, 3 years before the movie begins.

Regarding why a powerful man would advocate a return to the Republic: It was a popular football that got kicked around a lot because it was ...popular. No one who advocated it was ever serious.

Regarding why a fictional powerful man would wait, well, that's answered in the other responses.
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If polar bears can't stand the change, they should go back to where they came from.