Was Marcus Aurelius truly the last good emperor?

Marcus was indeed the last truly great Roman Emperor. He had over 20 years in being trained to run the Empire as Hadrian had dictated in his will and as Antoninus Pius had seen fit to execute. He was probably the best educated Roman Emperor and he was absolutely the most humanitarian-minded Roman Emperor, we are fortunate to have his personal writings. read more

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, known more commonly as Marcus Aurelius, was the 16th emperor of Rome, who reigned from 161 AD to his death in 180 AD. Marcus Aurelius is remembered as the last of the Five Good Emperors (the other four being Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius). read more

Marcus married Faustina in AD 145. She had a lively temperament and contemporaries credited her with numerous affairs, but he seems to have loved her dearly. By the end of the 140s he was the emperor’s right-hand man. So he remained until Antoninus Pius died in 161 and Marcus duly succeeded at last, at the age of 39. read more