Marcus Aurelius was born in Rome.
His sister Annia Cornificia Faustina was probably born.
Marcus’s father, Marcus Annius Verus (III), likely died while Marcus was still a young child; Marcus was subsequently raised primarily under the authority of his grandfather Marcus Annius Verus (II).
At the prompting of his teacher Diognetus, Marcus adopted the dress and habits of a philosopher, studying in a rough Greek cloak and sleeping on the ground for a time.
A new set of tutors, including Alexander of Cotiaeum, took over key parts of Marcus’s education, contributing to his literary formation.
Emperor Hadrian selected Lucius Aelius as successor and adopted him; this was part of a succession plan that would ultimately affect Marcus’s path to power.
Lucius Aelius died after falling ill; his death reopened the question of Hadrian’s successor.
Hadrian selected Antoninus Pius as successor, on condition that Antoninus adopt both Marcus and Lucius (son of Lucius Aelius). Marcus became M. Aelius Aurelius Verus.
Hadrian requested that Marcus be exempted from the minimum age requirement for the office of quaestor, enabling Marcus to enter public office earlier than usual.
Hadrian died at Baiae; the transition to Antoninus Pius proceeded peacefully, and Antoninus was given the title “Pius.”
Marcus was appointed a sevir (one of the six commanders of the Equites at their annual parade) and became princeps iuventutis, signaling his status as heir apparent.
Marcus’s prior betrothal was annulled and he was betrothed to Faustina the Younger, Antoninus Pius’s daughter; the arrangement also required changes to Lucius’s betrothal plans.
Marcus served as consul together with Antoninus Pius.
Marcus became consul for a second time; correspondence with Marcus Cornelius Fronto describes the demands of public duties and health concerns.
Marcus married Faustina the Younger.
Faustina gave birth to a daughter, Domitia Faustina, the first recorded child of the couple.
Antoninus Pius granted Marcus tribunician power and imperium, formally increasing his authority in imperial governance.
Faustina gave birth to twin sons; they died in infancy and were buried in Hadrian’s mausoleum.
Faustina gave birth to a daughter, Lucilla.
Domitia Faustina (born 147) died in childhood.
A son, Tiberius Aelius Antoninus, was born; he later died in childhood (before 156).
Marcus’s mother, Domitia Lucilla Minor, died (probably soon after 155).
As Antoninus Pius aged, Marcus assumed greater administrative responsibilities; when Marcus Gavius Maximus died, Marcus took on the role of praetorian prefect (as described in the article).
Antoninus Pius died at Lorium, reportedly giving the final password “aequanimitas” (equanimity).
Marcus Aurelius acceded as emperor; he refused to rule alone and insisted that Lucius Verus be granted equal powers, creating Rome’s first formal joint emperorship.
Busts of the co-emperors Marcus Aurelius (left) and Lucius Verus (right), British Museum
Marcus devalued the denarius, reducing its silver purity (as part of early fiscal measures under the new reign).
Vologases IV of Parthia invaded Roman client Armenia, expelled its king, and installed Pacorus of Armenia, sparking the Roman–Parthian War of 161–166.
The Cappadocian governor Marcus Sedatius Severianus led a legion into Armenia, was trapped at Elegeia, committed suicide, and his legion was massacred.
Lucius Verus left Rome to direct the Parthian war in person, while Marcus remained in Rome to manage affairs of state.
Roman forces captured Armenia’s capital, Artaxata. Lucius accepted the title Armeniacus (Marcus accepted it later).
Rome reorganized Armenia, establishing a new capital (Kaine Polis) and installing Sohaemus of Armenia as king.
During the war, Marcus’s daughter Lucilla travelled east and married Lucius Verus at Ephesus; Marcus accompanied the party as far as Brundisium.
Roman forces re-occupied Edessa and advanced into Mesopotamia; Avidius Cassius’s forces took Ctesiphon and the palace was burned, while Seleucia was sacked despite opening its gates.
The Antonine Plague began in Mesopotamia during or after the Parthian campaign and spread widely; Galen described symptoms, and it is commonly believed to have been smallpox.
A possible Roman contact with the Han dynasty is recorded when a traveller visited the Han court claiming to represent “Andun,” identified by some with Marcus or Antoninus Pius.
Lucius took the title Parthicus Maximus; Marcus later assumed the title as well, after the successful conclusion of major operations in the Parthian war.
Marcus proclaimed two sons, Marcus Annius Verus Caesar and Commodus, as his heirs.
Germanic and other groups intensified pressure on the northern frontier; an early Chatti incursion was repulsed in 162, followed by major invasions beginning in 166.
A major invasion began when the Marcomanni crossed the Danube with other Germanic groups; the Iazyges and the Costoboci also attacked, spreading conflict into the Balkans and Greece.
Marcus revalued the denarius, raising its silver purity, but later reversed the change due to military pressures.
Lucius Verus fell ill and died while returning from the northern campaign, likely due to the plague; Marcus continued as sole emperor.
While on campaign, Marcus wrote the Meditations in Greek as a work of personal guidance and self-improvement.
The bronze Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius was crafted (traditionally dated to around 175) and is the only surviving Roman equestrian statue from antiquity.
A revolt by Avidius Cassius interrupted Marcus’s plans for further annexations beyond the Danube (as summarized in the article’s discussion of the empire in 180).
Marcus celebrated a triumph over Rome’s enemies, and his victories in the northern wars were commemorated in relief scenes later associated with his honorific monuments.
Scene from the Arch of Marcus Aurelius
Marcus and Commodus jointly ruled (the article notes that Marcus had jointly ruled with Commodus since 177, after having named him Caesar earlier).
Marcus Aurelius died at age 58 in his military quarters at either Vindobona (modern Vienna) or near Sirmium. He was deified and his ashes were returned to Rome and placed in Hadrian’s mausoleum.
Last Words of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (1844) by Eugène Delacroix
Marcus was succeeded by his son Commodus, marking a transition from adoptive succession practices to a biological heir; ancient and modern historians often criticized this succession.
The Column of Marcus Aurelius was completed in Rome, commemorating his victories over Germanic tribes and Sarmatians, especially those associated with the triumph of 176.
The Meditations were first published in Zurich by Wilhelm Xylander, based on a manuscript reportedly lost shortly afterward.
A statue of Saint Paul replaced the original statue atop the Column of Marcus Aurelius during works ordered by Pope Sixtus V.
Hadrian’s mausoleum (where Marcus’s ashes were placed) was affected by the Visigoth sack of Rome (410).