All language subtitles for Roman.Empire.Reign.of.Blood.S01E02.WEBRip.XviD-FUM

The music we play is mournful...

and tears flow,
itching our cheeks with sorrow.

We do not forget
that our beloved Empress

has departed this world
for one of eternal bliss.

She's left us far too soon,

but I take great comfort
that her soul resides in eternity,

watched over by all the Gods
in the Elysian Fields.

Now as we prepare to light the pyre

that usher her into the afterlife,

I ask only one thing of you.

That you remember her as I do.

A woman who loved Rome...

and family...

more than life itself.

14 years after becoming
the Emperor of Rome,

Marcus Aurelius
mourns the death of his wife,

and the mother of his only son...

Empress Faustina.

Are they ready?

They're just giving the horses some water.

You should prepare to leave for Rome
at first light tomorrow.

This is not a good time
for me to leave the front.

I'll follow you in a week.

Trust Pompeianus.

And our attack plan is good.

Tell them I'll be there in a minute.

Father...

When Mother sent me up here
to learn from you...

I know I didn't take it seriously.

Now, I feel I'm ready to.

Feel?

Know. I know I am.

You don't know anything.

I'm your son.

Let me try.

We'll see.

The basic reason that Marcus Aurelius

chose Commodus as his successor
is the obvious one,

that Commodus was his son.

And once that is taken into consideration,

I think it would be extremely difficult
for Marcus to pass his son over.

It would have looked
extremely problematic.

The purpose of this training
is not to teach you how to kill.

A great leader has internal strength.

To get there, we begin with the sword.

But, it's only the beginning.

Begin.

Again.

Marcus Aurelius had been chosen

at the age of 17 to, someday,
become Emperor.

And at that point, after years
of education, and prepping, and grooming,

he had been given military commands.

He had been given experience.

And he patterned Commodus's own
education in exactly that way.

For Commodus to succeed him,

and one day rule the Empire,

Aurelius knows that first,

his son must be groomed
for the throne.

A process with a long tradition
in the Empire.

Since the dawn of the Empire,

the success of an emperor's rule...

has relied on his control of the army.

And to gain the respect
of the Roman troops,

an emperor must prove himself
as a skilled warrior.

Now, we may think
that it was a bit irresponsible

of a father to take their son along
into a war zone.

And yet, what Marcus Aurelius is trying
to do is introduce his son to his troops.

He knows that when
Commodus inherits from him,

that the troops
will be his power base.

And he wants to make sure that the troops
are already familiar with him

and comfortable with him.

Greatly improved, Commodus.

There's still a long way to go.

In battle, your enemy will look you
in the eye and attack you with a weapon.

In Rome,

you must learn
to fight a battle of words...

in a den of snakes.

After proving himself
on the battlefield,

Commodus heads back
to Rome with his father.

But his training for the throne
is far from complete.

Now, Marcus Aurelius knows...

it's time for Commodus to learn to
navigate the Empire's political systems,

including the Senate.

For centuries,

the Roman Senate
has commanded authority...

as one of the Empire's
most powerful institutions.

There was no way,

no matter how much power
the Emperor claimed to exercise,

for a single person to rule an empire
of 50 million people...

without the help of others.

The Emperor needs
civilian governing apparatus.

And that apparatus,
that governmental structure,

had to have leaders.

The answer was the Senate.

Made up of 600 men of the elite class,

and with seats passed down
through generations...

the Roman Senate is responsible
for maintaining the treasury,

holding trials,

and advising the Emperor.

I humbly thank the Senate for its time.

May the Gods be with you.

Emperor...

Senators. You know my son, Commodus.

- Of course, of course.
- Senators.

Emperor, before anything else,

I would like to offer
my heartfelt condolences,

on behalf of the Senate,

on the loss of your wife.

You're very kind, Senator.

But you should remember
that it's not just my wife who was lost.

My children have lost their mother.

And Rome...

-has lost their Empress.
-Indeed.

And a great one.

Without question.

This is such a difficult time
for the Empire...

in so many ways.

Which is why I have not made
my request for funds lightly.

I am acutely aware
of the limitations of the treasury--

We are not interested
in awareness, Emperor.

Simply, accountability.

Emperor. What Senator Quintianus means--

Senator Quintianus
made himself quite clear.

But be assured, the Barbarian resistance
is in its last throes.

And I have no doubt,
with the aid of the Senate,

our inevitable victory
will come that much more quickly.

A victory which will bring
greater compensation back to those...

who made it possible.

Senator...

It's very interesting.

You can't trust any of them.

In the early centuries of Roman expansion,

the Senate saw itself as the kind
of brain's trust of the state.

The Emperors had to
pay lip service to them,

but they were
always conscious of the fact

that they could not allow Senators
to overreach themselves.

And so, the relationship
between Emperors and Senators

was often very challenging.

As two of the most influential
Senators in Rome,

Cassius Dio and Quintianus
both serve under Marcus Aurelius.

And by supporting
the Emperor's request for military funds,

they look to maintain
power of their own.

Cassius Dio and Quintianus
were both powerful Roman politicians.

They were both Senators.

Cassius Dio was actually
to become a consul.

Quintianus had led the successful
Roman campaign into Germania.

So people looked to
them for leadership,

for advice, for patronage.

Both men were at the heart
of Roman politics.

For Aurelius,

negotiating with the Senate
is an important lesson for his son.

But before he can
assume the throne,

Commodus must have an empress
who will aid in his rule.

When we're looking
at Rome's Emperors and their families,

it's almost exclusively
arranged marriages.

So these decisions were not made
very much on the basis of love.

Almost all, really,
virtually all of the marriages

one has seen for generations
amongst Rome's elite

are for political, dynastic purposes.

The high society
of the Roman Empire,

was a highly aristocratic one.

And it was therefore necessary,
when choosing a spouse,

either for a prince or a princess
in the Imperial household

to choose somebody
of considerable aristocratic prestige.

Born into one of Rome's
most influential families,

Bruttia Crispina is the daughter of
one of Marcus Aurelius's closest advisors,

and is chosen by the Emperor
as a strategic match for his son.

Bruttia Crispina
was from a very powerful family.

Her father has been consul twice.

A clever emperor needed the support of
the most powerful people in Roman society,

who tended to be the
Senatorial class,

and so he knows then
that when he himself dies,

Commodus will be able to

inherit a situation where
the movers and shakers in Roman politics

are there to support him.

My apologies.
I did not mean to be delayed, but...

here we are.

I must say, it's good to take a break
from all the matters of the Empire

with this simple, private, social lunch.

This gathering is as important as
any meeting I've taken in the Senate.

Don't you think so, Commodus?

I do.

But I also think it's a beautiful day.

I would love to show Crispina
some of the Palace orchids.

Would you care for more wine?

Perhaps a little.

The marriage will bring
Commodus one step closer to the throne,

securing his power and support
within the Empire.

But the union is also a threat
to anyone looking to gain influence,

including Commodus's sister, Lucilla.

Lucilla had been
the perhaps most visible powerful woman

in the Roman Empire at the time.

And Crispina may have, in a way,
sort of usurped her position.

Within months,

Commodus and Crispina will be married...

in a ceremony traditional
of royal weddings in the Roman Empire.

When a member
of the royal family is married,

an agreement is signed
between the two families.

Gifts are exchanged and the union
is honored by the general public.

For Commodus and Crispina,

the wedding is commemorated
with minted coins...

and a commissioned song
by one of Rome's best composers.

But while the Empire
welcomes a new empress,

not everyone in the palace
is celebrating.

The marriage secures
a valuable alliance,

but as the Empire's future
begins to settle in Rome...

hundreds of miles away,

with the absence of Marcus Aurelius
and Commodus on the battlefield,

the war against
the Germanic tribes has escalated.

The Roman army
is struggling to fight back.

The Goths, this Germanic tribe,

move westwards.

And what this causes
is a kind of domino effect.

And there is a whole series of wars
between groups of these German tribes

and the Roman Empire.

They're a diverse group of tribes.

It's not like dealing with
the Persian Empire,

where you're just dealing with
one government, one army.

They form alliances,
they fall out with each other.

And so the war proves to be
very long, costly.

As the Emperor's wartime advisor,

and a respected military leader,

Pertinax has acted
in the Emperor's place.

But with the Roman army
losing ground,

he sends word of the mounting struggle
to Marcus Aurelius.

News of invasions along the border
and Roman casualties travel to Rome.

And Aurelius and Commodus
know they have no choice...

but to head back to the front lines.

In the reign of Marcus Aurelius,

the military campaigns
were mainly reactive.

These were not campaigns of conquest.
These were to solidify Rome's borders.

And these were
forced upon Marcus Aurelius.

Now facing a war with multiple fronts
against several battling armies,

Marcus Aurelius
must come up with a plan.

The third legion two leagues...

west to the seventh legion,

two leagues east, we'll trap them.

-Right there.
-Yes, sir.

Thank you, gentlemen.

I'll give the Barbarians something.

They don't give in easily.

Can we defeat them?

We'll find out on the battlefield.

Or wherever these cowards decide to
crawl out from under their rocks.

Is it true they have us surrounded?

They do not have us surrounded.

They do have us unsettled,
only because I wasn't here to lead a...

a direct counter attack here.

If we hadn't gone back to Rome,

we wouldn't be
in this predicament.

But we had to go back to Rome.

We had to go back.

Yes, yes we did.

But if we hadn't--

This isn't mother's fault.

Don't put words in my mouth.

What are you trying to say, then?

I'm saying--

She went to your tent
to ask for forgiveness.

Your mother made a decision.

Did you refuse?

Do not lay the blame at my feet.

Father? Father, Father...

Father!

Help!

He just collapsed.

For years,

war has ravaged the borders
of the Roman Empire...

and taken a toll on its Emperor.

But nearly a decade
after the conflict began,

Marcus Aurelius
is fighting another deadly enemy.

One sweeping through the Empire and
wreaking havoc on the human population.

The plague.

For the past 15 years,

the Antonine Plague
has devastated the Roman Empire.

And the same half million miles of roads
built by the Romans...

are now providing an ideal path
for the spread of the disease.

One of Rome's greatest strengths
has become a fatal weakness.

The Antonine Plague occurs

in the mid '60s,
during the reign of Marcus Aurelius.

The effects seems to have been dramatic.

2,000 people a day
are dying in the city of Rome,

and a quarter of all those
who are affected die of the symptoms.

The Roman Empire
had good networks of communication.

But that also meant that disease
could travel along those networks.

It meant that any kind of new disease

would quickly be dispersed
amongst the wider population.

More than 5 million people
have died of the plague.

And the Roman Army
has been nearly wiped out.

With his father ill,

Commodus knows
the fate of the Empire is at stake.

Commodus...

Bring me good news.

There are reports of a tribal army
on the other side of the river.

Pompeianus thinks we should
send the second legion across,

hold the fourth and fifth in reserve.

No.

Tell him to commit all the troops.

The Barbarians will have to...

march a hundred miles
to attack our flank.

We can overpower them...

Pompeianus is always too conservative...

Father...

You're going to be
sole Emperor of Rome,

when I die.

You're not dying.

I wish that were true...

for your sake.

I'm not ready.

No.

But if I don't name you Emperor,

they'll kill you.

You were brought up with women and slaves,
when you should have been here,

by my side.

I can be strong.

Well, you'll have to be.

Because even when
you've taken the throne,

they'll come for you.

Who?

All of them.

No, no, no.

Not the generals,
they're loyal soldiers.

Anyone who thinks
they deserve to be Emperor.

Promise me...

you'll finish the war.

Nearly 20 years
after he claimed the throne,

Marcus Aurelius
dies at the age of 58.

The life of one of
the most celebrated rulers

in the history of the Roman Empire
will be honored for centuries.

And his writings on philosophy
will be read for generations.

Marcus Aurelius was famous
for being a good Emperor.

He saw it as his duty
to support the Empire,

and to try and protect it militarily.

But he was also popular with the people.

He delivered Rome
great military victories,

he handed out money,

and people seemed to have
held him in very high regard.

After the passing of one of
Rome's greatest Emperors,

Commodus knows he must now take on
the most powerful position in the world.

And while the Empire grieves,

the royal family
looks to the future...

knowing that the only son
of Marcus Aurelius...

must now carry on
his father's legacy.

That's four farms along the frontier
and two villages to the east.

Cowards.

And we'll continue to see more of this
unless we strike back now.

And stretch the legion
out even thinner?

We need to consolidate our forces.

While the animals that did this

scatter into the woods
to strike us again tomorrow.

No. I say we push across the Danube.

Drive a wedge
between the two tribes--

You seem to forget
the numbers are on our side.

To say nothing of the Gods,
this one battle may have been lost--

I don't doubt we'll win the war--

Enough!

Consolidate, separate...

Can you give me an answer
as to why are we even here?

Emperor. We are here
for the glory of Rome.

We are hundreds of miles from Rome.

-Emperor, your father himself--
-I'm well aware of my father's feelings.

Of course.

For nearly a decade,

Commodus has watched
his Empire consumed by war.

And with his father gone,

he knows he must make a choice

that will determine the fate of Rome.

When Marcus Aurelius dies,

Commodus finds himself in a war zone

with a war
that he doesn't want to continue.

It's easy for us to judge Commodus
by the standards of his father.

But Marcus Aurelius
was an exceptional emperor,

who had ruled from the very highest
standards of good governance.

Commodus was not
really interested in administration.

And he was not interested
in fighting wars.

And so, Commodus seems to sit
at this threshold

of an empire that is transitioning.

Commodus will soon lead
the entire Roman Empire.

And those he trusts will be promoted
into the highest ranks

of the Imperial palace.

Including his closest friends
and former slaves...

Cleander and Saoterus.

Knock knock. Anyone home?

Emperor?

No.

He's got to be at the bluff.

Back to the bluff.

Cleander and Saoterus
were members of the Imperial household

and of slightly different background

at the moment when we encounter them
in the life of Commodus.

But both of them were, in essence,
low status individuals

who achieved high status
by virtue of proximity to the Emperor.

Commodus's trust of Cleander and Saoterus
probably derives from the fact

that they were close to him
for virtually his entire life.

Let them through.

We thought you were
coming back to the tent.

I don't want to be
anywhere near that tent.

Or that camp. Or them.
Or this ridiculous, endless war.

What did they say?

It's what they didn't say.

“Yes, Emperor.
“Excellent point, Emperor.

They don't care what I think.

You see,
I'm not my father, so I don't exist.

They'll just keep doing
what they want to do and...

and they'll never respect me.

You're the Emperor of Rome.
They don't have to respect you.

They have to obey you.

If only it were that easy.

It doesn't have to be so difficult.

Commodus, the people of Rome,
they're just like you.

They want to see an end to this war.

I've heard it in the streets every day.

It kept your father away for eight years.
And now, it's threatening

-to do the same to you.
-I know. But I can't just--

They need to see you.
A new Emperor needs to be in Rome.

I promised my father
I would finish the war.

Those generals, they know it.

And they will use it against me
at every opportunity.

So finish it.

Despite his father's wishes
and the advice of his military advisors,

Commodus is determined to put an end
to the war with the Germanic tribes.

And just months
after his father's death,

he makes his first move
in his absence.

Emperor, with all due respect,
I urge you to reconsider--

The war is over.

The treaty marks
a historic moment for the Empire...

as Germanic tribes
are pushed back from the border...

and thousands of enemy soldiers
are forced to enlist in the Roman Army.

But for Commodus,
the fight is far from over.

While the people celebrate peace,

the military and the Senate
oppose the treaty.

Commodus did not continue to pursue

his father's war with the Germanic tribes.

When historians wrote about
Commodus suspending this war,

they often said that he was eager
to rush back to Rome,

because he wanted to
enjoy life in the city.

That he had some interest
in luxury and debauchery

that kept him off the battlefield.

But instead, we can see someone
who really wanted to shore up

political support for himself
in the nexus of power.

With the war finally over,

Commodus prepares to
leave the battlefront.

And can now return home
as ruler of the Roman Empire.